What to know about the sex trafficking trial

– LIVE UPDATES – 

• Sean Combs’ former assistant, Capricorn Clark, took the stand today. Unnamed members of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department are also set to testify.
• Clark testified about having her life repeatedly threatened by Combs and how Combs told her he wanted to kill Kid Cudi. She also said she witnessed Combs viciously beating Cassie Ventura over her relationship with Kid Cudi.
• Rapper Kid Cudi, legally known as Scott Mescudi, testified last week about his relationship with Ventura and the abusive nature of her relationship with Combs.
• Combs faces five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has denied the allegations against him.

Capricorn Clark, former Combs assistant, expected to testify

Capricorn Clark, a former assistant of defendant Sean Combs, and personnel from the Los Angeles Police and Fire Departments are set to take the witness stand today, prosecutors have said.

Clark might be called to testify about what she saw or knows about an alleged break-in by Combs at Kid Cudi’s home in late 2011.

Judge and lawyers still targeting Fourth of July for end of trial

Today will mark the 10th day of testimony, and lawyers and the judge are cautiously optimistic about meeting their goal of turning this case over to jurors by the Fourth of July.

“As long as defense stays to a week, I think that’s (July 4) fair,” lead prosecutor Maurene Comey told the judge just before adjournment last week.

The case got off to a slow start with the extended questioning of the defendant’s former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, but the pace has been picking up.

Here’s what happened Thursday

On Thursday, when the trial was last in session, rapper Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, testified about his relationship with Cassie Ventura and the abusive nature of her relationship with Sean Combs. 

Cudi also testified that his car was torched with a Molotov cocktail after his relationship with Ventura ended, and he suspected Combs was involved. 

He said he and Ventura stopped seeing each other, noting, “The drama was too out of hand, and to give her some space.”

Combs’ former assistant, George Kaplan, also returned to the stand Thursday. He described his duties, which included cleaning up liquor bottles and baby oil from hotel rooms. 

Experts: Prosecution still has work to do to show Combs led a criminal enterprise

While Sean Combs’ federal trial has been rife with drama, cringe and explosive comments, lawyers not involved in the case say prosecutors have yet to prove that the music mogul is guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

About a dozen people have taken the stand so far in the trial, which will enter its third week today.

“I’m not seeing the development of a racketeering enterprise,” veteran criminal defense attorney Tama Beth Kudman said. “I’m not seeing the thread that creates an enterprise with a unified purpose.”

Court is in session

Court is now in session, marking the 10th day of Combs’ trial.

Capricorn Clark called to the witness stand

Capricorn Clark, Combs’ former employee, has been called to testify by the government.

Clark said she started at Bad Boy Records in 2004 and worked for Combs until 2020. She also served as Cassie Ventura’s creative director until 2018, she told the court.

Capricorn Clark says Combs threatened to kill her while talking about Suge Knight

Combs’ former employee described how she was once in fear for her life after he threatened to kill her while discussing Suge Knight.

Clark, Combs and Combs’ head of security Uncle Paulie were walking through Central Park in New York City when Combs brought up Knight. Clark described Combs’ calm demeanor in expressing his anger over learning that she had once worked for the Death Row Records kingpin.

When the prosecution asked Clark if she took this threat as serious, she said, “Very serious.”

Combs said ‘I like guns’ while discussing issues with 50 Cent, Capricorn Clark says

The defendant once made a vague threat regarding 50 Cent, according to Clark.

After Combs and 50 Cent finished doing press for MTV, the defendant told his manager that he was having an issue with the rapper, real name Curtis Jackson, Clark said.

Combs punctuated the chat with, “I like guns,” the witness said.

Someone threatened to throw Capricorn Clark into East River over missing jewelry, she says

Clark told the court that Combs once accused her of stealing three pieces of high-end jewelry that he had been given on loan and subjected her to a lie detector test when it went missing.

She testified that Combs had tasked her with bringing the jewelry to Teterboro Airport, but she didn’t realize the items were gone until they were at the airport. Clark told the court that she was brought to an office she didn’t recognize in New York City after being questioned for hours on the matter.

A heavy-set man on the sixth floor of the building told her she was there to take a lie detector test and that if she failed, he would throw her into the East River, she said.

George Kaplan, another former assistant who worked for Combs, testified last week that he was also ordered to take a lie detector test on two different occasions during his employment.

Capricorn Clark says she was subjected to days of lie detector tests

After three pieces of jewelry went missing, Clark told the court she was told she wasn’t free to leave until she passed a lie detector test.

The first test was inconclusive and she was threatened again with being thrown into the East River by the man administering the polygraph, Clark said. She was brought home and forced back the next day, saying she was told by Combs’ security she was not free to leave until she was cleared of any wrongdoing.

It took five days of taking the test, she said. She did not want to take the tests, but she wanted to get through the ordeal and prove her innocence.

Working for Combs was 24/7 stress and led to hair loss, Capricorn Clark says

Clark lost hair and barely slept due to the 24-hour stress of her job working for Combs, the former assistant said.

For a $55,000 salary, Clark said she regularly worked from 7 a.m. to 4 a.m. doing everything from research to fetching dry cleaning and food.

The witness said she even suffered from stress-related alopecia, the clinical term for hair loss, due to her boss’s nonstop demands.

Combs’ hotel setup required drugs, baby oil and IV drips, Capricorn Clark says

Part of Clark’s job was to set up hotel rooms for Combs, which she told the court required drugs and an intravenous drip.

She said she would unpack his clothing and make sure his personal belongings were in place, which included baby oil and a small camera. Part of the setup required a toiletry bag with drugs such as ecstasy, Clark said.

Combs also required IV drips for himself and Cassie, which he said contained something similar to serotonin supplements and would help them recover from the drug use.

Combs commanded Cassie to move at his direction in front of other women, Capricorn Clark says

Combs once forced Cassie Ventura to obediently move at his command in front of other women, Clark said.

She recalled a 2010 interaction with Combs at his Los Angeles home when he questioned why she didn’t have a boyfriend.

That’s when Combs summoned girlfriend Cassie Ventura into the room and had her sit down, stand up and turn around on command, Clark said. Combs then allegedly added that: “You b—-es don’t want to do that and that’s why you don’t have a man.”

Capricorn Clark says she was asked to obtain drugs for Combs

There were times when Combs asked Clark to obtain drugs on his behalf, including illicit substances as well as prescription medication, she testified.

Clark told the court that while Combs usually obtained drugs on his own, she was sometimes asked to get substances for him. She said Combs once asked her to get him cocaine while they were in the south of France in 2006.

He also asked her to get prescription drugs in her name and that he would pay for it, Clark said.

Capricorn Clark breaks down in tears saying Combs lunged at her, tried to shove her out of home

Clark recalled a 2006 incident at Combs’ Miami home when he forcefully shoved her, the witness said.

Capricorn Clark used her hands in a shoving motion when describing how an enraged Combs allegedly pushed her around while saying, “If you hate it here, get the f— out of my house.”

“That was crossing my boundary,” a tearful Clark told jurors of the incident.

Capricorn Clark said that Cassie dating Kid Cudi would ‘get us all killed,’ urged her to get burner phone

The burner phone that Cassie Ventura used to contact Scott Mescudi, also known as Kid Cudi, was purchased at Clark’s urging, she told the court.

She said that she picked up Cassie one day and Cassie asked Kid Cudi to join them, which Clark thought was a bad idea. Clark testified that she was concerned that Cassie was texting her on a phone paid for by Combs and that it wasn’t a good idea.

Clark took Cassie to Best Buy to buy a new phone because she feared that Cassie was “going to get us all killed,” Clark testified.

‘Get dressed, we’re going to go kill Mescudi’: Capricorn Clark says Combs was enraged about Kid Cudi

Clark recalled the morning of Dec. 22, 2011, when Combs banged on her apartment door, as her enraged boss said they were going to confront rapper Kid Cudi, real name Scott Mescudi.

Clark said Combs was visibly furious, his pants split at the crotch, as he paced back and forth with a firearm.

“He just said, ‘Get dressed, we’re going to go kill Mescudi,'” Clark testified. “The gun was in his hand.”

The witnesses’ testimony could be crucial to the government’s racketeering case, if prosecutors can show Combs marshaling his company’s resources for use in a criminal action.

Kid Cudi had earlier testified to Combs’ rage when he learned that Ventura was seeing him.

Capricorn Clark says she called Cassie while Combs broke into Kid Cudi’s home

Clark told the court that she was sitting in a car at Kid Cudi’s home when Combs accessed the main door of the rapper’s property.

She called Cassie Ventura from the car and told her that Combs came to Cudi’s home to kill the rapper, Clark testified. She said that Combs came back to the car and asked to see her phone, calling the last number on the call history.

Clark said Combs ordered her to call Cassie to let her know Combs had her and that he wasn’t going to let Clark go until Cassie came. Cassie calmly agreed, Clark testified, and Clark went to pick her up.

They returned together to Combs’ home where Combs allegedly told them not to speak to the police and urged them to convince Cudi to not tell the police he was involved.

Combs beat Cassie ‘100% full force’ after Kid Cudi break-in, Capricorn Clark says

Combs repeatedly kicked and beat Cassie Ventura, as he wore only a robe and underwear, after she arrived at his home following the Kid Cudi break-in, Clark tearfully testified.

Clark told the court that Combs came at Cassie “100% full force,” repeatedly kicking his former girlfriend while she crouched more and more into a fetal position. Cassie was crying quietly as Combs kicked her in the back over and over again, Clark said.

Combs’ former employee struggled to speak while recounting the incident to the court, testifying that Cassie was only a few feet away from her at the time.

Clark said Combs told her if she intervened, he would attack her next. She added that no one on Combs’ security team intervened to stop the attack.

Capricorn Clark says she called Cassie’s mom when no one on Combs’ team tried to stop the beating

In the aftermath of the Kid Cudi incident, Combs brutally beat and kicked Cassie Ventura, prompting Clark to make a desperate call to Ventura’s mother, the witness said.

When no one in Combs’ inner circle would step in to stop the beating, Clark said she had no other option but to call Regina Ventura.

Clark recalled telling the elder Ventura: “He’s beating the s— out of your daughter. I’m in over my head. Please help her. I can’t call the police, but you can.”

Combs told Capricorn Clark that he ‘should kill’ her and Cassie, Clark testifies

Combs questioned Clark about how much she knew regarding Cassie Ventura’s relationship with Kid Cudi, Clark told the court.

He was angry and upset, wanting to know when Clark knew about the pair and why she didn’t tell him about it, Clark testified.

Combs told her, “I should kill you b—-es,” Clark said.

Combs fired Capricorn Clark over Kid Cudi, said he would make her kill herself, she says

Combs fired Clark, she said, for her allegedly failing to inform him about Cassie Ventura dating Kid Cudi.

“I lost everything,” Clark said, ticking off a list of employment benefits such as health insurance and a 401(k).

Clark said Combs gave her a 30-day notice in 2012: “He said I would never work again and all these people weren’t my friends and he would make me kill myself.”

Clark came back to Combs’ world in 2016, working as Ventura’s creative director.

Capricorn Clark calls the Combs-Cassie relationship ‘toxic’

Combs and Cassie Ventura would have both benefited from splitting up long before they did, the witness said.

“Yes, they were toxic as a couple,” Clark said during the cross-examination by defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo.

The defense has sought to downplay violence inflicted on Ventura by Combs, by implying that troubling acts within the relationship were consensual or motivated by jealously.

Lie detector tests went on for roughly 8 hours a day, Capricorn Clark says

Clark told the court that she was locked up in an office for around 40 hours while being subjected to lie detector tests about missing jewelry.

She testified under cross-examination that she was hooked up to the polygraph at about 10 a.m. and wouldn’t be finished until about 5 or 6 p.m. Clark said she would take the test, it would be taken for review, and she would keep taking the test until Combs cleared her five days later.

Asked by defense attorney Marc Agnifilo whether she reported to human resources that she was locked in a building while she took lie detector tests over the course of five days, Clark said she did not.

Capricorn Clark cries on stand recalling opportunity to work with Combs

Clark began to cry under cross-examination after she was asked about working hard for Combs and whether she believed in the work she was doing.

Combs’ former employee told the court that she learned a lot from Combs, especially as someone who didn’t finish her college education. She said she considered it another form of business school.

Clark said that Combs was tenacious and broke glass ceilings.

Prosecution says it’s ahead of schedule and could finish a week early

The government’s lead prosecutor, Maurene Comey, asked Subramanian if lunches could go longer than the currently allotted half-hour.

The judge asked if that would slow the jury getting all the evidence by his goal of July 4, but Comey said testimony has been moving ahead of schedule.

Comey predicted the government would rest after five weeks rather than six as earlier planned.

Combs tried to chase Kid Cudi in car before police sirens dissuaded him, Capricorn Clark says

Earlier in her direct testimony, Clark offered new details on Combs’ attempt to confront Kid Cudi in December 2011 and why Combs left.

She told the court that after she called Cassie Ventura to let her know Combs broke into Kid Cudi’s home, Combs got into the car and left the residence. They were driving away from the home when Combs spotted Kid Cudi traveling in the other direction, Clark said.

Combs chased Kid Cudi in the vehicle until he heard sirens headed in the direction of Kid Cudi’s home, when Clark told the court Combs pulled himself together and drove to a stop at a club on Sunset Boulevard.

Capricorn Clark says Cassie Ventura is no Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey

Clark implied the Ventura “had talent,” but not quite to Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey levels.

When the defense pushed Clark to evaluate Ventura’s singing ability, the witness said she wasn’t a Whitney or Mariah-level talent, but more of a studio artist.

Clark said she’d seen Ventura live a handful of times and Combs’ then-girlfriend might have under-performed due to nerves. She also said that around 2016 she thought that drug use was taking a toll on Ventura’s career.

Cassie got ‘lion’s share’ of Bad Boy resources, Capricorn Clark says

The career of Combs’ girlfriend was an important company goal between 2007 and 2010, Clark said.

In that time, Ventura seemed to receive the “lion’s share of Bad Boy” Records’ resources Clark testified.

“From my perspective,” Clark testified, “the lion’s share of Bad Boy was on Cassie in that first block of time.”

Capricorn Clark continued doing business with Combs after she says she was kidnapped

The defense presented Clark with emails from her work at Bad Boy Records from January 2012, just three weeks after she says she was kidnapped by Combs.

When asked if she continued conducting business with Combs, even after telling the jury she was kidnapped and threatened with murder, Clark responded, “Yes.”

Capricorn Clark says Kid Cudi was on speaker phone when she tried to warn Cassie: ‘He’s in my house?’

Clark testified that she had to tip off Cassie Ventura that Combs was armed and hunting for Kid Cudi at his house.

On the morning Combs sought to confront Kid Cudi, Clark said she managed to sneak in a call to Ventura on her burner phone — and Ventura just happened to be with the rival rapper at that moment, the witness said.

Clark said she could hear Kid Cudi on speaker phone reacting to this threat in the background, asking: “He’s in my house?”

Capricorn Clark dodged LAFD investigators on Kid Cudi car fire

The one-time Combs assistant admitted she didn’t help Los Angeles fire investigators in their probe of Kid Cudi’s car getting torched.

When an LAFD representative called her in the summer of 2012, Clark hung up on the investigator and never called back.

Clark said she simply didn’t “want to have anything to do with this any longer.”

Capricorn Clark says she asked Combs for forgiveness, breaks down sobbing talking about Cassie

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo entered an email Clark sent to Combs in September 2014 into evidence, where Clark asked for his forgiveness.

The email was sent two years after Combs fired her and about two years before she returned to work for him again. In the email Clark wrote that hopefully Combs will forgive her soon, and that she felt like he forgave everyone but her.

Other emails were also brought up in court, including one from months later where Clark said she wanted to be his friend again. Clark seemed angry with Cassie Ventura, saying she was clearly never a real friend.

Clark broke down sobbing on the witness stand, saying the situation was complicated for her and that she felt she was Ventura’s protector. She apologized to the judge for her crying but Judge Arun Subramanian assured her she didn’t need to be sorry.

Combs held ‘all the power’ over Capricorn Clark, preventing her from finding work, she says

Clark testified she had no choice but to go back working for Combs and even ask for his forgiveness since he held “all the power.”

The defense showed how Clark seemed keen on working for Combs even after the alleged kidnapping and threats against her.

But on redirect examination by the government, Clark told jurors she had no choice but to seek employment with Combs again, just to show the entertainment industry that she “was valuable and not disposable.”

“He holds all the power as it relates to me,” she explained. Clark later added, “I just want to work and provide for my son.”

Combs said they’d all be hurt if police found out about Kid Cudi incident, Capricorn Clark testifies

Clark told the court she went with Combs on the day of the break-in at Kid Cudi’s house because she felt she could be hurt if she refused.

She said Combs had a gun throughout the entire incident, and it was visible to her.

Clark also testified that she didn’t report the situation to the police because Combs told her that if the police found out about the break-in at Kid Cudi’s home, they would all be hurt.

Capricorn Clark finishes testimony; court is adjourned

Clark left the witness stand and court is adjourned for the day. Prosecutors said they believe they will be able to get through their list of witnesses for tomorrow, which includes members of the Los Angeles police and fire departments.

S: NBC News