Witness: Frank Piazza

Frank Piazza’s Testimony in Sean 'Diddy' Combs’ Sex Trafficking and Racketeering Trial: Days 15 and 16 Highlights On June 3 and June 4, 2025, during Days 15 and 16 of Sean 'Diddy' Combs’ federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan, forensic video and audio analyst Frank Piazza testified at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in New York. Piazza, the prosecution’s 25th witness, authenticated key video evidence, including the 2016 InterContinental Hotel surveillance footage showing Combs assaulting Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, and 10 sexually explicit videos from 2012 to 2014 linked to Combs’ pseudonym 'Frank Black.' His testimony aimed to support the prosecution’s narrative of a pattern of violence and control by Combs, central to the charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Piazza began his testimony on June 3, explaining his expertise as a forensic video and audio analyst, noting that he typically works for defense attorneys but was hired by the prosecution for this case at a rate of $295 per hour. He told the jury he reviewed multiple types of footage: the 2016 InterContinental Hotel surveillance video, phone footage, and sexually explicit videos tied to the case. His primary task was to authenticate the 2016 hotel footage, which captured Combs, wearing only a towel, punching, kicking, and dragging Ventura in a hallway near the elevator bank on March 5, 2016. Piazza confirmed the video’s reliability, stating it showed no signs of tampering despite some pixelation issues, such as when Ventura bent over to put on a shoe and when Combs threw her to the ground. He walked the jury through frame-by-frame sequences, explaining the timestamps and addressing pixelation concerns, which he attributed to the surveillance system’s quality rather than manipulation. He also testified about 10 sexually explicit videos, under seal, from 2012 to 2014, which he enhanced for audio clarity. These videos, obtained from a device Ventura handed over, were linked to Combs’ pseudonym 'Frank Black,' a name previously associated with Combs through testimony from witnesses like Sylvia Oken. Piazza confirmed these videos were admitted into evidence, tying them to the sex trafficking charges by illustrating Combs’ alleged pattern of recording sexual encounters, which prosecutors claim were coercive 'freak-offs.' The repeated playback of the 2016 assault footage during his testimony had a visible emotional impact in the courtroom; a female juror wiped her brow and nodded with pursed lips as Combs dragged Ventura, while Combs himself sighed at the defense table when the footage showed him throwing Ventura to the ground. During cross-examination by defense attorney Teny Geragos on June 4, Piazza faced questions aimed at casting doubt on the surveillance footage’s integrity. Geragos pressed him on the quality of the InterContinental Hotel’s surveillance system, getting Piazza to admit it might be 'cheap,' suggesting potential unreliability. However, Piazza stood firm, reiterating that the footage showed no signs of manipulation, a point noted on X as a 'small win' for the prosecution. The defense also questioned how the prosecution obtained the video, but Piazza only confirmed he received it from them, leaving the source unclear. Geragos’ strategy appeared to focus on desensitizing the jury by replaying the assault video multiple times, though this risked reinforcing the images of Combs’ violence in jurors’ minds. Piazza’s testimony wrapped up on June 4 after two days on the stand. On redirect, prosecutor Madison Smyser reaffirmed the video’s authenticity, asking Piazza if the sources he used for his compilation were 'reliable depictions' of the hotel surveillance system’s capture. Piazza agreed, solidifying the prosecution’s use of the footage as evidence of Combs’ alleged pattern of abuse. His analysis bolstered Ventura’s claims of violence and control, supporting the prosecution’s narrative that Combs used physical intimidation as part of a criminal enterprise. Piazza’s testimony concluded without further redirect, marking a significant moment in establishing the credibility of key visual evidence in the trial.

Compiled from news sources and summarized by Grok.

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