AN R&B group that was previously signed to Sean "Diddy" Combs' record label noticed hints when they were just teenagers of the music mogul's aggressive behavior years before his indictment on five federal charges.
The first week of Combs' sex trafficking trial has wrapped up at the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan with Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura's blockbuster testimony reaching its emotional conclusion on Friday.
Ventura, the disgraced music executive's ex-girlfriend of over a decade, underwent two punishing days of direct examination by the prosecution and another two days of cross-examination by the defense.
The Me & U singer, 38, told jurors of the decades-long domestic violence abuse she suffered at the hands of Combs and went into graphic, disturbing detail about the alleged sex marathons he forced her to participate in with male escorts.
Ventura testified in detail about instances when Combs would get upset and become a "scary and violent" person before his "eyes grew black."
Patrick Breeding, one of the members of the R&B group B5 that was previously signed to Bad Boy Records in the early 2000s, recalled a chilling moment when Combs became aggressive with him over the phone when he was just 14.
"We were getting ready for our second single, You Got Me, and we were working on choreography," Patrick, along with other members of B5, recalled of the 2005 incident in a sit-down interview with The U.S. Sun.
It comes as…
- Cassie Ventura testified that Sean Combs became jealous and took her phone when he heard she was dating an NFL player
- He also took her phone after he heard she danced with Chris Brown, which Cassie denied on the stand
- An audio recording of Cassie threatening a man who secretly recorded a "freak-off" was played for the jury on Friday
- The judge became furious at lawyers when he found out Cassie, who is 8 months pregnant, might have to return to the stand next week
- Cassie revealed she was paid $20 million to settle her lawsuit against Combs
- Ex-hotel security guard Israel Florez testified on Monday about being offered cash after Combs attacked Cassie in 2016
- Male escort Daniel Phillip took the stand to speak about how he was paid to have sex with Cassie in front of Combs
- Combs turned down a plea deal days before jury selection got underway
"We were making adjustments to it, and [Combs] was like, I don't like that, let's change this. So, when we left rehearsal, he had called.
"I think management was like, let me speak to Patrick. So, I was on the phone talking with [Combs].
"I'm like, 'What's going on?' He's like, 'How's it looking? Have you guys made the changes?'
"I'm like, 'Yeah, we made the changes. It looks great. I feel like everything is pretty much good to go.'
"And then he kind of just like switched," Patrick said as he snapped his fingers.
"Just switched out of nowhere and started raising his voice. Like, 'No, it ain't. It ain't better.'
"I'm just like, you asked me though, and I'm telling you that it is. Like, it's dope. But he just went off."
Five: The number of charges against Combs. His charge sheet includes one count of racketeering conspiracy, two charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to the alleged offenses.
Twelve: The number of jurors. Six alternates will also be selected.
Two: In March 2024, two of Combs' homes were raided by the feds. Cops searched a property in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, that was linked to his production company. Agents also searched a property in Miami, Florida. Cops were pictured carrying boxes from the disgraced star's Star Island mansion. In September 2024, Combs listed the Los Angeles home for $61.5 million.
1,000: The number of bottles of baby oil and lubricant seized by cops during the raids of the hip-hop star's homes. The supplies are alleged to be linked to the star's infamous drug-fueled freak offs.
Eight: The number of weeks the trial is expected to last.
Eight: The number of lawyers on the prosecution team. Seven of which are women.
Seven: The number of lawyers on Combs' defense team. Brian Steel, who represented the rapper Young Thug, is part of the defense team.
Four: The number of accusers who will take the stand. Combs' ex-partner Cassie Ventura, who accused him of sexual abuse and assault, is the prosecution's star witness. Combs and Ventura had an on-off relationship for over a decade. Ventura and Combs settled for $20 million a day after the lawsuit was filed.
15: Combs faces a minimum sentence of 15 years if he's convicted on the sex trafficking charge.
10: Ten years is the maximum charge for the transportation for the purposes of prostitution.
ALARMING AGGRESSION
Patrick described how he was shocked by Combs' aggression towards a child.
"I was surprised and shocked because I haven't experienced that," Patrick, one of the group's lead vocalists, added.
"We met him multiple times. We did showcases. So, I was very surprised, and I was kind of like confused like where it was coming from.
"Because we're very professional, and I'm just answering your questions. If it looked bad, I'd be like, yeah bro, we got some work to do, but it looked good."
Another of the brothers in the group, Dustin Breeding, added, "He just didn't like the answer, I guess, it set him off."
Dustin said he was also startled by Combs' hostility over the phone in one conversation.
"For me, I just had an experience with him just kind of jumping on the phone with me. I guess I said something to my mom, which I don't know how he got that information," he said.
"He was yelling at me. I was taken aback a little bit, like, where's this animosity coming from?"
'WILD BOY'
The B5 members, who are all siblings, told The U.S. Sun they were not surprised by the salacious "freak off" details testified by both Ventura and Daniel Phillips, a male stripper who was paid thousands to have sex with Ventura at Combs' request.
"I knew Diddy was a wild boy, I just didn't know he was like that," Dustin said.
"Everybody knew. He was always throwing parties. He was here, there, music, clothing, and also he was the CEO, so he was always all over the place," Patrick added.
Bryan Breeding, one of B5's vocalists, chimed in, saying, "There's traces of it on TV shows. He was on reality shows. So, you can see traces.
"Looking back now, you can see the traces."
Dustin told The U.S. Sun that despite being a young teen at the time, he noticed hints of Combs' wild side.
"There was this unforgivable party we went to, and [there] wasn't anything illegal or anything going on, but you could definitely just tell," he said.
"With the unforgivable party, I could just imagine what others would be like."
Representatives for Combs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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