Witness known as ‘Mia’ tearfully testifies diddy raped and violently abused her during years as his assistant.
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused of years-long sexual abuse and physical violence by a former personal assistant who gave harrowing testimony in a New York federal courtroom on Thursday. The woman, testifying anonymously as “Mia,” said the music mogul repeatedly raped her and subjected her to terrifying outbursts during her eight years of employment.
Mia, speaking often through tears, described a workplace environment steeped in fear and control, alleging that she was unable to leave his residences without permission and was constantly required to anticipate his moods. “I couldn’t tell him no about a sandwich,” she said, illustrating her powerlessness.
The 55-year-old hip-hop icon has pleaded not guilty to federal charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals to engage in prostitution. His defence team has yet to cross-examine Mia or address her explosive allegations.
Mia said she began working for Combs in 2009 in her mid-20s. The job, she told the court, came with lavish highs but devastating lows. Her living and working conditions blurred, often involving overnight stays at his homes with no locked doors and no option to leave.
“He threw a bowl of spaghetti at me once, and it barely missed my head,” she testified. In another incident, he allegedly hurled a laptop at her when she said the WiFi wasn’t working.
The court also heard chilling accounts of Combs’ alleged violence toward his former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, known professionally as Cassie. Mia became close friends with Ventura while working for Combs and witnessed numerous disturbing incidents, including one in 2013 where she said he cut open her eyebrow after throwing her onto a bed frame.
On a trip to the Turks and Caicos, Mia said she and Ventura had to flee to the beach and later into the water on a paddleboard to escape Combs’ rage. “I was trying to weigh if it was scarier to face mother nature, or go back to Puff,” she told the court.
The most disturbing moments came as Mia recounted multiple alleged rapes. She testified that the sexual abuse began early in her employment, citing one night during Combs’ 40th birthday at New York’s Plaza Hotel. After taking two vodka shots he gave her, she said he kissed her and put his hand up her dress.
In a separate incident between 2009 and 2010, she said she woke in a bunk bed at his Los Angeles home to find Combs on top of her, initiating rape. “I just froze. It was very quick but it felt like forever,” she said. She recalled feeling a “dark feeling in my stomach” during other assaults but couldn’t always remember details.
Mia said she never reported the abuse due to Combs’ power and influence. “I knew his control over me, and I didn’t want to lose everything I worked so hard for,” she said. She claimed another assistant was fired after reporting violence against Ventura, further deterring her from speaking out.
She also testified that Combs used her sexual encounters with him as blackmail, threatening to reveal them to Ventura.
Mia said she spent years trying to bury the memories. Asked why she was coming forward now, she replied: “I had to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
Her testimony will continue Friday, when Combs’ defence team is expected to cross-examine her.
