“Sex parties derailed my music career” – Diddy’s ex, Cassie testifies

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, the key witness for the prosecution in the hip-hop mogul’s sex trafficking trial, testified on Tuesday that her music career began to decline as she became increasingly involved in drug-fueled sex parties organized by Combs.

Ventura, a rhythm and blues artist known as “Cassie,” stated that she initially participated in the “Freak Offs” to satisfy Combs but continued due to his threats involving videos of their encounters.

“The ‘Freak Offs’ became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again,” Ventura shared with the jury, noting that these events could last from one and a half to four days, as reported by Reuters.

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Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five felony charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution. If found guilty on all counts, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years and could potentially receive a life sentence.

Dressed in a brown gown, a visibly pregnant Ventura recounted that her relationship with Combs began when she was in her early 20s. Now 38, she described instances of physical abuse, stating that Combs often assaulted her, leaving her with visible injuries.

“He would bash my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down,” Ventura said, her voice wavering during her testimony on the second day of the high-profile trial.

Combs’ defense team argues that prosecutors are attempting to criminalize the rapper’s “swingers” lifestyle, where he and his partners invited other men to join them sexually.

Defense attorney Teny Geragos acknowledged to the jury on Monday that Combs had issues with anger and jealousy but insisted that these matters were unrelated to sex trafficking or racketeering.

“Domestic violence is not sex trafficking,” Geragos stated. “He is not charged with being a flawed individual.”

Prosecutors contend that Combs exploited his influence in the music industry to manipulate victims and silence them regarding his abusive behavior. Throughout Ventura’s testimony, the prosecution aimed to highlight the power disparity between the Bad Boy Records founder and Ventura.

She expressed to the jury that she was reluctant to participate in the “Freak Offs” but felt compelled to do so to avoid provoking Combs’ anger.

“I was confused and nervous but I also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy,” Ventura explained. “I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice.”

Ventura indicated that Combs exerted significant control over her life and career. “Control was everything, from the way that I looked to what I was working on that day, who I was speaking to. Control was kind of an all-around thing to a certain point,” she remarked.

On the first day of evidence in the high-profile trial, prosecutors presented a video showing Combs and Ventura. In the footage, Combs is seen throwing her to the ground and kicking her in a hotel hallway when she attempted to leave.

In the video, Combs, clad only in a towel, is also shown seizing Ventura’s belongings and dragging her into the hallway. He later apologized after the video was aired on CNN last year.

Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ lead attorney, claimed that the 2016 hotel incident depicted the aftermath of a dispute over infidelity.

During a court hearing on Friday, Agnifilo suggested that Ventura had a history of domestic violence, indicating that he plans to use this information to challenge her credibility.

Throughout the two-month trial, jurors are expected to hear from Ventura and two or possibly three other women who have accused Combs, as well as former employees who prosecutors allege assisted in arranging and concealing his actions.

In her opening statement on Monday, Geragos asserted that prosecutors were attempting to distort Combs’ romantic relationships into a case of racketeering and sex trafficking.

“Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case. This case is about voluntary choices made by capable adults in consensual relationships,” Geragos stated.