Sean "Diddy" Combs Rejects a Plea Deal as Judge Says Cassie Assault Video Can be Used in Court | Crime Alert 11AM 04.28.25

Diddy rejects a plea deal and prosecutors in his impending federal sex trafficking trial will be allowed to present jurors with security footage depicting the hip-hop icon physically assaulting one of his accusers in a hotel corridor in Los Angeles, following a judge's ruling at a hearing. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alart hourly update, breaking crime news Now.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm Nicole Parton. Prosecutors and the Sean Diddy Combs impending
federal sex trafficking trial, will be allowed to present jureors
with security footage depicting the hip hop icon physically assaulting
one of his accusers in a hotel hallway in Los Angeles.
Following a judge's ruling at a hearing, the US district

(00:24):
judge determined that Comb's defense team did not sufficiently demonstrate
that the dramatic video should be kept away from court.
The judge stated that the video's significance in the case
outweighs any potential bias it may cause the fifty five
year old defendant. This ruling was made while establishing guidelines
for the trial, scheduled for May five in New York City.

(00:46):
Combs appeared in court dressed in a yellow jumpsuit, flanked
by his attorneys. His once jet black hair is now
nearly entirely gray, as hair dye is prohibited at the
Brooklyn Federal facility where he has been since his arrest.
In September, Prosecutors revealed that a plea deal had been
offered to Combs, which he declined. The video footage in

(01:08):
question captures Combs, clad only in a white towel as
he punches, shoves, and drags his former girlfriend and protege
RnB singer Cassie, while also throwing a vase in her
direction during an incident on March five, twenty sixteen, at
the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles. The video remained private

(01:29):
until CNN obtained it and made it public in May
twenty twenty four, subsequently providing it to prosecutors following a subpoena.
Shortly after that video was released, Diddy took to social
media to explain, it's.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
So difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life.
Sometimes you got to do that. I was well, I mean,
I had rob bottom and I made no excuses. My
behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility

(02:06):
for my ashes in that video.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Disgusted.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now.
I went and I sought out professional help. Now to
going to therapy and going to rehab, had asked God
for his mercy and grace. I'm so sorry.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Prosecutors maintained that the video is quote essential to the case.
The charges against Combs include an allegation that he attempted
to bribe a hotel security employee to keep silent about
the footage. Cassie, who is legally named Cassandra Venttera, claimed
in a previously settled lawsuit in November that Combs paid
fifty thousand dollars for the video, citing years of abusive behavior.

(03:02):
The associated press typically refrains from identifying individuals who allege
sexual abuse unless they publicly disclose their identities, as Cassie
has done. Combs has entered a not guilty plead to
the charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and sex trafficking that accuse
him of cohersing and abusing women over many years, with

(03:23):
the assistance of a network of associates and employees, often
silencing victims through intimidation and violence, including kidnapping and physical assaults.
Federal prosecutors alleged the founder of Bad Boy Records exploited
quote his power and prestige as a music star to
lure women into drug sexual encounters with male sex workers,

(03:46):
as events referred to as quote freak offs. Recently, prosecutors
secured a new indictment that includes two additional charges against Combs,
accusing him of using force, fraud, and cohersion to compel
a woman into commercial sex acts from at least twenty
twenty one to twenty twenty four. Prosecutors expect four accusers

(04:07):
to testify against Colmbs during the trial. They assert that
the assault on Cassie shown in that two thousand and
six video occurred during one of these quote freak offs. Meanwhile,
Comb's legal team contends that the footage provides merely a
snapshot of a complex consensual relationship that lasted for decades.
In an effort to exclude the video from the trial,

(04:29):
Comb's attorney Mark Agnifilo argued that the footage is quote
misleading and does not accurately reflect the events that transpired,
claiming that parts of the video were manipulated and either
sped up or slowed down according to the sequence of events.
Prosecutors inform the judge they are collaborating with Comb's lawyers
to create an appropriate version of the video for the

(04:51):
jury's viewing. They noted that the process involves enlisting a
video expert to review the footage and adjust the speed
to act accurately depict the timing of all of the
events or Prime in Justice News after this. A tragic

(05:12):
boat collision in Florida has resulted in at least one
death and several others seriously injured. The incident occurred around
eight forty pm yesterday when a boat collided with a
Clearwater ferry, which was carrying over forty passengers near the
Memorial Causeway Bridge. Following the crash, the boat fled the scene.
This is reported by the Clearwater Police. Due to the

(05:35):
number and severity of the injuries, authorities classified the situation
as quote a mass casualty incident. Police confirmed that one
individual died from their injuries, while the identity of the
deceased mail has not yet been released. The Fire department
declared it a mass casualty incident because of the number
of injuries. Police said six people were flagged as trauma alerts,

(05:58):
with two requiring a transport by helicopter. According to police
on x, all injuries were sustained by passengers on board
the ferry. Eventually, all individuals were safely evacuated from the ferry,
which came to a stop south of the Memorial Causeway Bridge.
The ferry had been operating during the Sugar Sand Festival

(06:19):
which concluded on that day. A passenger recounted the chaotic
moment to an ABC affiliate WFTS. We were enjoying a
ride when suddenly we heard the first mate shouting, hey, Hey,
turn your boat. Hey. We turned around and saw a
large yacht barreling our way. The six occupants of the

(06:39):
boat that collided with the ferry reportedly left the scene,
but were later found by a different law enforcement agency.
They are now being questioned by the US Coast Guard
and the Clearwater Police. The investigation is ongoing.

Speaker 1 (06:54):
How could a beautiful, young first grade teacher be stabbed
twenty times include in the back allegedly die of suicide? Yes,
that was the medical examiner's official ruling after a closed
door meeting. He first named it a homicide. Why what
Happened to Ellen Greenberg? A huge American miscarriage of justice.

(07:19):
For an in depth look at the facts, see What
Happened to Ellen on Amazon. All proceeds to the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
For the latest crime injustice news, follow Crime Alert hourly
update on your favorite podcasting app with this crime Alert.
I'm Nicole part in Fact