On Tuesday, a former key assistant to Sean "Diddy" Combs recounted harrowing tales of the hip-hop tycoon's menacing behavior, revealing how on her inaugural day at work, Combs allegedly threatened her life and subsequently abducted her at gunpoint during a mission to harm rapper Kid Cudi. Capricorn Clark's vivid depiction of Combs' unpredictable and violent demeanor marked the commencement of the third week of testimony in his federal sex trafficking trial held in Manhattan.
Prosecutors summoned Clark, the ex-global brand director of Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment, to bolster their case against him. They aim to establish that Combs orchestrated a racketeering conspiracy spanning two decades, employing muscular bodyguards, issuing death threats, and enforcing a culture of silence among his intimidated staff to secure his whims.
Combs, aged 55, has steadfastly pleaded innocence to numerous counts in an indictment that accuses him of a persistent pattern of abuse towards his long-term partner Cassie, legally known as Casandra Ventura, among others. A conviction could land him behind bars for 15 years to life.
Clark's riveting testimony followed shortly after Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, narrated how Clark phoned him from a vehicle outside his residence in December 2011. She relayed that Combs, enraged by Cudi's romance with Cassie, had abducted her and compelled her to accompany him to Cudi's house.
Throughout her testimony, Clark predominantly referred to Combs as "Puff." She recounted how he stormed into her home that morning, brandishing a gun, insisting she dress promptly and accompany him as they were "going to kill Cudi." They traveled in a black Cadillac Escalade SUV to Cudi's Los Angeles abode, where Combs and his bodyguard entered the premises while Clark remained in the vehicle, dialing Cassie.
Clark testified that she informed Cassie that Combs "has me at gunpoint and has brought me to Cudi's house to kill him." She overheard Cudi's voice in the background of the call, inquiring, "He's in my house?" Clark urged Cassie, "Stop him; he's going to get himself killed." Cassie replied that she couldn't halt Cudi, Clark recalled.
Upon returning to the vehicle, Combs inquired about Clark's conversation, she testified. He snatched the phone and dialed Cassie back, she recounted.
They subsequently heard the approaching rumble of Cudi's vehicle on the road, she recounted. Combs, accompanied by his bodyguard, hastily retreated into their vehicle and embarked on a chase after Cudi, ultimately relinquishing their pursuit when they encountered police cruisers en route to Cudi's residence.
Following the unauthorized entry, Clark revealed that Combs informed his companions of the imperative need to persuade Cudi that "it wasn't me" who was responsible. "Should you fail to convince him of this," he threatened, his statement punctuated by an obscenity, "I will eliminate all of you," Clark recounted.
Clark and Cassie thereafter proceeded to Cudi's abode, Clark informing the jurors, "We needed to converse with him. We had to ascertain that he wouldn't file a police report implicating Puff." Subsequent to this visit, Clark recounted with astonishment as she witnessed Combs brutally assault Cassie over her romantic involvement with Cudi.
Combs delivered "100 percent full force" kicks to Cassie's legs and back, Clark elaborated, as she huddled in silent tears on the ground outside his home, assuming a fetal position. Clark's heart shattered watching her friend endure such blows, she said, noting neither she nor Combs' bodyguard intervened to halt the attack. This revelation prompted an objection from Combs' legal counsel, prompting Judge Arun Subramanian to instruct the jurors to disregard it.
On Thursday, Cudi testified about his brief romance with Cassie in December 2011, believing she had ended her relationship with Combs, but they mutually agreed to terminate their romance post-holidays amidst the unfolding drama. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi Steiner inquired into Clark's intermittent employment with Combs spanning from 2004 to 2018, commencing with her first day when Combs and a security team member escorted her to Central Park past 9 p.m., ostensibly unaware of her past collaborations with other rappers.
Clark, her voice wavering at intervals, attested that Combs warned her that if her previous work for rival rappers became problematic, he might be compelled to terminate her life. She recounted that within mere weeks of her employment, Combs entrusted her with transporting diamond jewelry on a flight to Miami, which subsequently went missing. Consequently, she was transported to a nearly deserted Manhattan building where, for five consecutive days, she was repeatedly subjected to polygraph tests administered by a man towering over her in size. "He threatened, 'Should you fail this test, they'll toss you into the East River,'" she recalled with dread. Clark noted that they eventually permitted her return to work, though the ordeal left an indelible mark.
