A former assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs has accused the rapper of sexually assaulting and tormenting her while she worked as his personal assistant. The witness, testifying under the pseudonym “Mia,” concluded three days of testimony Monday.She described assaults beginning at Combs’ 40th birthday party, including forced kissing and molestation, followed by a rape months later in a guest room at his Los Angeles home. She said the attacks were “random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out,” that she believed they wouldn’t happen again.Mia said she kept quiet, even after her friend and Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed a sexual abuse lawsuit in 2023 that was settled quickly for $20 million. She said she didn’t feel ready to come forward at that time or tell Cassie about her own experience.During her testimony, Mia said she remained in contact with Combs for years after leaving her job in 2017 and sent him messages that appeared warm and affectionate. She explained that she was “brainwashed” and struggled to trust her instincts in an environment where “the highs were really high and the lows were really low.”“I learned to work under pressure,” she said. “But I was still deeply ashamed and I wanted to die with this.”Over two days of intense cross-examination, defense attorneys grilled her so aggressively that a federal prosecutor had to ask the judge to intervene, calling the cross-examination “humiliating” and “harassing.” Brian Steel repeatedly pointed to Mia’s texts and social media posts about Combs to challenge her credibility. Mia pushed back, saying she only began to fully understand what had happened to her after years of reflection and therapy.Assistant US attorney Maurene Comey accused Steel of badgering the witness, warning the judge that his tactics could discourage victims from coming forward in other cases.Mia is the second of three key prosecution witnesses, following Cassie. A third woman, referred to as “Jane,” is expected to testify later this week.
