A former personal assistant to Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs who says he raped her testified Monday that she continued sending him loving text messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was \u201cbrainwashed.\u201d
\nThe woman, testifying for a third day under the pseudonym \u201cMia\u201d at the music mogul’s federal sex trafficking trial, used the word as defense attorney Brian Steel confronted her with skepticism and even suggested she fabricated her claims.<\/p>\n
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his powerful position in the music industry to commit abuse.<\/p>\n
Steel had Mia read aloud for the jury numerous loving text messages she sent to Combs, including one in 2019 in which she said she had a nightmare that she was trapped in an elevator with the singer R. Kelly and Combs rescued her.
\n\u201cAnd the person who sexually assaulted you came to your rescue?\u201d Steel asked incredulously. He rephrased, asking if she really dreamed of being saved by a man \u201cwho terrorized you and caused you PTSD?\u201d Prosecutors objected and the judge sustained it.
\n
\nIt was one of many objections during a combative cross-examination of Mia at the trial, now in its fourth week, during which several government witnesses have been treated more gently by defense lawyers and have even spoken positively of Combs.<\/p>\n
In an Aug. 29, 2020, message to Combs, Mia recalled happy highlights from her eight years working for him \u2014 such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4 a.m. and rejecting Mick Jagger’s offer to take her home \u2014 saying she remembered only \u201cthe good times.\u201d
\nIn the same message, Mia mentioned once feeling \u201cbamboozled\u201d by a woman. Steel asked why she didn’t say Combs had bamboozled her as well, given her accusations.
\n\u201cBecause I was still brainwashed,\u201d Mia answered.
\nAsked to explain, Mia said that in an environment where \u201cthe highs were really high and the lows were really low," she developed \u201chuge confusion in trusting my instincts.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Steel suggested her assault claims were made up, Mia responded: \u201cI have never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom. Everything I said is true.\u201d
\nShe said she felt a moral obligation to speak out after others came forward with allegations against Combs.
\n\u201cIt’s been a long process. I’m untangling things. I’m in therapy,\u201d Mia said.
\nMia remained composed days after testifying Combs forcibly kissed her and molested her at his 40th birthday party soon after she started working for him in 2009, and months later raped her in a guest room at his Los Angeles home.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors criticized Steel\u2019s two-day cross-examination, which has relied heavily on Mia’s social media history.
\nAssistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Comey accused him of yelling at and humiliating the witness, and argued that picking apart years of her social media posts \u2014 including birthday greetings and praise for Combs\u2019s business successes \u2014 was excessive and largely irrelevant.
\n\u201cWe are crossing the threshold into prejudice and harassing this witness,\u201d Comey told the judge during a break, while jurors were out of the courtroom.
\nShe warned that Steel’s approach during the high-profile trial could deter victims from testifying in other cases in the future.<\/p>\n
Judge Arun Subramanian said: \u201cI have not heard any yelling from Mr. Steel and I have not heard anything that was sarcastic in the questions.\u201d Still, he cautioned Steel about overusing questions about Mia\u2019s social media posts praising Combs.<\/p>\n
The trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs continues, with Mia’s testimony highlighting the complexities of the case. The defense’s strategy of questioning Mia’s social media posts has raised concerns about the treatment of victims in high-profile trials. As the trial progresses, it remains to be seen how the jury will weigh the evidence and testimony presented.<\/p>\n
Q: What are the charges against Sean "Diddy" Combs?
\nA: Combs is charged with sex trafficking and racketeering.
\nQ: Who is the witness testifying against Combs?
\nA: A former personal assistant to Combs, testifying under the pseudonym "Mia".
\nQ: What is the defense’s strategy in the trial?
\nA: The defense is questioning Mia’s social media posts and suggesting that she fabricated her claims.
\nQ: How has the prosecution responded to the defense’s strategy?
\nA: The prosecution has criticized the defense’s approach, arguing that it is excessive and harassing the witness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to the Case A former personal assistant to Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs who says he raped her testified Monday that she continued sending him loving text messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was \u201cbrainwashed.\u201d The woman, testifying for a third day under the pseudonym \u201cMia\u201d at the music mogul’s federal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":18447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-reports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/media.nbcnewyork.com\/2025\/05\/AP25073491242951.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=3000,2327&w=1920&resize=1920,1489&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18446"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18446"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18448,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18446\/revisions\/18448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}