Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - DIDDY DONE? GRAND JURY LOOMS AS MORE VIOLENT SEX ABUSE CLAIMS EMERGE

Episode Date: May 30, 2024

Dozens of Diddy's former associates, employees, and Bad Boy musicians have accused the American rapper of "abusive and violent" behavior, all detailed in a recent Rolling Stone report.  The probe comes in response to previously unreleased CCTV footage of Diddy—real name Sean Combs—kicking his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura that surfaced online last week. CNN was able to get security footage that appeared to show Combs shoving Ventura to the ground before trying to drag her, kick her, and hurl a vase at her. Since then, Combs has expressed regret and said, "I take full responsibility for my actions in that video." Over the previous six months, Rolling Stone conducted interviews with "dozens of former friends, acquaintances, employees, Bad Boy artists, and industry insiders." Just fifty of the 300 individuals contacted agreed to speak with the magazine. According Rolling Stone, several women who went to Howard University with Combs said they had "seen signs of a controlling and abusive personality decades ago.". Additionally, unnamed students told the magazine that there were alleged "previously unreported incidents involving unwanted touching and fits of rage." Some said that Combs had a fiery temper during his entire time in college. Numerous artists that signed with Bad Boy were also contacted by Rolling Stone, but "many declined" to be interviewed. One former Bad Boy artist told the magazine, "I don’t have anything nice to say when it comes to my time with Bad Boy. It was not a good experience and one I really don’t want to relive." Combs was given a series of questions as part of the Rolling Stone investigation, but he chose not to answer them. In response, his attorney stated, "Mr. Combs cannot comment on settled litigation, will not comment on pending litigation, and cannot address every allegation picked up by the press from any source, no matter how unreliable." Combs strongly denies the allegations and has not been charged or accused by federal prosecutors of a crime.  It's also unclear whether charges against anyone are forthcoming. Joining Nancy Grace today: Lauren Conlin – Investigative Journalist, Host of The Outlier Podcast, and also Host of “Corruption: What Happened to Grant Solomon; X- @Conlin_Lauren Neama Rahmani– Former Federal Prosecutor, Legal Commentator, and President of West Coast Trial Lawyers; Author: “Harvard to Hashtag;” INSTAGRAM: @Neamarahmani, X: @NeamaRahmani Scott A. Johnson – Forensic Psychologist (Minnesota), 32 years specializing in addressing sexual predators, Adjunct Professor: Florida Gulf Coast University; forensicconsultation.org Shannon Henry – President & Founder of SASS Go (Surviving Assault Standing Strong: a nonprofit on a mission to eradicate abuse, trafficking and violence against women and girls globally) Case Consultant, and Adjunct Professor at the University of South Carolina in the Department of Education; @sassgoglobal on FB, Instagram, X, and TikTok Robert Crispin - Private Investigator, Former Federal Task Force Officer for United States Department of Justice, DEA and Miami Field Division, Former Homicide and Crimes Against Children Investigator, “Crispin Special Investigations” CrispinInvestigations.com, Facebook: Crispin Special Investigations, Inc.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Breaking news tonight, Sean Puffy Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, a.k.a. P. Diddy. The world saw the video of you brutally beating, kicking and dragging Cassie in a hotel hallway, then we had to listen to your fake apology. But in the last hours, we learn a secret grand jury is set to hear evidence You, Diddy, as even more violent sex abuse claims emerge. Oh, yeah. Diddy done. Good evening.

I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us. Hip-hop mogul Sean Combs slammed with two more lawsuits alleging sexual assault. Now, a grand jury may bring Diddy's accusers to court. Friends, co-workers speak out against Diddy, detailing a long history of abuse. We are learning in the last hours that a grand jury, a secret grand jury, is being impaneled to hear more charges against the music mogul.

What does it mean? Nothing good for Sean Puffy Combs. Listen. It's so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life. Sometimes you got to do that. I was f***ed up. I mean, I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. It is now confirmed that a New York City grand jury has been impaneled to hear evidence and witness testimony for an indictment against Sean Diddy Combs. The Homeland Security Investigations Agency, HSI, first revealed their probe into the rapper when agents raided his

homes in Miami and Los Angeles. The investigation reportedly centers on sex trafficking allegations pulled from several recent lawsuits, but sources say the scope has now expanded to include allegations of money laundering and illegal drug trade. Did you hear that? In that sad sack video he put out after the video of him beating Cassie and dragging her down a hallway came out, he didn't apologize until then. He says he's had plenty of time. He has had time to think about what he's done in a very dark place. Hey, Diddy, you're going to have time to think about it behind bars. He also goes on to say he's taking full responsibility. Does that mean he's going to plead guilty and save us all the pain of a jury trial?

I doubt that. Joining me in the All-Star panel to make sense of what we know right now, Lauren Collin joining me, investigative journalist and star of the Outlier podcast. Lauren, you've been on the case since we first learned about that raid on Combs' two homes simultaneously on two sides of the country. We now learn about a grand jury being impaneled. What do you know? Okay, so this is very good news, and I'm actually surprised at how quickly this all came together. But what we know right now is that the defendants are being prepped to go in front of a grand jury. There are not potential witnesses being prepped for testimony yet because investigators and HSI are taking their time to ensure that this is one bulletproof case, Nancy.

Oh, I've heard that phrase before. Listen. As HSI prepares for the looming grand jury hearings, sources say they are still working to make sure an indictment would be bulletproof. Agents are reportedly in possession of tapes from inside Diddy's home and contacting the people on them. Witnesses have also received notice that they may be called to testify. Some of those witnesses may be direct Diddy accusers. Anyone called will likely go through rigorous preparations with prosecutors before facing the grand jury.

Not defendants coming before a grand jury. Victims and witnesses will be coming before a secret grand jury. Joining me, as I said, an all-star panel, but I want to go out to former federal prosecutor, president of West Coast trial lawyers and author of Harvard to hashtag. I don't know what that is, but let me put Harvard out of your mind and put Diddy in your mind right now. Nima Romani. Nima, let's talk about federal grand juries or grand juries in general. We keep hearing the phrase bulletproof indictment. I wouldn't go that overboard because for an indictment to be true billed, in other words, for a grand jury to hand down an indictment. A grand jury is

typically made up of 20 to 40-ish registered voters in that jurisdiction or property owners in that jurisdiction. That's how they find them. The key to that is in the right jurisdiction. And they hear a handful of witnesses, typically sometimes even one, which could be a lead detective that could sum up all the evidence and all the victims for the grand jury. They ask the witness questions. The witness, the witness of course is under oath. Then the witness leaves the room and the grand jury meets and you hear a buzzer. The DA goes back in and you find out whether there's a no bill, in other words, no charges, or a true bill, an indictment. It's not rocket science. It's not, Nancy.

Let me tell you how it typically works and why it's different in the Diddy case. And like we said, usually in the federal system, you have 23 or more grand jurors. You're just in that slight majority, 12 to get a true bill. And you normally don't put your victim witnesses before the grand jury. You bring one of your law enforcement witnesses. Hearsay evidence comes in. He or she describes the case to the grand jurors. And usually within a matter of minutes, you get that true bill. So why are things different in this case? And why is there a delay? Things are moving a lot slower than everyone, including myself, anticipated. His homes were raided months ago. Well, we know that Diddy is not going to take any type of deal, nor will one be offered him.

We're talking about federal sex trafficking with minimums, Nancy, of 10 to 15 years in federal prison. If and when Diddy's convicted, he's going to die in prison. Am I supposed to be sad about a long jail sentence? Because I'm not. Look, for all of his money and his diamond jewelry and his big cars and mink coats and blah, the blah, the blah, same thing. He's a bully. I believe the victims in this case. And if I'm wrong, Diddy, you've been invited on to correct me, but Oh, you're a no show. I believe them, not him. Because really you think all of these victims got together, victims separated in time and space and came up with generally the same story. it's Bill Cosby all over again. Same thing. They're all saying the same thing. Same thing with Weinstein, right?

Same thing with Epstein and Jelaine Maxwell. All of these victims are saying the same thing. How is that possible since they don't know each other? So the fact that this guy, if the victims are to be believed, raped, sex assaulted, and beat women, you think I care if he sits in a jail cell for 15, 20 years? Because I don't, Romani. Don't care. Nancy, I don't either. But if you're a federal prosecutor and you know your case is going to go to trial, you have to prepare for all possibilities. And let me tell you what a real possibility is. If you have a defendant who's worth over a billion dollars, that he will create testimony that has to be disclosed to the defense. It may be inconsistent with their testimony at trial, but you grand jury them in a case like this because you want to lock them in because you have to prepare for the possibility

that they might go sideways at trial. That's what the feds, the U.S. Attorney's Office are trying to do. You just got my attention and not in a good way when you said he could pay off witnesses. And, you know, another bullet for the state, that lawyer, I mean, Benjamin Brothman, that guy don't play. That guy goes into the courtroom. He is like a shark. He eats up every state's witness, digests them without blinking, and he is working for Diddy. Brofman is no joke in a courtroom. Another thing, what do we know about potential witnesses? And I agree with Nima Romani on this.

You don't put your victims up at the grand jury. No. Why? Because later on you may and in this case will because Broffman will see to it that he gets it. Get that grand jury testimony and if there's any inconsistency at all it could be a drink of white wine that night versus I had a margarita. It could be any inconsistency at all. Broffman will tear those victims to shreds. Okay, shreds. What do we know about the new victims? At this hour, as we are on air, new victims are being ferreted out, claiming violent, violent beatings and sex abuse at the hands of Sean Puffy Combs. Listen. In the eighth lawsuit against Sean Combs, model Crystal McKinney claims Diddy promises to help her career after they meet at a Men's Fashion Week event in Manhattan.

Combs later invites McKinney to his studio, where he encourages the model to drink and smoke marijuana, which McKinney now believes was laced with narcotics. Once McKinney was plied, she claims Combs led her to a bathroom and forced her to perform a sex act. The next thing she remembers is waking up in a taxi and realizing she had been sexually assaulted. McKinney saves the clothes she was wearing that evening in a plastic bag. Monica Lewinsky. Does that name ring a bell to anybody? Joining me, an all-star panel, but I want to go to Scott Johnson, forensic psychologist specializing in addressing sex predators at ForensicConsultation.org. He's even written multiple books, one being Physical Abusers and Sex Offenders,

Forensic Consideration and Strategies, and When I Love You Turns Violent. Okay, Scott Johnson, the only thing setting Sean Puffy Combs, apart from all the other guys behind bars for rape and abuse, is he's got money and notoriety and legions of fans. It's the only thing that makes him different from the others. But I want to ask you, because a lot of people are going to attack this victim. I hate when that happens because she saved biological evidence. If you could see me, you would see I was doing air quotas on biological evidence.

That means sperm. I think that's what it means. Because remember when Monica Lewinsky kept the, wasn't it, a blue dress? And had Bill Clinton. And I'm not getting into politics. I don't care. Bill Clinton's sperm on her blue dress. So he had to go, oh yeah, I do recall something about

her now. Yeah. The intern. Okay. She was attacked because she kept the dress. I think the same thing's going to happen here. She's going to be assailed, assaulted, attacked because she kept the biological evidence, the sperm of Sean Puffy Combs. People are going to argue, oh, you did that just to get a payday. That's all you wanted. Who cares if she wants money? That doesn't change the fact that she was assaulted. Right.

And, you know, if someone wanted a payday, they would do it right away, not years later. So when people are terrified, they've been victimized, they've been raped, they've been threatened, and they fear for their safety and their sanity is feeling anything but sane, right? They keep things. And so it was a smart thing to do on behalf of the victim. But people will blame thinking, oh, yes, you were there to set him up. But again, people who set someone up typically come right out right away with that evidence. You're so right. You are so right. Now, as multiple alleged victims come forward, this one with, we think, Diddy's sperm on her dress. That's quite the memento. It's not like you're saving theater tickets or an old corsage

she's got sperm on a dress we think that said it's going to be hard to discredit her because she's got physical evidence what about the others and now we are learning that allegations of combs's physical abuse and sex abuse go all the way back to college? Yeah, I'm going to get to that. But what does Sean Diddy Combs have to say to these allegations? Listen. I'm disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it.

I'm disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I had to go into therapy. I had to go into rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I'm so sorry. But I'm committed to be a better man each and every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness.

I'm truly sorry. Crystal McKinney alleges Combs forced her to drink alcohol and smoke laced drugs before sexually assaulting her. McKinney saved decades-old evidence in a bag with the hopes of bringing the rap star and music powerhouse to justice. And it's not just her. There are others. Listen. April Lampros is the eighth accuser to file suit against rapper Sean Diddy Combs. Lampros meets Combs while studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and Combs offers to help her find work and introduce her to connections in the industry. Lampros details four terrifying, forcible sexual encounters with Combs over five years. The most horrific allegations purporting that Combs forces Lampros to take ecstasy and

have sex with his then-girlfriend Kim Porter before raping Lampros himself. It just gets worse and worse. I'm just thinking about all the rape victims that I've represented and what they endured during the rape, all the beatings, strangulations, victims I've represented in court, what they endured not only in the moment of the attack, but for the rest of their lives. They're really never the same.

Joining me is Shannon Henry, president and founder of surviving assault standing strong shannon while it's one thing to talk about diddy's fur coats and his rolls royces and his diamond jewelry and all of his money i I think he's estimated to have close to a billion, where the B is in brother, dollars. When I think back on all the rape victims I represented in court, I can't even count them all. And all the women I worked with at night

at the Battered Women's Center, it's very sobering, Shannon Henry, women I worked with at night at the Battered Women's Center. It's very sobering, Shannon Henry, because their lives will never be the same. You're right. Their lives will never be the same from the nightmares to the sleepless nights to the anxiety and fear and the memories that they have and those flashbacks. Their lives are never the same. And so they're left navigating all of this, getting the help that they need and the support that they need. And when we look at Diddy, he really does have an eye problem in his apology, which is so empty.

He's saying things like, I'm disgusted. I sought help. I had to ask for God's forgiveness. But what he didn't have to say was Cassie's name to apologize to all of the victims that he's hurt. And he did not do that. So as we move forward and we see this groundswell of support coming for these survivors, I'm just excited that they finally feel like people believe them and they have the support that they need to move forward because this is going to be a slog. It truly is, but they are in it to end his reign of terror. You know, so perfectly put, Shannon Henry. I'm not a shrink. I'm going to have to go to Scott Johnson on this, but again, Shannon, one thing I'm having a hard time verbalizing it that I saw in every rape or sodomy victim. of child abuse is a lingering, never to go away, sense of powerlessness, helplessness. I guess left over from the rape, when you can't fight back and you're just getting raped

or beaten. Some of the victims described to me, more than one, so I don't think it's just a single phenomenon, as feeling that they had actually left their body and were looking down as the rape occurred. They were so helpless that in their minds, they actually left their body during the rape or sodomy, whichever it was. It was that traumatic. And through life, the rest of their life, they have flashbacks and nausea, dizzy spells. And they remember that feeling of helplessness. It never goes away, Shannon. It's true. And, you know, that's a biological response to fear. It's something that actually happens in our bodies through our brain.

It's an entire process. And when they're looking away, they are focusing on solutions. A lot of survivors will say, I kept seeing the door handle. I can't describe what his shirt looked like, but I can tell you what the door handle looked like. And that's because they were trying to find ways to escape in that moment, sadly. as other survivors come forward, there is hope in the fact that they are gaining control back. They are flipping the script on Diddy, and they are now the ones speaking up and managing the way that people see the story, understand the story, and what happened to these women.

My sincere hope is that when it comes time for them to speak up in that courtroom, that they will have been prepared in the best way possible to feel like they're in control. They know where he's going to sit. They understand the layout of the room and a good attorney will do that with them. Yeah, they got to know everything, Shannon. You're right. They've got to know what's going to happen on direct and maybe more importantly, what is going to happen on cross-, a searing, shredding cross exam. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.

Scott Johnson with me, forensic psychologist specializing in addressing sex predators. What is that feeling when you become in the middle of a sex attack, disembodied, and you actually feel you can look down and see the rapist from a different part of the room? Or as Shannon Henry described, focusing on the door handle instead of what's happening to your body. Right. It's just total survival mode or to just not feel for a moment what's happening because you're powerless over that, but you're not powerless over observation and perhaps putting yourself somewhere else in your brain.

Putting yourself somewhere outside your brain. Robert Crispin joining me. I want to follow up with you, Crispin, based on what Shannon and Scott have just told us. Robert, guys, private investigator, but in my mind, more important today, former federal task force for the U.S. Department of Justice with the DEA Miami Fuel Division, Homicide and Crimes Against Women and Children Investigator. Never like a business in Miami Dade, I might say. Now at Crispin Special Investigations. Robert, can I, it actually makes me feel nauseous right now in this studio when I am hearing Shannon talk and hearing Scott

Johnson talk about these ladies and what they went through and what they are still enduring to this day. And I think about all the rape victims and molestation victims I've dealt with. And I have to stop for just a moment. I got to think about something else because I'm feeling literally sick to my stomach about it. Let's talk about how we're going to get in. How? Well, I mean, this is pretty easy. There's a reason that the government is putting these victims in front of the grand jury. Rest assured that the investigators and the agents have spent hours and hours with all these victims, and they feel very confident that they have a common theme, that they're solid, and that they're going to be some type of, obviously on a cross, there's always an issue, but they're pretty much going to be bulletproof because all these victims

who don't know each other, rest assured, I'm sure that they told the exact same story, the exact same, if you want to say modus operandi about how Diddy operates when he gets his victims drunk, drugs them, and then sexually assaults them violently. That is extremely traumatic. These victims are going to carry this for a lifetime. April Lampos was only a student when she alleges Diddy forced her into terrifying sexual encounters, using his power to promise her connections and work in the industry. Lampos was allegedly forced to have sex with Diddy's then girlfriend, Kim Porter, while on ecstasy. Wow, it just keeps on happening. And remember that video of him dragging Cassie up and down the hotel hallway, beating her,

kicking her, throwing this big expensive glass vase at her. Okay, then we've seen all of his apologies, apologies. Well, apparently that's all for show because sources now reveal that Combs is saying Cassie's tape is one sided. Listen, Sean Combs publicly apologizes and accepts responsibility for his actions in the 2016 video of him attacking girlfriend Cassie Ventura. But privately, Diddy has commented that the video, quote, doesn't tell the full story about what happened. Combs calls the video, quote, selected and one sided, adding that its release is part of an agenda to destroy his reputation. I would say I'm surprised because I feel shocked that he's such an idiot. But is this correct?

Lauren Conlon joining me, sort of the outlier podcast. Lauren, so he makes all these public apologies. God have mercy on me and all of this other BS technical legal term. When in his own camp, he's saying the video that emerged is, quote, one sided, doesn't tell the, quote, whole story and is, quote, selective and part of some vast conspiracy to get Diddy. Get Diddy? I hadn't even thought about Diddy until I saw that video. Now I'm thinking about Diddy. Nobody's part of a conspiracy.

That's just like Simpson claiming the LAPD had a big conspiracy to get a famous football star they all loved. He is actually saying amongst his own camp that the video is part of a conspiracy. There's more to it. What more beating in the hotel room? Exactly. I mean, he is such a rodent. And I just want to go back to his post on Instagram when he wrote time tells truth. Total BS. Like you said. Let me go back and give you some context as to what that video was. Cassie detailed it in her lawsuit. She left the hotel because Diddy just gave her a black eye after forcing her to do what he called a freak off, which is when she was forced to have sex with sex workers. He would film it.

He would tell her what to do. In his drunken stupor, he punched her. She escaped. And that was the video that we saw. I mean, I am so disgusted, Nancy. I am so sick of this. I just, the day cannot come soon enough for these women to get justice. Of course, let me just stress, Sean Puffy Combs, aka.k.a. Diddy, a.k.a. P. Diddy, has not yet been indicted. He has not been tried and he will be able to exercise all of his constitutional rights at trial. And I can assure you, Defense Attorney Ben Brothman will make sure that he takes advantage of every constitutional protection. Okay, that said, while Sean Puffy Combs is whining

in general affairs that the beating tape of Cassie Ventura being dragged up and down the hallway is one-sided, she and the others we've mentioned are not the only ones coming forward. Listen. Three of the women accusing Diddy of heinous sex crimes and lawsuits have spoken about their allegations publicly for the first time. Dickerson Neal says for her, it's not about the money, but revealing the icon's disgusting, unpunished behavior. Model Crystal McKinney says she felt like she was dying every day she did not come forward. The third woman, who remained anonymous, agreed that it was incredibly difficult to tell her story publicly, but wants Combs and all those who acted with him or stood by to also be held accountable. that reportedly a male sex worker is believed to have been a witness against Diddy.

Sean Puffy Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, to face a grand jury charge as feds are contacting accusers to testify against him, including a male sex worker. Lauren, Conlon, I don't believe you mentioned that at the beginning of our program. Well, look, there's a lot of people they're contacting because they are still going through the footage that they got from his Miami and LA homes. And what HSI is doing is they are picking out who are in these videos and they are contacting them. So this is still a work in process, Nancy. OK, again, a, quote, bulletproof indictment to Nima Rahmani, a very renowned former federal prosecutor, president, West Coast trial lawyers, and author. NEMA. Got to be careful regarding who you call because some jurors will judge a witness based on their reputation. Now, my approach to jury trials is to bring every single witness. I don't care if they're a nun, a priest, a virgin, or a sex worker. Don't care. Tell your jury ahead of time what you're doing and why. But I don't

consider a sex worker's testimony any less important than I would, as I said, a nun, a priest, or a virgin. What do you think about this latest twist that one of the alleged witnesses against Combs is a male sex worker? I agree with you, Nancy. Sex workers can be sexually assaulted too, but the reality is some jurors will view them differently. So what you want to do is corroborate their testimony. In any case like this where the victims didn't come forward immediately, where there's an allegation that this is a money grab or a payday because they filed their civil lawsuits before going to law enforcement,

at least reportedly, what you want to do is corroborate their testimony. And jurors might not believe the testimony of one victim, especially when you're talking about a criminal case involving reasonable doubt, but it's going to be hard for them to disbelieve the testimony of the seven or more victims that have filed lawsuits in this case and the 12 or more that are reportedly testifying before the grand jury. Hip-hop mogul Sean Combs slammed with two more lawsuits alleging sexual assault. Now a grand jury may bring Diddy's accusers to court. Friends, co-workers speak out against Diddy,

detailing a long history of abuse. At this point, we are learning that former friends and co-workers are jumping on the bandwagon. One of the defense attacks on these former friends and co-workers is why now? Why didn't you say anything before now? Listen. Bad Boy Records co-founding partner describes tearing Combs off a woman in the label's office when they hear screams and glass shattering. Combs attacks music exec Shakir Stewart breaking a chair over his head for going on a few dates with his ex, Kim Porter.

A graphic designer says Combs solicited her for sex while she was on his payroll, and a personal chef sues Combs for sexual harassment in 2017. Model Gina Hunn says Combs beat her during their four-year relationship, and her 2019 public claims were ignored. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Joining me in all-star panel, but now to Robert Crispin, private investigator, formerly with Crimes Against Children and Women. Crispin, if this is true, and again, all of these matters that we are discussing are allegations. They have not been proven in a court of law. Why did he may have paid Cassie Ventura millions of dollars in a settlement? Hey, maybe he's innocent and he can explain all that to a jury.

That said, the claims of a male sex worker as a witness in this case, we're waiting. Those are allegations right now. But query Robert Crispin. If you would beat someone and shatter glass and the woman screaming so loudly, other people come running in a recording studio that's in public. Well, it's like going over to Target and beating someone and trying to rape somebody right there. If you would do that with people around, what would you do behind closed doors, Crispin? Pretty scary, right? You do a lot more than that. And the other issue is all these people who witness this, they never came forward because they're in Diddy's world and they want to stay in Diddy's world. And he's an icon. And I

didn't see that. What? I didn't see that. So behind closed doors, it gets worse. And I think you're going to find that there's a lot of videos that are going to start coming out. They're going to justify a lot of these actions. And that's why this is taking so long. As I said, way in the beginning of this, when everyone was rushing to say he's getting indicted tomorrow, no way. I've done these cases. I've been in front of grand juries. Every single one of these witnesses has to be interviewed at length. Their credibility has to be judged by the investigators or the agents. And then systematically, they're taking these people into grand jury and they're laying their case out. There's no hurry here. They have what they need. Now they need to put that bulletproof

case together. Scott Johnson, forensic psychologist. These witnesses that we're hearing about, including his former friends and co-workers at Bad Boy Records, they're going to be attacked because they didn't say anything at the time. They heard that glass smashing and that woman screaming. And you know, his little group around him have seen a lot more than that one incident. It's like a roach. You see one, there's a hundred more hiding in the cabinet. You think that's the only time he beat somebody? So these witnesses are going to be attacked by Brothman and probably a whole fleet of high-paid attorneys for Sean Puffy Combs about why they didn't come forward at the time. Why didn't they? Well, right. But that's common. Most victims don't come forward or if they do,

it's sometime after a crime. And especially if you're living in his world, as they're saying, you have to fear for your safety, your reputation, your career, not to mention what others are going to say if Diddy decides to diss you, which he does. So there's violence to worry about. There's everything to worry about. And someone I thought said in the hip hop world that this has been our open secret for years. Well, right. Everybody just kept letting it happen because they're afraid of him. Everybody said that after R. Kelly and Weinstein and Epstein.

Did it really change anything? I don't know about that. I have to go on a's a phenomenon and you have to understand the cycle of battering to understand why they stay. I know it up here. I still don't really understand it in my heart. Why would you stay with someone that beats you and nearly kills you on a routine basis, much less what it does to your children to see that. But they don't come forward. They're afraid. They're financially dependent in some cases. They don't want their families to find out that their marriage or their relationship

is bust. And why? For a lot of different reasons. And I don't mean uneducated women. I mean women with PhDs and great jobs and maybe even the main breadwinner in the home. Don't come forward. It happens all the time. It does happen all the time. And I think, you know, just like you said, there's a myriad of reasons why it happens financially. Children, they're afraid to leave. And I go back to what I said the last time,

they also love them. Their definition of love may be different from the person that they're with, but they love them at some level. And there's always this hope that something will change. They'll get better if they just love them enough. Maybe they'll change and maybe I'm the one that can do it. But in the end, 86% of women do not come forward to share what's going on and try open Pandora's box and that justice will he will feel the sting of justice. If not here on Earth, there is a justice system that he cannot outrun. I don't want to wait till we're all dead in heaven. God willing, I make it to heaven. I know I want justice in the here and now. So Nima Rahmani, former federal prosecutor, president, West Coast trial lawyers, on and on and on and on with his accolades.

Nima, how do I get justice now? I don't want to wait till we all die and hopefully go to heaven. I want justice now for these victims. So how do you deal, in a nutshell, Nima, I know you could write an entire Law Review article on it, but how do you deal with witnesses that did not come forward at the time? Well, you're gonna corroborate it, right? And you have that video evidence. Diddy can lie, his lawyers can lie.

Let's not forget when Cassie first filed that lawsuit in November. Diddy's lawyers came out and said, these are baseless and outrageous lies. But the good thing for the prosecution and the terrible thing for Diddy is that there's going to be a lot of video evidence here. So once the victims are grand juried, you put them one after another. What we're going to do as former prosecutors, Nancy, you and I, and what the prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are going to do, who are the best in the business, they're going to unseal a RICO indictment, and they're going to follow the R. Kelly model. We've talked about Weinstein, Epstein, Cosby, but I think that's going to be the most analogous case. That way you get all the RICO predicate acts and relevant

conduct. Some of it, which even falls outside the statute of limitations, you can bring that in, like that horrible beating that took place here in Los Angeles, less than a mile away from where I'm sitting. That's how you get Diddy Nancy. Countless allegations and eight lawsuits later, Diddy's reign comes crumbling down. Peloton and a leading eyewear retailer say bye-bye to Diddy. Does the alleged abusive behavior from megastar Sean Puffy, aka Diddy Combs, date all the way back to college? Listen. Students at Howard University in the late 80s recall business

major Sean Puff Combs standing outside his girlfriend's dorm, screaming for her to come down. Students watch as the girl approaches Combs and raise the alarm when he becomes violent, saying Puff is out here acting crazy. He's beating her. Bystanders scream for Combs to get off of her as he hits his girlfriend with a belt several times. The woman Combs reportedly attacked has declined to comment on the incident, but the witnesses clearly remember how Combs, quote, whooped her butt. Quote, whooped her butt out in the open. Now, does it matter to me if it's in the open or behind closed doors?

No, it does not. But I can tell you, it's like the camel's nose in the tent. His tail will surely follow if he's willing to beat a co-ed out in public with a belt buckle, beating her all over he do behind closed doors? And thanks to Fitty, even more victims are set to come forward. Listen. Rapper 50 Cent, who has been outspoken in his criticism of Diddy since the HSI raids on Combs Holmes, has recently sold the rights to his multi-part documentary on the mogul's downfall to Netflix. Fans have dubbed the untitled series Diddy Do It. 50 Cent took to Instagram to celebrate the sale, saying he may need to add more episodes if more victims continue to come forward. As more videos of Sean Puffy Combs set to come forward, allegedly,

of him beating and abusing women and one drug mule connected to Diddy taking a guilty plea, what, in exchange for testimony? We wait as justice unfolds. But now we stop and we remember American hero Trooper Jacques Rougeau Jr. of Walker Township, Pennsylvania. Rougeau shot and killed in the line of duty. He survived by a grieving wife, Chloe, sister and brother, Christina and Justin, his two doggies, Winnie and Charlie. American hero, Trooper Jacques Rougeau. Thank you to all of our incredible guests bringing all of their expertise, their knowledge, their education to you for being with us tonight and every night as we continue to champion crime victims and seek justice. Nancy Grace signing off. Good night, friend.

This is an I Heart Podcast.