Cassie Ventura (left) and Sean Combs on the Met Gala in New York Metropolis in 2017. Ventura testified for the prosecution within the felony trial of Combs, who’s charged with intercourse trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transporting to interact in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not responsible to all fees.
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After spending most of 4 days on the witness stand, Cassie Ventura concluded her testimony within the felony trial of Sean Combs on Friday afternoon. Ventura, who dated Combs on and off for over a decade, was certainly one of a number of witnesses to take the stand throughout the trial’s first week. However the extent and element of her testimony confirmed how central she is to the federal government’s case towards Combs.
Ventura filed the primary outstanding civil lawsuit towards Combs in 2023, alleging that the rapper and file government had bodily assaulted, trafficked and raped her. That swimsuit was settled rapidly, however Combs was indicted in September 2024 on fees of intercourse trafficking, transporting to interact in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy. He pleaded not responsible to all fees.
Beginning on Tuesday afternoon, a visibly pregnant Ventura testified that her relationship with Combs was marked with violence, drug use and energy imbalances. The singer was 19 years outdated when she signed a 10-album cope with Combs’ label, Unhealthy Boy Information, in 2006. Combs, who’s 17 years older than Ventura, pursued her romantically not lengthy after they started working collectively. Ventura informed prosecutors that inside the first yr of their relationship, Combs started bodily abusing her. She testified that he coerced her into drug-fueled, highly-orchestrated sexual performances with male escorts that grew to become “like a job” and put her profession on the backburner (Ventura solely ever launched one of many 10 albums from her cope with his label). Ventura mentioned she cherished Combs, however he was usually “scary” — and he or she didn’t all the time really feel like she may safely depart the connection.
One in every of Combs’ protection attorneys, Anna Estevao, spent two days cross-examining Ventura. Time and again, she introduced texts and emails exchanged between Combs and Ventura over that confirmed Ventura agreeing to sexual encounters with male intercourse staff and serving to plan the logistics for these conferences. She additionally requested about Ventura’s profession and the alternatives she gained from being linked to Combs. When she requested if Ventura was simply in a position to depart her contract with Unhealthy Boy upon breaking apart with Combs in 2018, Ventura responded: “I needed to struggle my approach out.”
Estevao’s cross-examination centered on portray Ventura and Combs as mutually invested within the relationship, and Ventura as a prepared participant in unconventional sexual encounters. She requested Ventura to explain their use of medication the best way they’d each develop jealous over alleged infidelities and the lengths they went to to maintain the sexual performances with escorts a secret.
Throughout her direct questioning from prosecutors, Ventura testified that Combs filmed these encounters and blackmailed Ventura with them when she tried to maneuver on from their relationship. She mentioned that in 2014, somebody she was working with at an occasion in Atlantic Metropolis hinted he had information of a sexually specific video of Ventura. She testified that she assumed it was a video of the “freak-offs” — a time period she and Combs used to explain their encounters with escorts — and he or she anxiously texted Combs, who responded, “That is loopy. Don’t let him out of your sight.” Ventura mentioned she ended up taking Combs’ safety along with her to “intimidate” the person.
In cross examination on Friday, Estevao referenced that testimony and performed an audio recording of Ventura at that assembly, during which she could be heard repeatedly threatening to kill the person if he does not cooperate. “I’ve by no means killed anyone in my life, however I am going to kill you,” she says within the recording. “It isn’t going to be blood on my arms. Another person is gonna do it.”
Estevao questioned Ventura on whether or not Combs additionally anxious the movies can be leaked and whether or not they would harm his popularity as nicely, not simply hers. Ventura agreed.
When the prosecution resumed questioning her, Ventura mentioned she was appearing beneath Combs’ directions on the time of that audio recording. She additionally testified that after they’d had an argument in Cannes and Ventura was attempting to create distance between herself and Combs, he insisted on sitting subsequent to her on the flight from France to New York. She mentioned he spent the whole lot of the journey exhibiting Ventura specific movies of her with an escort — after which pressured her to take part in a efficiency hours after touchdown.
In direction of the tip of the protection’s cross examination, Estevao requested Ventura in regards to the settlement she obtained from her civil lawsuit towards Combs. Ventura confirmed that the quantity of the settlement was $20 million. When requested whether or not the settlement got here at a time of economic hardship for her household, Ventura denied this was the case. Later, prosecutors additionally requested Ventura in regards to the settlement. “I might give that cash again if I by no means needed to have freak-offs,” Ventura mentioned by means of tears. “If I by no means needed to have freak-offs, I might have company and autonomy. I would not have needed to work so arduous to realize it again.”
After Ventura’s testimony concluded on Friday afternoon, two extra witnesses have been referred to as to the stand. The primary was particular agent Yasin Binda with Homeland Safety Investigations. Binda, who mentioned she works with the human trafficking group at HSI, testified that she helped plan the logistics for Combs’ arrest in September 2024 and carried out the search warrant on his room on the Park Hyatt Resort in New York Metropolis. Binda testified that her position was to take pictures of the gadgets discovered throughout the search. These gadgets included a number of bottles of child oil and lubricant, unlawful substances, a lighting system that may very well be used for “temper lighting” and $9,000 in money — all gadgets that matched Ventura’s testimony of the provides she and Combs used for “freak-offs.”
After Binda completed testifying, the singer Daybreak Richard took the stand. Richard was a member of the group Danity Kane, which Combs helped to place collectively within the mid-2000s as a part of the truth TV competitors Making The Band. Danity Kane was signed to Combs’ Unhealthy Boy Information for a number of years; Richard was additionally a member of the electrosoul trio Diddy Soiled Cash alongside Combs and vocalist Kalenna Harper. Final yr, Richard filed a civil lawsuit towards Combs alleging a poisonous and abusive working setting all through her skilled relationship with him — the lawsuit additionally said that she witnessed Combs violently assaulting Ventura on a couple of event.
Richard testified briefly; she is going to stay on the stand subsequent week. When she started her testimony on Friday, Richard described being current at an altercation in Combs’ dwelling during which he grew to become “belligerent” as Ventura tried to make him eggs; Richard testified that Combs grabbed the skillet Ventura was utilizing and tried to hit her over the pinnacle with it. She alleged Ventura dropped to the bottom into fetal place whereas Combs punched and kicked her, ultimately placing his arm round her neck and dragging her upstairs by her hair. “I used to be scared for her,” Richard informed the courtroom. “I had by no means seen something like that earlier than.”
