Sean (Diddy) Combs held Cassie's friend over 17th-floor balcony railing, trial hears
Court told Combs tried to prevent security footage of Cassie assault from getting out
WARNING: This story contains allegations of assault and sexual violence and may affect those who have experienced it or know someone affected by it.
A 33-year-old woman says hip-hop mogul Sean (Diddy) Combs held her over a 17th-floor apartment balcony and that she sometimes screamed in her sleep after the ordeal.
Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Sean (Diddy) Combs's ex-girlfriend and accuser, R&B singer Cassie, said the 2016 assault at Cassie's Los Angeles apartment caused a bruise on the back of her leg, along with back and neck pain.
It also left her emotionally scarred, she told the jury.
"I have night terrors and paranoia, and I would scream in my sleep sometimes," said Bongolan, a creative and marketing director who runs her own art agency.
Her testimony came in the fourth week of evidence presented by prosecutors as they seek to prove that Combs oversaw a racketeering organization composed of his employees and associates as he physically and sexually abused women for two decades.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and other charges that, if convicted, could send him to prison for 15 years to life.
Bongolan is the latest woman to testify that Combs acted violently toward her and Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura.
'I was scared to fall'
Bongolan, recalling the attack, said Combs barged into Cassie's apartment, lifted her up and put her on the railing. She said she feared that she would plummet to her death as she pushed back against Combs.
"I was scared to fall," she said. Combs was yelling at her throughout the ordeal, Bongolan said, estimating he held her over the railing for 10 to 15 seconds.
She testified that Combs then threw her onto balcony furniture. Adrenalin helped her power through the ordeal, Bongolan said, recalling getting up immediately after being thrown down.
Bongolan said Cassie, who was sleeping in the bedroom, then came out and asked Combs: "Did you just hang her over the balcony?"
Told that Bongolan's ex-girlfriend was also in the apartment, Combs swiftly left, Bongolan said.
Cassie, who already testified for four days about the abuse she incurred, previously told the court that she saw Combs bring one of her friends back over the railing of a balcony at her apartment in the early morning.
She said she was asleep in her room when she awoke to the episode. "I saw him bring her back over the railing of the balcony and then throw her onto the patio furniture," Cassie testified.
Bongolan said she has lasting effects from Combs assaulting her.
"I have nightmares and I have a lot of paranoia, and I used to scream a lot in my sleep, but it's dissipated a little bit," she testified.
Part of her paranoia, she said, includes opening doors carefully and peeking into rooms before going inside, and she added that she had a nightmare as recently as a few days ago.
Bongolan said Combs gave her drugs on three or four occasions, including ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and G, a substance she understood was the depressant GHB. She said she also did drugs about once a week with Cassie when Combs wasn't around.
Testifying in response to a subpoena from prosecutors, Bongolan was granted immunity after she initially said she would refuse to answer questions and invoke her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. She was at least the third witness given immunity to testify.
Combs feared video of Cassie assault would 'ruin career'
The court also heard this week that Combs paid a hotel security officer to hand over surveillance footage that showed him violently attacking Cassie in a hallway.
Eddy Garcia, who had worked at an InterContinental hotel, testified on Tuesday that Combs contacted him shortly after the incident and asked for the footage. Combs said he would "take care" of Garcia if he gave him the video, Garcia said.
Jurors had previously been shown a March 2016 surveillance video from the hallway of the InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles where Combs, wearing only a towel, threw Cassie to the ground, kicked her and dragged her away.
Cassie said the incident occurred after Combs had given her a black eye during a "freak-off."
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say Combs, over two decades, coerced women, including Cassie, to take part in drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers that he referred to as "freak-offs."
"He was concerned that this video would get out and that it would ruin his career," said Garcia, who was granted immunity from prosecution to testify.
Garcia said he relayed Combs's message about the video to his boss, who told him he would give Combs the video in exchange for $50,000.
The next day, Garcia testified, he saw his boss enter the room that hosted servers for the surveillance cameras.
He said his boss gave him a USB drive, which he gave to Combs, who later returned with a brown bag and a money counter.
Garcia said Combs ran cash from the bag through the counter, which displayed $100,000, returned the money to the bag, and handed the bag to him.
Combs's lawyers have acknowledged he was at times abusive in domestic relationships but argue that women who took part in "freak-offs" did so consensually.
Prosecutors say bribery is among the racketeering acts that Combs or his employees undertook in order to facilitate "freak-offs" and prevent word of his abuse from getting out.
Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
With files from Reuters