Star witness Casandra “Cassie” Ventura took the stand Tuesday at Sean “Diddy” Combs’s federal sex trafficking trial. She detailed physical abuse (“He would … knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head”), as well as the nature of “freak-offs,” which she said included the hiring of an escort and “performing” under the direction of Combs.
Ventura, an R&B singer who used to date Combs and was signed to his record label, helped open a floodgate of accusations against the producer when she sued him in 2023, alleging that Combs abused her and forced her to participate in humiliating sex parties. She and Combs settled the lawsuit a day later, but dozens of others have since accused Combs of similar abuses, as have federal prosecutors. He faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted on all five criminal counts: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Testimony in the trial started after opening statements Monday, with searing accounts from other witnesses who detailed alleged violence, paid sex acts and coercion by Combs, who has pleaded not guilty. The jury on Monday also viewed surveillance footage, which showed Combs dragging and beating Ventura in a hotel in 2016.