Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial took a dark and dramatic turn Tuesday, as a former top aide testified that the music mogul threatened to kill her on her first day of work and later kidnapped her at gunpoint to help him kill rapper Kid Cudi.
The explosive testimony from Capricorn Clark, who served as global brand director for Bad Boy Entertainment, marked the beginning of the third week of the trial. Prosecutors allege that Combs led a decades-long criminal enterprise built on fear, control, and violence, using his staff and security to maintain power and silence victims.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to a sweeping indictment that accuses him of trafficking, physical abuse, and racketeering involving his former partner Cassie (Casandra Ventura) and multiple others.
In court Tuesday, Clark recounted a disturbing incident from December 2011. She testified that Combs, whom she often referred to as “Puff,” showed up at her home in Los Angeles early one morning with a gun and ordered her to accompany him in a black Cadillac.
“We’re going to kill Cudi,” Combs allegedly told her, enraged over the rapper’s brief relationship with Cassie.
Clark said she was forced to ride with Combs and his bodyguard to Kid Cudi’s home, where they entered the residence while she waited in the car. She called Cassie in a panic, warning her: “He got me with a gun and brought me to Cudi’s house to kill him.”
During the call, she said she overheard Cudi’s voice in the background, saying, “He’s in my house?” The situation quickly escalated when Cudi’s vehicle pulled up. Combs and his security detail allegedly chased him before retreating when they passed police cars heading toward the scene.
Clark testified that after the break-in attempt, Combs demanded that his team convince Cudi he wasn’t responsible.
“If you don’t convince him it wasn’t me, I’ll kill all of you,” he allegedly threatened.
Just days earlier, Cudi, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, testified about the incident himself, confirming that Clark called him that day and warned him of Combs’ violent intentions. He said he and Cassie ended their relationship shortly after, fearing further retaliation.
Clark’s testimony painted a portrait of a toxic work environment stretching back to her start with Combs in 2004. On her very first day, she said, Combs and a security staffer took her to Central Park after dark and questioned her about her previous work with rival rappers.
“He said if it became an issue, he’d have to kill me,” she testified, her voice shaking.
Weeks later, Clark said, she was tasked with transporting diamond jewelry to Miami for Combs, items that were soon reported missing. She described being taken to an abandoned Manhattan building and subjected to five days of lie detector tests by a large man who warned, “If you fail this test, they’re going to throw you in the East River.”
Despite the threats, Clark said she was eventually allowed to return to work.
Federal prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi Steiner, argue that Combs used intimidation, violence, and a network of loyal employees to control those around him. The charges include sex trafficking, kidnapping, witness tampering, and racketeering.
If convicted, Combs faces 15 years to life in prison.
The trial continues this week with more witnesses expected to testify.
