Witness: Josh Croft

HSI Special Agent Josh Croft’s Testimony in Sean 'Diddy' Combs’ Sex Trafficking and Racketeering Trial: Day 9 Highlights On May 22, 2025, during Day 9 of Sean 'Diddy' Combs’ federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan, HSI Special Agent Josh Croft, a computer forensics expert, testified at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in New York. Croft, the prosecution’s 16th witness, detailed his data extraction from three laptops belonging to Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, focusing on the methodology and findings, including a user profile linked to an alias used by Combs. His testimony aimed to provide digital evidence supporting the prosecution’s claims of Combs’ involvement in a criminal enterprise involving sex trafficking and racketeering. Croft began by outlining his role as a computer forensics agent with HSI. He explained the tools and methods used to extract data from electronic devices, including phones and laptops. He told the jury his process involved ensuring the integrity of the data through standard forensic protocols, such as creating exact digital copies to preserve the original evidence. He then focused on the three laptops belonging to Ventura. Croft testified that one laptop had a damaged hard drive, but he was still able to recover a significant amount of data. Another laptop had been reset to factory settings, displaying a login screen for 'Frank Black,' an alias previously linked to Combs through testimony from Frederic Zemmour and Special Agent Yasin Binda. Croft clarified that Ventura had given consent for the devices to be searched, but upon discovering the 'Frank Black' profile, he paused the examination until a warrant was obtained to ensure legal compliance. Croft confirmed he extracted text messages and other data from the laptops, though he did not discuss the specific content of the messages during his testimony. He emphasized that his role was to recover and preserve the data, leaving the interpretation to other investigators. His testimony provided a technical foundation for potential digital evidence, such as communications that might support Ventura’s allegations of coercion and abuse by Combs. During cross-examination by defense attorney Teny Geragos, Croft was questioned about the consent process. He affirmed that Ventura had given permission for the search, and he reiterated that a warrant was secured for the 'Frank Black' laptop before proceeding. Geragos thanked Croft for his detailed technical explanation, and the cross-examination concluded without significant challenges to his methodology. On redirect, the prosecution asked Croft if he continued examining the 'Frank Black' laptop immediately after seeing the profile name. Croft responded, 'No, we did not process that data until later when we got a warrant,' reinforcing the procedural rigor of his work. With that, Croft’s testimony concluded, marking the end of witness testimony for the week as the court adjourned for the Memorial Day weekend.

Compiled from news sources and summarized by Grok.

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