Diddy's Ex-Girlfriend Cassie Ventura Testifies in Sex Trafficking Trial

Casandra “Cassie” Ventura stepped out Tuesday morning looking somber ahead of her long-awaited court appearance in her ex Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial.

The “Me & U” singer, who is pregnant with her and husband Alex Fine’s third child, made her way to the Manhattan federal court dressed in a camel-toned trench coat, brown turtleneck and matching boots.

via: Variety & Daily Mail

Casandra “Cassie” Ventura testified against Sean “Diddy” Combs Tuesday morning, wiping away tears with a tissue as she described the “physical abuse” and daily “psychological abuse” she suffered at the hands of Combs throughout their 11-year relationship.

Ventura, wearing a burgundy long-sleeve top, was soft-spoken and visibly pregnant, at times pressing down on her stomach and taking deep breaths. At least once, she paused to compose herself during questioning and said, “I’m sorry.”

Ventura’s presence in the Manhattan courtroom marks the first time she and Combs have been in the same room since 2018, when they attended the funeral of Combs’ longtime ex-partner Kim Porter.

Diddy lawyers want Cassie's husband banned from court during her testimony

Before Cassie took the stand, Diddy's lawyers asked judge to ban Cassie's husband Alex Fine from courtroom while she testifies because they may want to call him up as a witness later in the trial.

Diddy's lawyers have told the judge they want Cassie's husband Alex Fine to not be in the courtroom while she testifies because they may want to call him up as a witness later in the trial.

The defense is claiming Fine has relevant information regarding an alleged rape of Cassie by Diddy in the the fall of 2018.

Diddy's attorney said Fine sent Diddy a text message saying he 'wanted to beat the f word out of him.'

They added they are okay with Cassie's brother to remain in the room while she testifies.

Prosecutors argued that Fine is part of the emotional support system for Cassie, who’s pregnant with their third trial and should be in the courtroom when she testifies.

A judge ruled that her husband, Alex Fine, can be in the courtroom for most — but not all — of her testimony.

Ventura began her testimony, which is expected to last several days, by describing the origins of her relationship with Combs. They met when she was a 19-year-old model and singer in New York, and a then-38-year-old Combs gave her a 10-album deal on his label, Bad Boy Records. (Ventura only released one album.) Ventura described herself as naïve at the time, saying she was drawn to Combs because he was “entertaining,” “fun” and “larger than life.” Also, “he happened to have my career in his hands.”

In 2007, Ventura celebrated her 21st birthday with Combs and some friends in Las Vegas, where Combs kissed her in a bathroom. It left her “confused,” but she still enjoyed spending time with Combs. Soon, their relationship turned sexual, and Combs “introduced” Ventura to oral sex. “I was just so young, I didn’t even have the vocabulary for some of the things we talked about,” she said. “I was sexually inexperienced.”

Not long after, on a trip to Miami, Combs and Ventura began having sexual intercourse. When she was 22, he introduced her to what he called “freak-offs,” which could be days-long, drug-fueled sexual experiences at hotels, where Combs watched and masturbated as Ventura had sex with male escorts. When Combs first proposed the idea to Ventura, saying he liked the “voyeurism” of it, she felt “nervous” and “confused.” She didn’t “understand why it was a turn-on,” but she “loved” Combs and “wanted to make him happy.”

Eventually, Combs instructed Ventura to organize the “freak-offs,” which involved hiring a male escort and setting up a hotel room for the three of them. They would occur as often as weekly and last days at a time, with Ventura saying the longest one she remembers was four days. She was given drugs so she could “perform” for Combs for hours on end, and afterward she would rest for days due to the sleep deprivation and dehydration. “The ‘freak-offs’ became a job, where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and feel normal again,” Ventura said.

Ventura said she didn’t want to have “sex with strangers” for Combs’ enjoyment, but “I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice. I didn’t know what ‘no’ could be, or what ‘no’ could turn into.” As Combs often videotaped these sexual encounters, Ventura feared that he could “blackmail” her by releasing the footage online.

At some point in their relationship, Ventura said she began to experience “a different side” of Combs, “which was his abusive side.” Arguments would turn “violent,” Ventura said, and Combs would “knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down.” When asked by the prosecution how frequently Combs would get “physical” with her, Ventura sighed and said, “Too frequently.” These violent fights resulted in injuries, like bruises, black eyes and knots in Ventura’s forehead. Yet, “there was still love there,” Ventura said.

She also described suffering a daily “psychological abuse” when dating Combs, saying he wanted “control” over every aspect of her life and career. She said he made her turn down professional opportunities while holding her music career hostage, and he often dictated her appearance and behavior, saying things like “fix your face” and “watch your mouth.” Combs would “incessantly” call and text Ventura, and he had his security guards constantly “keep an eye” on her. When she lived in New York and later Los Angeles, he paid for her rent and would show up at her residences unannounced, via his own set of keys. She insisted upon paying for her own house in Studio City because she wanted “freedom.” “I wasn’t getting it in a lot of other ways,” she said.

Cassie's husband Alex Fine seen arriving at court on Tuesday.

Cassie explains why she took part in the 'Freak Offs'

When the prosecutor questioned her about 'freak offs,' she said she was barely 22 when Combs first asked her to do them. She said she was 'confused, nervous, but also loved him very much.'

Elaborating on why she felt it was so difficult to refuse Combs’ demands, Cassie reiterated her fears of violence and blackmail videos from 'freak offs' being disseminated on the internet.

Diddy has claimed the encounters were consensual.

'I’m Puff Daddy and Puff Daddy has many women'

'I was insanely jealous but also super young, didn’t get it at all,' Cassie said of being nonmongomous with the music mogul.

'I didn’t get that he was him. As he would say, "I’m Puff Daddy and Puff Daddy has many women."

Cassie added of Diddy: 'He likes the company of women. I had to learn that over time.'

She said that as time passed, she came to believe 'more often than not' that they were in a monogamous relationship. 'He expected that of me so I assumed it was the same.'

She said Combs told her: 'I’m not dealing with anyone else. It’s just us.'

Freak Offs could last days on end, Cassie says they became her job

Cassie told the court the Freak Offs could last for days on end and that she had to stay awake throughout them.

'When I wasn’t working on my music I was recovering from parting that took a big chunk out of my life,' she said.

'The Freak Offs became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and try to feel normal again.

'Staying up for days on end, taking drugs and other substances, drinking. Having sex with a stranger for days.'

Cassie added that she could spend anywhere from 33 to 72 hours engaged in a Freak Off.

The last one, she told then jury, lasted four days.

12:29

Cassie testimony to resume after lunch break

The court has gone on lunch break.

Before the break, a heavily-pregnant Cassie testified that her relationship with Combs ran the gamut from good times to arguments and physical altercations.

After touching on the violence and 'freak offs' that are central to the federal charges, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson returned to eliciting biographical and historical information about Cassie, including when she first signed to Bad Boy Records in early 2006.

She said after they become a couple, Combs would get abusive over the smallest perceived slights — if she wasn’t smiling at him the way he wanted, or if he thought she was acting like a brat.

'You make the wrong face and the next thing I knew I was getting hit in the face,' she said.

12:40

Prosecutors ask Cassie about her music career

Assistant US Attorney Emily Johnson pressed Cassie to explain what happened to her music career and the nine albums that were never released.

Cassie said she created hundreds of songs, some of which were released on the internet prior to 'proper release and some just didn’t see the light of day.'

1:07

Cassie refers to Diddy as 'Sean' during her testimony

The singer used the rapper's birth name, Sean, as she spoke about their relationship on Tuesday.

The two did not look at each other throughout her testimony.

Diddy passed notes to his attorneys and whispered to them as she spoke from the stand.

Shown still images from the now-infamous 2016 security camera footage of Combs beating her at a Los Angeles hotel, Cassie said prior to the altercation: 'We were having an encounter called a ‘Freak Off’ and I was leaving there.'

She said participating in the Freak Offs began taking much of her time and energy and her career stalled.

1:27

Court resumes after lunch, Cassie is back on the stand

Judge Subramanian asked Cassie if the temperature in the room was okay as she went back on the stand following a lunch break.

Prosecutors asked her about Diddy's instructions for her appearance.

Cassie claimed Diddy once told her she 'looked too Mexican with her hair like that.'

The mogul allegedly demanded her nails be painted white, with french tips.

The rapper also allegedly told her to work out to prepare for the Freak Offs.

Cassie names the entourage Diddy 'would use to help control her'

During her testimony on Tuesday, Cassie mentioned several of Diddy's employees and allies, including his 'trusted assistants' Christina Khoram and Neil Dominic.

Cassie also claimed Diddy's security guard, R. Rock 'used to take away her things as punishment' on the mogul's direction.

She also mentioned other security guards for Diddy, including Roger Bonds, Uncle Paulie, Faheem and Malik.

Ventura’s testimony will continue throughout the week, and she will be cross-examined by Combs’ attorneys. On Monday, two other witnesses testified against Combs. One was a security guard who witnessed Combs allegedly assaulting Ventura at a hotel in 2016, the other a male escort who was paid on several occasions over two years to have sex with Ventura while Combs watched. The escort, Daniel Phillip, said Combs violently abused Ventura and took a photo of his driver’s license “for insurance.” “I took it to be he was threatening me,” Phillip told the jury in an extremely graphic testimony. In cross-examination, Combs’ lawyers attempted to portray Phillip’s encounters with Combs and Ventura as consensual on behalf of all parties.

Combs, once a titan of hip-hop and fashion, is now on trial for sex trafficking and racketeering charges. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.