Isabella Gomez Sarmiento
Isabella Gomez Sarmiento is a production assistant with Weekend Edition.
She was a 2019 Kroc Fellow. During her fellowship, she reported for Goats and Soda, the National Desk and Weekend Edition. She also wrote for NPR Music and contributed to the Alt.Latino podcast.
Gomez Sarmiento joined NPR after graduating from Georgia State University with a B.A. in journalism, where her studies focused on the intersections of media and gender. Throughout her time at school, she wrote for outlets including Teen Vogue, CNN, Remezcla, She Shreds Magazine and more.
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The woman, who dated Combs, testified that she repeatedly told him she did not want to participate in the drug-fueled encounters with escorts he requested, but felt pressured to comply. -
In a week when two witnesses using pseudonyms testified that Combs had assaulted or abused them and another witness said he dangled her over a hotel balcony, the rap mogul's defense team conducted its cross examination more aggressively.
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On Thursday, a woman identified as "Jane" testified that Combs, who she says she dated until he was arrested in 2024, the hip-hop mogul pressured her into sexual encounters with male escorts. -
The prosecution pushed back on the defense's aggressive questioning of a former Combs employee, saying harassment of the witness might intimidate others taking the stand. -
The musician Scott Mescudi, who records as Kid Cudi, told the court that after Combs discovered his relationship with Cassie Ventura, his house was broken into and his car was set on fire. -
Regina Ventura and Kerry Morgan testified in the federal trial of Sean Combs this week as the prosecution continues to build a case around the mogul's relationship with singer Cassie Ventura. -
On Friday, Sean Combs' defense lawyers questioned Cassie Ventura about how much of the former couple's activities she willingly participated in. "I had to fight my way out," she said. -
On the witness stand on Wednesday, the singer at the center of the prosecution's case testified that her decade-long relationship with Combs was ruled by fear and violence. -
The charges in Combs' federal criminal trial include sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted of all charges, Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison.
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After a brief delay, the jurors and alternates for the mogul's trial for racketeering conspiracy and prostitution have been set. The trial is expected to last eight weeks.
