The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is taking place in federal court, so there’s no broadcast of the proceedings allowed.

Sketch artists are allowed in the court, however. 

CBS News New York’s Alice Gainer has been at court since the start of the trial and will be providing updates to this live blog all day. 

Some of the details from Ventura’s testimony are disturbing. 

Wednesday, she told the jury that after a break-up, she was raped by Combs in 2018.

Jurors were shown images from the so-called “freak offs,” where Combs allegedly directed Ventura and male escorts to perform sex acts. 

She also testified about years of psychological and physical abuse during their decade-long relationship, including the video of Combs attacking her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.

For more details of Ventura’s testimony, CLICK HERE.

CBS News New York’s Alice Gainer has been following the case from the start and will be at the courthouse each day providing real-time updates. Watch her recap from Wednesday, the second day of Ventura’s testimony. 

Casandra Ventura, who performs under the name Cassie, rose to fame with the single “Me & U” on her self-titled debut album. The song landed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart in 2006.

In her testimony, she said she signed with Bad Boy Records when she was 19, and Combs first kissed her on her 21st birthday. She and Combs dated off-and-on for more than 10 years, from about 2007 to 2018.

Ventura is now married and pregnant with her third child. 

CLICK HERE for more about Ventura and the other accusers.

Three witnesses have testified in the case so far.

Israel Florez was the first on the stand. 

Florez worked as the security manager at the hotel where Combs was caught on video attacking Ventura in 2016. He testified Combs offered him a stack of cash as a bribe and asked him not to tell anyone about the incident. Florez said he rejected the bribe. 

Daniel Phillip told jurors he was paid to have sex with Ventura while Combs watched. He also testified he was present when Combs threw a bottle at Ventura and dragged her by her hair into another room, where he described what sounded to him like Combs hitting Ventura. 

Ventura has testified about her relationship with Combs. She alleged that Combs suggested she have sex with other men while he watched, and that he provided drugs for “freak offs.” She accused Combs of repeatedly beating her, and testified that arranging the “freak offs” became her job. 

She went on to accuse Combs of raping her in 2018. 

Combs was arrested on Sept. 16, 2024 in New York City. The next day, he pleaded not guilty to federal sex trafficking, racketeering and prostitution charges. 

In the indictment, prosecutors alleged Combs was part of a criminal organization that engaged in or attempted to engage in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, obstruction of justice and other offenses since 2008. 

Combs’ legal team asked the judge to release him on bond, but the request was denied. Prosecutors argued at the time he “poses an ongoing and significant danger to the community, has repeatedly engaged in obstructive conduct, and presents a serious risk of flight.”

He was later hit with additional charges in a superseding indictment. The 55-year-old has pleaded not guilty. 

About three months before his arrest, Combs returned his key to New York City, honoring a request by Mayor Eric Adams after multiple people accused Combs of sexual abuse.

Combs’ family, including his mother and children, have been present with him in the courtroom so far in the trial. On the first day, his daughters briefly left the courtroom during graphic testimony involving sex acts.

Ventura’s husband and brother were on hand for her first day of testimony. 

Ventura is a critical witness in the prosecution’s case against Combs, who has been accused of sexually assaulting, trafficking and exploiting women for decades until his arrest on multiple charges last September. The music mogul could receive a lifetime prison sentence if convicted on all of charges.

Ventura is expected back on the stand Wednesday, and her testimony could last the entire week.

Here are some key moments from her first day of testimony. 

Because Combs is being tried in federal court, no photos or videos from inside the courtroom are allowed. 

The trial is not being live streamed or broadcast. 

Sketch artists are allowed in the courtroom. 

CBS News New York’s Alice Gainer is providing real-time updates from court all day long in this blog. 

So far, jurors have heard from three witnesses. 

Israel Florez was the very first witness to testify. He worked as a security manager at the hotel where Combs was caught on video beating Ventura and responded to the incident. He testified that, after the incident, Combs threw a stack of cash at him and told him not to tell anyone about it. 

Daniel Phillip was the second witness. He told jurors he was paid to have sex with Ventura and did so while Combs watched. He also testified that he witnessed Combs throw a bottle at Ventura and drag her by her hair into another room. 

On Tuesday, Ventura became the third witness to testify. She testified about how her relationship with Combs got started, how he suggested she start having sex with other men, that he could become violent, and that he provided drugs during the “freak offs,” which could last for days. 

Federal prosecutors have charged Sean “Diddy” Combs with several crimes. 

He’s been accused of sex trafficking as recently as last year, and using force, fraud or coercion to compel someone to engage in commercial sex acts. 

Combs has been accused of transporting a woman and commercial sex workers in order to engage in prostitution. 

He was initially charged with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.

In total, he faces five charges, and potentially decades in prison if convicted. 

Combs has pleaded not guilty, and denies committing any crimes.

The court adjourned for lunch shortly after 12:20 p.m. It will resume at 1 p.m.

Ventura says that she recorded hundreds of songs and nine albums that were never released. 

When asked what else she was doing, she replies the “freak offs” became her job, with no space for anything else. 

She says she would stay up for days on end, partying, drinking and having sex with strangers. 

Ventura says the “freak offs” took anywhere from 36 to 72 hours of her time each week, and the longest one lasted four days. 

She says she would then have to recover from staying up for so long, plus the drugs and dehydration. 

Ventura says they traveled to Miami, where they did ecstasy and had sex for the first time.

She says she fell in love and they spent time traveling together or in the studio. She says they kept their relationship private at first, out of respect for their careers and for his family. 

“I think I was just enamored by him. We were just having a good time. It was really fun at this point,” she says. 

Ventura says over time, she began to see a different side of Combs and he became controlling. She says if she didn’t answer his messages right away, he would have his staff track her down. 

“Control was everything — from the way that I looked, to what I was working on that day, who I was speaking to,” she says. “Control was an all around thing to a certain point.”

That’s when the psychological and physical abuse started, she says. 

She goes on to say they both saw other people over the years and she was jealous. 

She also says Combs rented her an apartment in Manhattan as a birthday gift. She adds it was located near his residence, and he would stop by unannounced. 

Ventura says she celebrated her 21st birthday in Las Vegas with Combs and some friends. She says that’s when he first kissed her in the bathroom of his suite. 

She says she cried, ran off and told her friend, adding she was naive — a new artist who didn’t know the lay of the land when it came to attention from executives. 

Ventura says after that, she continued to meet Combs in hotels to work on music, but that he called the shots. 

She also says they started to develop a more comfortable relationship, and Combs taught her about oral sex, which she did not reciprocate at first, but later did. 

She describes feeling nervous and curious during these meetings, adding she was sexually inexperienced and still seeing someone else. 

Asked why she wanted to be around Combs, she replied, “For the same reasons as everyone else at the time.” 

“Just this exciting, entertaining, fun guy,” she says, adding he had her career in his hands and it felt special to spend time with him. 

Ventura recalls being a fan of Combs’ music, saying he was larger than life, but that she didn’t know much about him personally. 

She says she signed a contract with Bad Boy Records in 2006, when she was 19 years old. 

Ventura says, at that point, it was a platonic relationship, and Combs looked out for her.   

She released her first and only album later that year, and her single “Me & U” landed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart.

Ventura says in the first year of their relationship, Combs suggested a sexual encounter he called voyeurism. 

She says it involved hiring an escort or dancer so he could watch her engage with another man while he directed them. 

She says she was 22 years old, confused and nervous, “but I also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy.”

She also says, over time, she realized it wasn’t something that she wanted to be doing so regularly, but she didn’t feel like she had a choice to say no. 

She says she worried about making angry because he controlled much of her life, including her career and how she dressed. She also worried he could blackmail her by releasing images from the “freak offs.”

Ventura appears on the stand in a brown, long sleeve dress. She describes herself as a musician and an entertainer. 

She testifies she and Combs dated for a little over 10 years, with breaks in their relationship. 

She describes allegations of physical abuse, including being knocked over, dragged, kicked and stomped in the head. When asked how often the abuse occurred she replies, “frequently.”

She also describes getting black eyes and bruises on her body. 

Ventura, one of four accusers expected to testify against Combs, is called to take the stand at 11 a.m.

She and Combs dated off and on for more than a decade, and she came forward with a federal lawsuit against him in 2023. 

A key piece of evidence in the case is video of Combs attacking Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. She is also expected to testify about a rape allegation from 2018. 

Ventura, who performs under the name Cassie, is now married to another man and pregnant with her third child. Combs’ defense team said in their opening statements they haven’t seen each other since 2018. 

Ventura’s husband and brother are both in the courtroom for support.

The first witness called Monday was Israel Florez, who worked as a security officer at the Los Angeles hotel where Combs was seen on video attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016.

Florez was a U.S. Army reservist for more than 15 years and he now serves on the Los Angeles Police Department. 

He testified that he responded to a call about a woman in distress at the hotel and found Combs and Ventura in the sixth floor hallway. He said Combs had on a towel and socks, and Ventura was covered up in a hoodie.

Florez said Ventura appeared scared and wanted her bag and phone, and that Combs told her “you’re not gonna leave.”

Combs and Ventura continued arguing before she, ultimately, left the hotel, Florez said. He said he asked Ventura if she wanted to call the police, but she kept saying that she just wanted to leave.

Florez said Combs threw a stack of money at him and said, “don’t tell anyone,” but he did not take it. 

He also said he saw a third man in the room with them, and that Combs grabbed a security guard’s phone when he thought was being recorded.

On cross-examination, Florez said Combs was cordial and he didn’t see Combs making aggressive movements toward Ventura when he arrived. He also said Combs did not appear drunk or high. 

The second witness, Daniel Phillip, is back on the stand to continue his cross examination Tuesday. 

Combs’ defense team asked him about the nature of his relationship with Ventura, whether they ever had sex without Combs being present, and if she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 

The defense also asked about an incident that Phillip testified about Monday, when he said Combs became angry and threw a bottle against a wall, then dragged Ventura by her hair into a bedroom. 

The defense asked Phillip if Combs told him to leave so he could “deal with this,” citing Phillip’s earlier statements to investigators. Phillip responded that he did not remember saying that. 

He reiterated his testimony from Monday, saying Combs did not instruct him to leave, but rather tried to get him and Ventura to have sex again after the violent outburst. 

Asked if he ever tried to get Ventura alone, Phillip said he wanted to make sure she was OK and, “If she ever gave me a chance to date her, I absolutely would have.”

Combs’ mother, Janice, and his six children are back at the courthouse for the second day of testimony. 

On Monday, they were seated in the second row behind the defense. 

Combs gave them a thumbs up, made a heart shape with his hands and blew a kiss. The kids smiled and pumped their fists.

The morning started off with jury selection being finalized. The 12 jurors range in age from 30-74 and include eight men and four women. One is a social worker, another is a scientist and some are retirees. 

The all-female prosecution team began its opening statement by telling the jury “to the public, he was Puff Daddy or Diddy, a cultural icon, a businessman, larger than life… but there was another side to him.” 

Combs’ defense team, however, said the case is about voluntary adult choices in consensual relationships.

“You are not here to judge him and his sexual preferences,” the defense said.

The first witness to be called was Israel Florez, a security officer at the California hotel where Combs was seen on video attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. 

The second witness called was Daniel Phillip, who testified he was paid to have sex with Ventura with Combs present. 

Check all the details from Day 1 here. 

Court is breaking for lunch until 1:15 p.m., when the first witness is expected to testify. 

Combs is charged with two counts of transportation for purposes of prostitution, but his lawyers claimed he was paying men for their time and experience as porn actors. 

Jurors will hear from a company that advertises online for time and experience with sex, not actual sex, the defense said. 

They urged jurors to listen closely to the evidence and not to “impose your moral beliefs.”

The defense went through many of the allegations against Combs and told jurors that witnesses may lie to corroborate the claims. 

Combs’ payment to the hotel security guard was to prevent bad publicity for both he and Cassie, not to obstruct a law enforcement investigation, they said. 

The defense said there were no kidnappings and Combs was not involved in the alleged arson. They said the employee allegedly kidnapped worked for Combs for over a decade and asked to work for him after her employment ended. 

“Was this person actually kidnapped? Listen to her testimony,” Combs’ defense attorney said. 

The drug trafficking allegations are linked to personal drugs for Combs and the women he was with, not an enterprise, the defense said. 

The defense told jurors they will hear from women who “made free choices every single day for years” and were “all getting something” from Combs.

They said to watch closely the role jealousy plays in the trial, from the witnesses and Combs. 

Evidence from over 20 years will show the same women remained in consensual relationships with Combs for years, and that breaches of trust and jealousy drove domestic violence, the defense said. 

They also said jurors may see things that make them uncomfortable, like kinky sex. 

“You are not here to judge [Combs] and his sexual preferences,” the defense said. 

The defense told jurors “Sean Combs has a bad temper,” that sometimes he gets so angry he’s out of control, and some evidence will not portray him in a good light. 

They said jurors might think Combs is “a jerk” at times, but that he’s not charged with being mean or a jerk. 

The defense claimed any violence shown in the trial is not connected to any racketeering, sex trafficking or prostitution. 

“Domestic violence is not sex trafficking,” they said, adding if Combs was charged with domestic violence or assault that they would not be here now.

The defense told the jury that Combs “is a drug user” and “you may know of his love of baby oil,” but those are not federal crimes. 

Combs defense team opened saying the case is not complicated and that it’s about voluntary adult choices in consensual relationships. 

“This case is not about what you heard on the news,” they told the jury. 

They said their defense will tell the story of a man from Harlem who created a lawful business from nothing and gave people opportunities. 

“People are drawn to him,” they said. 

On the racketeering  charge, they said no witnesses will say they were part of a corrupt enterprise because “there was not one.”

Prosecutors said jurors will see videos of Combs’ so-called “freak-offs,” which he allegedly used to blackmail people. They said jurors will hear Combs directing people and see them high on ecstasy pretending to enjoy themselves. 

Videos and pictures show Combs beating a woman during a “freak-off,” prosecutors said. Jurors will also see evidence of injuries from an attack that happened less than one year ago, they said. 

Prosecutors said evidence will also show jurors what was inside Combs’ homes when they were searched, like guns, a so-called “med bag” of drugs, lubricant and high heels. 

Prosecutors said they will call two women, including Cassie, to describe Combs’ “freak-offs” in painstaking detail. 

Jurors will hear from some of Combs’ employees, including a personal assistant he allegedly forced himself on sexually and others he ordered to buy drugs. They will detail how they were expected to keep quiet, the prosecution said. 

Escorts will testify how Combs directed them to touch each other and that he filmed certain acts, they said. 

Prosecutors said they will show how Combs’ inner circle worked on damage control, including trying to stop the release of the 2016 security tape of Combs attacking Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel. 

They said he tried to pay off a hotel security guard with a wad of cash, then had another security guard broker the deal. He gave the guard a brown paper bag containing $100,000 cash in exchange for the tape, they said. 

Prosecutors said jurors will see the signed agreement barring the hotel security guard from speaking after being paid. 

Prosecutors said Combs used his power to force people into having sex. They said he threatened them, drugged them and used violence. 

They also allege he transported women across state lines and even out of the country for sex acts. 

“This case is not about a celebrity’s private sexual preferences,” a prosecutor said. 

Prosecutors said evidence will show Combs’ businesses made him rich and powerful by relying on an inner circle of bodyguards, chiefs of staff and other high-ranking employees, who worked to promote his power and carefully cultivate his reputation. 

They said Combs expected his inner circle to cater to his desires, including sexual ones. He used his resources to “sexually exploit” multiple women, they said, adding there’s evidence Combs had a man’s car set on fire and dangled a woman over a balcony. 

Prosecutors said Combs had impossible demands. When employees failed to meet them, he threw things at them, pressured them to take drugs and sexually assaulted one. 

Federal prosecutors have started laying out their case against Combs for the jury. 

“To the public he was Puff Daddy or Diddy, a cultural icon, a businessman, larger than life. But there was another side to him,” a prosecutor said. 

The prosecution said Combs had an inner circle of body guards and employees who helped cover up crimes for 20 years. 

They said Combs abused his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, for years and that “he beat her brutally,” “flinging her around like a rag doll,” after finding out she was dating another man. 

The jury is sworn in and being given their instructions. 

The 12 jury members and six alternates have been selected and the jury is seated.

The group includes 12 men and six women. 

The judge enters the courtroom and the final proceedings start before the jury is seated and sworn in.

Combs entered the courtroom at around 8:51 a.m. wearing a sweater (beige or light gray) over a collared shirt and what appears to be khaki pants. 

His mother and six children were seated in the second row behind the defense. He gave them a thumbs up, made a heart shape with his hands and blew a kiss. The kids smiled and pumped their fists. 

Combs put on glasses and asked for more water. 

Combs rejected a plea deal that was offered in the final pre-trial hearing, after he pleaded not guilty to all counts, including transportation to engage in prostitution and sex trafficking. 

During the pre-trial hearing on May 1, Judge Arun Subramanian asked Combs to confirm he was of sound mind and not on any drugs. He then asked Combs if he rejected the prosecution’s offer. 

“Yes, I do,” Combs said. 

Details of what was offered in the potential plea deal were not given.

Opening statements in the Sean “Diddy” Combs federal sex trafficking and racketeering are expected to start today at the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan. 

First, the jury must be sworn in. 

Trial proceedings are expected to go from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily for the first week, then 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily the following weeks. 

The trial is expected to last eight to 10 weeks.

Per federal rules, photos and videos from inside court are not allowed, so there is no broadcast or livestream of Combs’ trial.

Only courtroom sketches are permitted. 

CBS News New York’s Alice Gainer will provide real-time updates from the courthouse in this live blog.