NEW YORK, NY – MAY 01: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs aka Puff Daddy (L) and Cassie attend the “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Artwork Of The In-Between” Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Artwork on Might 1, 2017 in New York Metropolis.
Mike Coppola/Getty Photos for Folks.com
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Mike Coppola/Getty Photos for Folks.com
Two individuals near singer Cassie Ventura testified within the federal trial of Sean Combs this week. Ventura’s mom, Regina Ventura, and her former finest good friend, Kerry Morgan, each informed the court docket what they noticed throughout Ventura’s almost 11-year relationship with Combs.
Prosecutors allege that Combs wielded his energy throughout the music and leisure industries to regulate Ventura’s private {and professional} life. They are saying he incessantly beat the singer and coerced her into extremely orchestrated, drug-fueled sexual performances involving male escorts. Combs allegedly filmed the encounters and blackmailed Ventura with the footage. The hip-hop mogul faces fees of intercourse trafficking, transportation for prostitution and racketeering conspiracy. Combs’ protection attorneys admit there was violence within the relationship, however they are saying Combs didn’t visitors or coerce Ventura into something.
Throughout her testimony final week, Cassie Ventura informed the court docket that in December 2011, she and Combs have been on a break and he or she was seeing the rapper Scott Mescudi, in any other case often known as Child Cudi. Combs allegedly turned enraged when he discovered; Ventura testified Combs kicked her within the again and threatened to launch sexually express movies of her. Combs additionally allegedly threatened to have associates bodily hurt Ventura and Mescudi whereas he was touring in a foreign country. Ventura testified that she wrote up an electronic mail detailing Combs’ threats and despatched it to her mom and certainly one of his workers. She then flew residence to spend the vacations together with her household.
On Tuesday (Might 20), Ventura’s mom took the witness stand. She confirmed that she acquired that electronic mail from her daughter and testified that Combs “demanded” cash from her household. “He was going to want $20,000 to recoup cash he had spent on (Cassie) as a result of he was indignant she was courting Scott Mescudi,” Ventura mentioned.
Regina Ventura informed the court docket that she and her husband took out a house fairness mortgage in an effort to pay Combs. She testified that she acquired electronic mail directions from Combs’ bookkeeper for find out how to wire the cash to a Dangerous Boy Leisure account, and he or she complied. “I used to be scared for my daughter’s security,” she mentioned.
Inside 4 to 5 days, the cash was returned to Regina Ventura’s checking account. She mentioned she by no means communicated with Combs concerning the $20,000.
Throughout her testimony, Regina Ventura mentioned that her daughter confided in her about Combs’ bodily abuse for the primary time in December 2011. She testified that she took pictures — which have been proven to the jury — of bruises on her daughter’s physique that resulted from Combs’ violence. Combs’ protection didn’t cross-examine Regina Ventura, citing no additional questions on the finish of her testimony.
On Monday (Might 19), Kerry Morgan took the witness stand. She informed the court docket that she and Cassie Ventura met whereas they have been each working as fashions in 2001, and upon graduating highschool, they moved in collectively in Manhattan. Morgan mentioned that after Cassie started courting Combs, she typically noticed her good friend being yelled at, talked right down to and criticized by her boyfriend. “She misplaced her confidence massive time,” Morgan mentioned. “She misplaced her spark.”
Morgan mentioned she witnessed Combs slap or push Cassie a number of occasions all through the connection, and he or she described two particular cases of violence that she mentioned stood out above the remaining. The primary allegedly came about at Combs’ residence in Los Angeles, the place Morgan mentioned she noticed Combs push and hit Ventura; she mentioned the 2 associates then fled Combs’ home and hid below a next-door neighbor’s entrance steps whereas Combs and his safety looked for them.
Morgan testified that the second incident came about in Jamaica in 2013, the place they have been on a gaggle trip. She mentioned whereas Cassie was utilizing the toilet, Combs turned indignant that she was taking too lengthy and got down to discover her. Morgan then allegedly heard “guttural” screams and ran to the corridor to search out Combs dragging Cassie outdoors by her hair. Outdoors, she allegedly managed to stand up and Combs then pushed her onto the bottom, the place she hit her head on bricks. Morgan testified she believed Cassie was “knocked out,” however her good friend later bumped into the woods barefoot. Morgan mentioned that when she discovered Cassie, the 2 hid in a ditch for what felt like hours whereas Combs searched the property for them.
Throughout cross-examination, Combs’ protection legal professional Marc Agnifilo requested Morgan about jealousy, infidelity and drug use in Combs’ relationship with Cassie Ventura. He confirmed pictures of Morgan, Cassie and Combs attending events and occasions like Burning Man, a week-long pageant they went to collectively a number of occasions — and emphasised whether or not that was a enjoyable interval for Morgan and Cassie. Morgan responded that she and Cassie did have good occasions all through the time Cassie dated Combs, however that she typically felt her good friend was higher off leaving the connection. Morgan mentioned that each time she expressed this to Cassie, her good friend would inform her she couldn’t go away as a result of Combs “managed every part.”
Morgan additionally mentioned she was certainly one of Cassie’s solely associates who was not an affiliate or worker of Combs. She testified that she minimize all ties with Cassie in 2018, after Combs choked and hit Morgan on the pinnacle with a wood hanger at Ventura’s house. Throughout cross-examination, protection legal professional Agnifilo doubled down on how the friendship fell aside. “I draw the road at bodily abuse,” Morgan informed the court docket.
Morgan mentioned she suffered dizziness, vomiting and a concussion following the alleged assault, and he or she went to an pressing care clinic for therapy. She employed a lawyer to achieve out to Combs in anticipation of a lawsuit, however in the end didn’t file one. A few month after the assault, Cassie Ventura allegedly gave Morgan $30,000 to signal a non-disclosure settlement and they didn’t converse once more. Throughout cross-examination, Morgan mentioned she believes Combs made the cost. “The cash didn’t come from her,” Morgan informed the court docket. “She was the in-between.”
Earlier within the week, the singer Daybreak Richard — who has a pending civil lawsuit towards Combs — testified that she additionally witnessed Combs hit, choke, punch and drag Ventura by the hair a number of occasions. Richard labored with Combs from 2004 to 2011, first as a member of the group Danity Kane – which debuted on Combs’ actuality tv program Making the Band – and later alongside Combs within the electrosoul trio Diddy – Soiled Cash. Richard’s civil lawsuit is constructed on her personal private {and professional} experiences with Combs, however her testimony in the course of the prison trial was centered on what she witnessed between Combs and Ventura. Throughout cross-examination, Combs’ protection legal professional, Nicole Westmoreland, honed in on a number of discrepancies in Richard’s recollection of occasions.
For the primary week and a half of the trial, the prosecution has painted an in depth image of how Combs allegedly wielded energy over Cassie Ventura, and the way he used that energy to fulfill his personal sexual wishes towards her will. Following Ventura’s personal testimony, the federal government has known as a number of witnesses to theoretically corroborate lots of the claims she made concerning the abusive and controlling nature of the connection, typically referring again to cases that she mentioned on the stand. Prosecutors have additionally known as two male escorts to testify in reference to the prostitution fees. One former worker of Combs, a private assistant named David James, took the stand this week to explain his time working for the mogul from 2007 to 2009 — the prosecution is anticipated to name extra of Combs’ workers within the coming weeks in an effort to lay the groundwork for the racketeering cost.
