The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs continued on Tuesday, May 20, with testimony from a man named Sharay Hayes, a male escort whose nickname is “The Punisher.”
Hayes claimed in court on Tuesday that he was hired to participate in one of Diddy’s alleged “freak offs” for the first time in 2012. He said he was hired to create a “sexy scene” for Diddy, 55, and his then-girlfriend, Cassie. (Diddy has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied all allegations against him.)
According to Hayes, he was told to meet Cassie, 38, at Trump Tower on Central Park West, but he believed he was being hired to perform for a group of women. (Hayes is the proprietor of an all-male dance revue called Get Punished.)
Hayes testified that Cassie met him at the door in a bathrobe and wig. She proceeded to tell him that the “sexy scene” would involve the two of them “mutually applying” baby oil to one another. She also told him that her partner would eventually join them, but at the time, Hayes didn’t know her or Diddy’s identity.
“I was specifically told to not acknowledge her husband,” Hayes claimed, adding that he was paid $800 in cash upon arrival.
Hayes alleged that a nude man wearing a veil — who Hayes claimed was Diddy — then entered the room and masturbated in the corner while watching. After about half an hour, Cassie and the man left the room. Cassie then came back and asked Hayes whether he wanted to “finish,” and he declined. He was paid an additional $1,200 and then left the hotel.
After that, Hayes estimated he participated in between eight and 12 more freak offs with Diddy and Cassie. He said he eventually figured out who they were because he followed Diddy on Instagram and recognized Cassie from one of the rapper’s photos.
Hayes went on to claim that freak offs could last for multiple days and would usually begin around 2 or 3 a.m. He alleged that Diddy would give Cassie directions during their encounters, adding that Cassie would sometimes wince or sigh in response. On one occasion, he claimed, Diddy dropped a stack of condoms on the couch and said he was “ready to see them f***.”
Diddy was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied all of the allegations against him.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement at the time. “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Cassie, who dated Diddy off and on from 2007 to 2018, testified last week that Hayes was one of the escorts who participated in freak offs with her and her ex-boyfriend. During her four days on the witness stand, the singer alleged that Diddy coerced her into participating in freak offs, which she claimed could last for days on end.
While testifying on Wednesday, May 14, Cassie told the court that she experienced frequent urinary tract infections because of the alleged freak offs, adding that she would continue to perform despite “horrible” pain.
“Sometimes [the freak offs] were back to back,” Cassie, who is currently pregnant with her and husband Alex Fine’s third baby, recalled on the witness stand. “And I was doing the freak off with an infection. … It just was a mess, really painful for a long time.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
