Prosecutors inSean "Diddy" Combs' sweepingfederal sex-crimes trialcontinue to build their case against the embattled hip-hop mogul following a week ofemotional testimony. Dawn Richard, a former member of Combs' platinum-selling girl groupDanity Kane, retook the stand May 19. Richard, who sued Combs in September 2024 on allegations of physical and sexual abuse, testified that she saw Combs beat his ex-girlfriendCassie Ventura Finein 2009 in his Los Angeles home and drag her upstairs by the hair. Questioned about her own lawsuit against the rapper, Richard said she was not looking for compensation for her for her testimony: "I'm expecting justice," she said. Combs, 55, wasarrested in September 2024on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. In what appeared to an attempt to paint Richard as unsuccessful in recent years, one of Combs' attorneys Nicole Westmoreland pressed the former Danity Kane member on why she reached out to him following a 2009 if she perceived him as dangerous. The attorney referred to Richard's previous testimony, when she said she saw Combs assault Ventura Fine,and the rapper allegedly threatened her afterwards. "You perceived the threats as death threats, fear for your life, but then you reached out to work with him again?" Westmoreland said, to which Richard replied: "Yes." Arguing that in more recent years her songs haven't reached the level of Danity Kane's success, Westmoreland added: "I mean, no offense." "I have succeeded in it (her career)" Richard shot back. "In the past?" Westmoreland said, to which Richard responded: "Now" She then went on to explain why she filed her civil lawsuit. "I'm filing a lawsuit to get compensation for work I put forth," Richard said. On the stand,Richard was pressedabout conflicts between her testimony in court and past interviews with prosecutors. For example, in court, she said she sawCombs use cocaineand witnessed his alleged drug dealer, identified as 'One Stop', sell drugs, but previously gave different answers to prosecutors. "Your testimony has changed a number of times. You would agree that as time progresses, your story changes?" Nicole Westmoreland, a lawyer for Combs, asked. "Yes… Not a story change, different," she responded. When prosecutors rose to redirect, Richard addressed the lapses in her story by saying: "I have to go back to memory that Ididn't want to come back to." "The environment was volatile, and it was very hard to work in," she said of working with Combs. Under cross-examination, Richard told the court about a dinner around 2009 where she allegedly saw Combs punch Cassie. She said music stars Usher, Jimmy Lovine and Ne-Yo were in attendeance. Asked why she didn't mention that in direct examination, she said that she simply wasn't asked but that she wasn't trying to hide the fact that they were there. The comments add to a growing web from the trial, that has ensnared several big names in the music industry, including Michael B. Jordan and Kid Cudi. As Richard was cross-examined by Combs' lawyers, she alleged she frequently saw the rapperphysically abuse Ventura Finebetween 2009 and 2011, recalling injuries on her face, arms and knees. "I saw him punch her, choke her, drag her and kick her," she testified, adding that if Ventura Fine had an opinion or spoke up for herself, "he would hurt her for it." In one incident, Richard said she witnessed Combs punch Ventura Fine in the face. In another, Combs allegedly punched Ventura Fine in the stomach during a dinner. Richard testified that whenVentura Fine confronted Combsabout this alleged assault, he grabbed Cassie's neck and hit her in the mouth. Richard also said she was "shocked" and "scared" after Combs allegedly threatened her, warning that "if we said anything, we could go missing" and "we could die." He would tellpeople in his circleto stay "out of my relationship or else we would pay for it, or else something bad would happen to you," she alleged. Detailing Combs'alleged drug use, Richard said she often observed the music mogul using marijuana, ketamine, cocaine and molly. His drug dealer, who Richard called "One Stop," would come to the studio, she said, providing illegal drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy. But she said the man also provided pharmaceuticals such as birth control and emergency contraceptives. Richard also testified to seeing a Louis Vuitton toiletry bag where Combs allegedlykept his drugsand that she saw him with a handgun a few times. When questioned about her pending civil lawsuit against Combs, Richard said she was not expecting compensation for her testimony. "I'm expecting justice," she said. Danity Kanealum and Combs' former Diddy – Dirty Money collaborator Richard described witnessing Combs attack Ventura Fine as she was making eggs in a kitchen in Combs' Los Angeles home. Combs grabbed the skillet Ventura Fine was cooking in and tried to hit her with it, Richard said. The skillet didn't seem to hit Ventura Fine "fully" because "she went into the fetal position,"according to Richard. Ventura Fine was "literally" trying to hide her face and her head. Richard testified that the rapper then grabbed Ventura Fine's hair and dragged her upstairs. She said she subsequently heard glass breaking and yelling. Diddy on trial newsletterStep inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges. The prosecution also brought Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Yasin Binda to the stand. Binda, who specializes in human-trafficking cases, was on the scene for Combs'Sept. 16, 2024, arrestat the Park Hyatt New York, where she photographed evidence in his room. Among the items discovered were: A plastic bag filled with Johnson & Johnson baby oil Five bottles of baby oil and lubricant standing together on the floor of the bathtub (This was not all of the baby oil and lubricant they'd found, Binda confirmed.) A Louis Vuitton bag with a bottle of clonazepam – a benzodiazepine that is used for anxiety and seizures – which was prescribed to Combs' alias, Frank Black Two bottles of lubricant in the right nightstand drawer A bottle of medication in the left nightstand with two clear plastic bags filled with a pink substance. One of the bags tested positive for ketamine, and the other had a mixture of MDMA and ketamine A fanny pack hanging off the bed with $9,000 in cash Cell phones belonging to Combs andKristina "KK" Khorram, who has been described as Combs' "right hand" Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson asked whether Ventura Fine would give back the$20 million settlementshe received from Combs if it meant erasing her past "freak offs." Ventura Fine started tearing up and agreed, "I would give that money back if I never had to have 'freak offs.'" As she started to sob, she continued, "I would have had agency and autonomy. I wouldn't have to work so hard to get it back." Ventura Fine testified that she and Combs had dinner at an Italian restaurant in 2018 before he allegedly raped her, a claim featured in herNovember 2023 civil lawsuit. She was then asked if she wondered whether Combs was in a bipolar episode during the rape, and she confirmed that she did. Combs' lawyer asked about her feelings for Combs in September 2018, with her saying, "There were still feelings there." As for her feelings for Combs now, she said, "I don't hate him," and "I have love for the past and what it was." In November 2018, when Diddy's exKim Porter, who is the mother offour of Combs' seven children, died unexpectedly from pneumonia, Ventura Fine flew to Georgia and attended her memorial service. While there, Combs texted Ventura Fine asking why she left the service without saying goodbye. Ventura Fine responded, insisting that she did. "I know how crazy and painful all this is," Ventura Fine texted, but "you posted that Kim was your soulmate. What was the 11 years all about?" she said regarding their own relationship. The defense asked whether Ventura Fine found that "extremely hurtful," and she said "yes." Ventura Fine never saw Combs again after that. He tried to get in touch through mutual friends, but she rebuffed his advances. Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling lawsuit that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry. He wasarrested in September 2024and has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He haspleaded not guiltyto all five counts. Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity. Using RICO law, which is typically aimed attargeting multi-person criminal organizations,prosecutors allegethat Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors claim they have video of. Jurors were told in a questionnaire reviewed by USA TODAY, "The trial is expected to last about eight weeks." The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings. USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. If you are a survivor of sexual assault,RAINNoffers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) andHotline.RAINN.organd en EspañolRAINN.org/es. Contributing:USA TODAY staff This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Live Diddy trial updates: Dawn Richard says Combs threatened her life
