Exotic dancer 'The Punisher' tells court how he discovered Diddy's identity

An exotic dancer known as The Punisher revealed his client's identity. He discovered it when he turned on a hotel television. The screen displayed, "Welcome Sean Combs."

Sharay Hayes testified at Sean Combs' sex-trafficking trial. He was hired to create "sexy, erotic scenes" with Combs' then-girlfriend, Casandra "Cassie" Ventura. A naked man watched from the corner during these encounters. Initially, Hayes did not realize the man was Combs.

This changed when Hayes saw the name on the TV screen. Mr. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to several charges including racketeering and sex trafficking.

Mr. Hayes testified in a New York courtroom about his first meeting with the couple. He was told specifically not to acknowledge the man in the room. He noted that Combs wore a veil over his face.

At Trump Tower, Ms. Ventura greeted him wearing a bathrobe. Inside, furniture was covered in sheets and there were bowls of baby oil on the floor. Hayes described eight to twelve encounters with Ms. Ventura while Combs watched and gave directions.

He said that sometimes Ms. Ventura would "wince or sigh" at Combs' suggestions. Other times she looked to him for consent regarding certain activities.

Last week, Daniel Phillip also testified about being paid to have sex with Ms. Ventura while Mr. Combs watched.

On Tuesday, Regina Ventura, Cassie's mother, took the stand next. She presented an email from Cassie dated December 23, 2011 as evidence against Mr. Combs.

In this email, Cassie wrote that Mr. Combs had threatened her life and mentioned explicit tapes of her existence.

She claimed he said he would have someone hurt her but wouldn't do it himself.

After showing this email in court, Regina identified images of Cassie taken at home around that time.

These images showed bruises on Cassie's back and leg which Regina alleged were caused by Sean Combs.

Regina also testified that Mr. Combs demanded $20,000 because he was upset about spending money on Cassie.

She stated she took out a loan with her husband to pay him as directed by Mr. Combs' bookkeeper.

"I was scared for my daughter's safety," Regina said in court about feeling pressured to pay him.

The money returned to their account four days later without any explanation.

Later on Tuesday, defense attorneys cross-examined a former personal assistant of Mr. Combs and pointed out inconsistencies in his testimony.

The trial is expected to last several weeks; if found guilty, Mr. Combs could face life in prison.

The last witness of the day was Homeland Security special agent Gerard Gannon who led a raid on Mr. Combs' Miami mansion in March 2024.

He presented items found at the property including semiautomatic AR-15 rifles and loaded magazines along with lingerie and baby oil.

The rifles had enhancements like "red dot optics" for precision shooting—an uncommon feature for such weapons.

Gannon noted that serial numbers were cut off two firearms found during the raid; one magazine contained only 19 bullets instead of 30 when discovered.

Testimony will continue Wednesday with Agent Gannon returning to the stand.

The court expects to hear from rapper Scott Mescudi soon; he dated Cassie in 2011 and has been mentioned frequently during this trial.