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NEW YORK, May 20 (Reuters) - Sean "Diddy" Combs once took an ecstasy pill shaped like President Barack Obama's face, the hip-hop mogul's former
personal assistant testified on Tuesday at Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial.

David James, who worked for Combs from 2007 to 2009, told jurors during
the second week of the trial in Manhattan federal court that he frequently
saw Combs take drugs, including opiates during the day and ecstasy at
night. James said he sometimes picked up drugs for Combs and his friends,
and often brought narcotics and other personal items like lubricant and
condoms to Combs' hotel rooms.

He said he once saw Combs take an ecstasy pill shaped like a "former president's face." When prosecutor Christy Slavik asked him which
president, James responded, "President Obama."

Prosecutors say Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, forced women to
take part in days-long, drug-fueled sexual performances known as "Freak
Offs" from 2004 to 2024. They say his employees helped by buying drugs,
booking and stocking hotel rooms, and giving Combs cash to pay male sex
workers to take part in the parties.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers have acknowledged that
Combs had substance abuse issues and was an abusive romantic partner, but
say the sex acts described by prosecutors were consensual.

Last week, jurors heard testimony from prosecutors' star witness: Combs'
former longtime girlfriend Casandra Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer
known professionally as Cassie. Ventura said she took part in Combs' Freak
Offs for about a decade, first to please him and later because he
blackmailed her with videos of the encounters.

Ventura's mother, Regina Ventura, testified on Tuesday that Combs in
December 2011 demanded $20,000 to recoup money he had spent on Ventura
after discovering she had a relationship with another man.

Jurors saw photographs Regina Ventura took around that time of her
daughter with bruises on her legs and back, as well as an email in which Casandra Ventura told her mother that Combs had threatened to release sex
tapes of her and have someone hurt her.

"I was scared for my daughter's safety," Regina Ventura said.
Regina Ventura said she took out a loan against her home to pay Combs, but
that the money was returned days later. Combs' defense did not cross-
examine her.

EXOTIC DANCER TESTIFIES
Combs' legal team has sought to show jurors that his relationship with
Ventura was complicated. Last week, the defense showed jurors emails and
text messages in which Ventura said she was always ready for a Freak Off
or sex.

On Tuesday, a male exotic dancer named Sharay Hayes testified that he
engaged in sexual activity with Ventura while Combs watched in hotel rooms
in Manhattan several times between 2012 and 2016. He said Ventura would
pay him between $1,200 and $2,000 in cash.

Hayes, who performs under the stage name "The Punisher," said Ventura
would sometimes sigh as Combs directed her what to do with her body. But
he also said Ventura at times appeared to enjoy the encounters.

"It seemed like there was consent there as far as I was concerned," Hayes
said under cross-examination by defense lawyer Xavier Donaldson.

Known also during his career as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, Combs helped turn artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars. In the process, he
elevated the role of hip-hop in American culture, and became a
billionaire.

He has been held in federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September 2024
arrest.

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/sean-diddy-combs-took- ecstasy-shaped-like-obamas-face-jury-hears-2025-05-20/

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