A REPORTER has accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of drugging and raping her after she tried to get an interview in the midst of his sex trafficking trial.
Kathi Steininger claimed she was set to tell her dark story on the stand, but broke her anonymity after she was dismissed.
Combs, 55, is accused of hiring prostitutes as perverse entertainment for his so-called “freak offs,” which were sex parties that had a roster of high-profile guests.
He would allegedly ply attendees and sex workers with drugs before filming them in compromising positions, and use the tapes as blackmail.
At the center of the charges is his relationship with ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who broke the story wide open when she sued the mega producer in November 2023.
In that suit, she accused her ex-lover of raping and beating her, as well as forcing her to take part in the sometimes days-long freak-offs.
After the lawsuit was filed and settled out of court, dozens of alleged victims came forward with legal complaints of their own, where they described harrowing brushes with the rapper.
Now, Steininger, who is an Austrian national, has claimed in an interview that she was also targeted by the mega producer when she was just 19 years old.
In March 2000, the budding journalist scored an on-camera interview with Combs during his European tour, she told Austrian broadcaster PULS 24 on Monday.
But at some point during the chat, she claims she was separated from her cameraman and given a drink by Combs, which she believes was drugged.
The next thing she knew, the then-teenager was allegedly on the back of a tour bus being raped by the musician. She said she felt too out of it to move or cry for help.
“There was 100 percent something in it,” she said of the drink.
“I would never have gone to bed with that man.”
After the alleged attack, she said she felt too “ashamed” to tell anyone.
Steininger claimed she was going to take the stand as part of Combs’ ongoing trial, but said her story was out of the statute of limitations because she and Diddy were overseas.
After getting that news, she chose to break her anonymity and join the growing chorus of women and men urging for justice.
The accuser claimed the alleged attack left her with post-traumatic stress disorder and that she was unable to work.
Five: The number of charges against Combs. His charge sheet includes one count of racketeering conspiracy, two charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to the alleged offenses.
Twelve: The number of jurors. Six alternates will also be selected.
Two: In March 2024, two of Combs’ homes were raided by the feds. Cops searched a property in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, that was linked to his production company. Agents also searched a property in Miami, Florida. Cops were pictured carrying boxes from the disgraced star’s Star Island mansion. In September 2024, Combs listed the Los Angeles home for $61.5 million.
1,000: The number of bottles of baby oil and lubricant seized by cops during the raids of the hip-hop star’s homes. The supplies are alleged to be linked to the star’s infamous drug-fueled freak offs.
Eight: The number of weeks the trial is expected to last.
Eight: The number of lawyers on the prosecution team. Seven of which are women.
Seven: The number of lawyers on Combs’ defense team. Brian Steel, who represented the rapper Young Thug, is part of the defense team.
Four: The number of accusers who will take the stand. Combs’ ex-partner Cassie Ventura, who accused him of sexual abuse and assault, is the prosecution’s star witness. Combs and Ventura had an on-off relationship for over a decade. Ventura and Combs settled for $20 million a day after the lawsuit was filed.
15: Combs faces a minimum sentence of 15 years if he’s convicted on the sex trafficking charge.
10: Ten years is the maximum charge for the transportation for the purposes of prostitution.
She’s reached out to prosecutors in Austria to pursue charges, but because the alleged attack was so long ago, it’s also considered outside the statute of limitations.
However, she claims that state attorneys told her they would reexamine the case based on the results of Combs’ sex trafficking trial.
“I want some kind of punishment for what he did to me,” she said.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Combs’ lawyers for comment.
Comb’s trial has continued into its third week with explosive testimony from an ex-hotel worker who claims the rapper gave him a wad of hush money.
The security guard said he watched in horror after surveillance captured Combs beating up girlfriend Cassie as he wore nothing but a towel.
Diddy locked eyes with us as he entered the courtroom - inside the trial of the decade
By Israel S-Rodriguez, Senior News Reporter at The U.S. Sun:
The federal sex trafficking trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs began with jury selection on May 5.
Combs is standing trial at the Southern District of New York Courthouse in Lower Manhattan – an intimidating federal courthouse where the cases of Ghislaine Maxwell, Donald Trump, and Bernard Madoff, among others, were tried.
Once a powerful founder of a music and business empire, Combs has been reduced to a defendant, inmate 37452-054, stripped of his mogul status, and now standing trial on five federal charges with the full wrath of the United States government against him.
When I attended Day 3 of jury selection at the federal courthouse on May 7, the buzz around the start of the trial was palpable.
Hours before the courthouse opened its doors, more than a dozen reporters and members of the public stood in line in hopes of securing a seat in the gallery for the high-profile trial.
As you walk through the glass door entrance of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse, you are met by bulletproof vest-clad court officers.
All visitors must separate their electronic devices from their personal belongings, which are passed through a metal detector.
Visitors walk through a metal detector before a court officer hands them a poker chip.
The courthouse uses a poker chip system to sort the number of electronic devices visitors are in possession of.
Electronic devices, such as Bluetooth-powered headphones, voice recorders, laptops, cellphones, and smart watches, are confiscated before you’re allowed to enter the courthouse’s main hallway.
As about a half-dozen reporters and I waited in the gallery for jury selection, we witnessed how Combs entered the courtroom shackle-free.
Combs entered with his hands pressed together, greeted his defense team before he examined the gallery, and locked eyes with reporters and potential jurors.
The 55-year-old disgraced Bad Boy Records executive was attentive and engaged with his counsel as they grilled dozens of potential jurors.
As jury selection wrapped up for the day, Combs embraced each of his female defense attorneys before he mouthed “thank you” to a handful of supporters in the gallery.
I attended trial again as opening statements got underway on May 12 and the world media waited anxiously outside the federal courthouse before the sun rose in Lower Manhattan.
A line stretched down the block from the federal courthouse as some members of the media and from the public camped out overnight to try to obtain a coveted seat inside the gallery.
At least three overflow rooms were made available for reporters and the public, who are eager to witness the prosecutions case against the music mogul.
At least half a dozen members of Combs’ family arrived at the courthouse as spectators filed in single order to enter the federal building to turn over all their electronic devices.
Combs’ trial is being held on the 26th floor in Judge Arun Subramanian’s courtroom and is expected to last for eight weeks.
We’ll bring it all to you on The U.S. Sun.
