Mind Of Monkey Studio
Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial live updates:
Cassie testifies she was blackmailed
with 'freak off' sex videos
Where the sex trafficking trial stands
Cassie Ventura returned to the stand today for more bombshell testimony as the government's highest-profile witness in the trail against Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Combs' ex-girlfriend testified today that she was frequently physically abused by the rap mogul, suffered multiple medical issues as a result of constant "freak offs" — the drug-fueled orgies allegedly orchestrated by Combs — and that she was blackmailed with sex videos.
The jury was shown security video showing Combs assaulting Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
Combs faces five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has vociferously denied the allegations against him.This live briefing may include graphic descriptions of sexual violence. For resources on sexual assault, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline.
1h ago / 1:51 PM PDT
Cassie says she settled her suit with Diddy for $20 million
Adam Reiss and Deon J. Hampton
Reporting from Manhattan
At the end of her direct testimony, Cassie Ventura said she settled her lawsuit with Combs for $20 million.
Ventura said her attorney initially reached out to Combs and his representatives to ask about compensating her $30 million after informing them of her plans to write a book about her relationship with Combs.
She said she considered the book part of her “trauma therapy." She did not receive any money at that time.
1h / 1:51 PM
Judge: So, tomorrow morning. Adjourned.
1h / 1:48 PM
Judge: We could do it in the robing room
AUSA: The defendant would have to be present
Judge: So in the courtroom [sealed?]
AUSA: Counsel for Victim 1 would like to be heard
Judge: I see his hand. Mr. Wigdor?
Wigdor: We are entitled to notice
1h / 1:35 PM
AUSA Comey: The rule requires that this be sealed.
Judge: Let's proceed without specifics.
Combs' Agnifilo: Saying, "Are you f-ing that person" is just a vulgar way of asking, Are you cheating? Both sides opened on infidelity. This is not 412
1h / 1:31 PM
AUSA Comey: I don't want to read these into the record, so I'll hand copies up.
Judge: Defense?
Combs' Agnifilo: These are messages about jealousy, in the vocabulary of "Are you f-ing that person." That's fair game. This is the real world way people express hurt
1h / 1:28 PM
AUSA Comey: We believe we had agreed that other sexual acts by the witness were not admissible. But we understand they intend to cross examine her about other relationships - with texts about sex, about Ms. Ventura "f*cking someone else." Why is that necessary?
1h / 1:25 PM
Jury entering!
Judge Subramanian: Sorry to bring you out only to send you home. Don't read anything about this case. Have a great evening. All rise!
Jury exits.
Judge: Ms. Comey?
AUSA Comey: Here's what the defense sent us about Rule 412
1h / 1:21 PM
Judge Subramanian: We'll just make up the time in other ways. Get the jury.
AUSA: The witness can be excused?
Judge: Yes.
1h / 1:19 PM
With jury out:
Judge: Why don't we put off the cross until tomorrow?
AUSA Johnson: We'd like to start now, to be sure to finish.
Judge: Ms. Estavao?
Combs' Estavao: She will be finished by the end of the week.
Judge: So no cross today
2h / 1:13 PM
AUSA: Sidebar before cross?
Judge: Yes
2h / 1:12 PM
AUSA: How many freak offs did you have with Sean?
Ventura: Impossible to know. Hundreds.
AUSA: After you broke up with Sean, did you ever do a freak off?
Ventura: No.
AUSA: No further questions.
2h / 1:10 PM
AUSA: What happened with the lawsuit?
Ventura: It settled for $20 million, in 24 hours.
AUSA: Why are you testifying in this trial?
Ventura: I can't carry this anymore. What's wrong is wrong. I tried people like they were disposable. Escorts, anybody
2h / 1:09 PM
AUSA: How did you get chapters to Sean?
Ventura: Through my attorney. And I reached out to K.K. I asked her if he read it. She said it was not taken seriously.
AUSA: How much did you ask for the book?
Ventura: $30 million.
AUSA: Did you sue?
Ventura: Nov 2023
2h / 1:06 PM
AUSA: What pain did Sean put you through?
Ventura: Shame. To carry the things that were shameful for him. I took on a lot of responsibility for that that I never should have. He brought the concept to me when I was 22. It was expected of me. I felt terrible
2h / 1:05 PM
Ventura: There was a time I couldn't take the pain, tried to walk out in traffic. My husband wouldn't let me. I had trauma therapy.
AUSA: Did you write?
Ventura: A book with chapters. My mom helped.
AUSA: What did you want with the book?
Ventura: That Sean read it
2h / 1:03 PM
AUSA: Money back for what?
Ventura: For having paid my now husband to be my trainer.
AUSA: What did you write back?
Ventura: Do you want me to tell the truth? It's much deeper than iPads - there was abuse, more than freak offs.
2h / 12:58 PM
AUSA: Who did you stay in touch with?
Ventura: Most people, though I pulled away...
AUSA: What did you message Sean about after that?
Ventura: Just checking in.
AUSA: What did he send you?
Ventura: That he had iPads full of images, get him his money.
2h / 12:53 PM
AUSA: Did you ever have sex with him again?
Ventura: Yes, voluntarily. We had a good night, I went back to his house.
AUSA: Can you explain why you did that after he raped you?
Ventura: We had been together 10 years...
2h / 12 :52 PM
AUSA: What happened next?
Ventura: Sean came to my house and raped me on my living room floor. His eyes were black. It was like taking something from you.
AUSA: You cried - what did Sean do?
Ventura: He continued and finished inside of me. Then he got up and left
2h / 12:50 PM
AUSA: August 2018, what happened?
Ventura: We were having a closure conversation at a restaurant in Malibu, he was trying to convince me to go to Burning Man.
AUSA: Were you seeing anymore?
Ventura: My now husband
2h / 12:48 PM
Ventura: I was sleep walking, I had PTSD
Defense: Objection!
Judge: Overruled.
AUSA: What's this?
Ventura: A photo of my front door in 2018.
AUSA: Publish it to the jury.. Why is there a knife there?
Ventura: Sean was coming around a lot. So I had it
2h / 12:46 PM
AUSA: Your brother's birthday party in Connecticut in 2013, what happened?
Ventura: My mother told me someone was taking pictures of me. I went and punched her in the head.
AUSA: You testified your relationship with Sean ended in 2018 - how was your health?
2h / 12:43 PM
Ventura: Sean would put the pills in a Vitamin C bottle on the sink in the New York apartment. He'd say, you can take him. He had doctors who would write the scripts in the name of an assistant, or in my name.
2h / 12:39 PM
Ventura: I saw Sean bring her back in from over the balcony then throw her on the patio furniture...
AUSA: And Kerry Morgan?
Ventura: I saw Sean hit her in the head...
AUSA: Did you get drugs on your own?
Ventura: Occasional drug dealers. Opiates. Xanax. Valium
2h / 12:32 PM
Ventura: I believe we had a freak off in Turks & Caicos.
AUSA: What floor did you live on in 875 Comstock?
Ventura: 17th floor.
AUSA: Did a friend stay with you?
Ventura: Yes, Sean came and held her and threw her on the patio furniture out on the balcony.
2h / 12:28 PM
AUSA: Were these all the times he beat you?
Ventura: No, there were more.
AUSA: With who else did you see Sean be violent?
Ventura: I saw him drag an assistant out of bed. I saw him punch Eli [or Ely] in his head. One time in Turks & Caicos he dragged a person
2h / 12:24 PM
Ventura: It made D-Roc sad.
AUSA: What are these communications?
Ventura: From D-Roc to me, he says, Where you at? It's time to ice your face.
AUSA: Why?
Ventura: I had just been beaten up by Sean
2h / 12:23 PM
Ventura: We were having an after-party in our suite. I talked to a producer and Sean tapped me on the shoulder, called me into our room and beat me. Kicked me as I tried to hide behind the toilet.
AUSA: What stopped it?
Ventura: D-Roc and James Cruz came in.
2h / 12:22 PM
AUSA: Were you bruised?
Ventura: Yes.
AUSA: And this photo - what is it?
Ventura: Me in Sean's bathroom, Sept 18, 2015.
AUSA: What were you doing there?
Ventura: Recuperating from being beaten up by Sean in Las Vegas.
2h / 12:19 PM
AUSA: What happened next?
Ventura: We met, Sean, Scott and me. Scott said, What about my vehicle? And Sean said, What vehicle? And that was the end of the meeting.
AUSA: Put up the photo. What is this?
Ventura: Me and Sean in Kingston, Jamaica for SoundClash
2h / 12:17 PM
AUSA: Where did you go after Connecticut?
Ventura: I went to see Sean, he was in Arizona, his son, college. I told my mother I was going to LA for work.
AUSA: Did Sean talk about Scott's car?
Ventura: Sean said he wanted Scott's friends to see Scott's car blown up
2h / 12:15 PM
Jury entering.
AUSA Johnson: Did anyone come to see you in Connecticut?
Ventura: Scott did, for a few days. I broke it off with him. It was too dangerous
Defense: Objection!
Judge: Overruled.
Ventura: Sean said he would hurt both of us.
2h / 12:10 PM
they're back.
Judge: Ms. Johnson, any estimate?
AUSA Johnson: An hour more. The goal is to finish the direct and allow the start of cross examination today.
Judge: Bring the witness and then the jury back in.
3h / 11:57 AM
Ventura: Is it possible to take a break?
Judge: Yes. Break.
3h / 11:55 AM
AUSA: What are these photographs?
Ventura: My mother took there in Connecticut, of the bruises on my back.
AUSA: Were you entirely honest with your mother about the abuse?
Ventura: No, I said this was the first time.
AUSA: Did you tell her about the freak offs?
No
3h / 11:53 AM
Ventura: I sent an email to my mom and Capricorn, from my flight to Boston and Connecticut.
AUSA: What did you write?
Ventura: That Sean said he would release the tape of me on Christmas and he'd had Scott and I hurt, he said he would be out of the country then
3h / 11:51 AM
Ventura: Sean kicked me in the back, I got a bruise.
AUSA: Where'd you go?
Ventura: To my hotel, with the burner phone. The room was torn up. Someone peed all over the floor, pooped in the toilet and didn't flush it. It was gross. This was just before Christmas
3h / 11:49 AM
Ventura: To Scott's house. Then I talked with Capricorn Clark, one of Sean's assistants.
AUSA: Then what?
Ventura: I went to the house Sean was staying at. He told me he would release videos and hurt Scott and I.
AUSA: What videos?
Ventura: Freak off videos. Of me
3h / 11:46 AM
Ventura: Sean went through my phone during a freak out. He found an email.
AUSA: About what?
Ventura: Taking my toiletry bag to Scott's the next day. Sean put a wine opener in his hand and threatened me. I called Scott on a burner phone.
AUSA: Where did you go?
3h / 11:44 AM
AUSA: Did he come to the hotel where you were staying?
Ventura: Yes, he beat me up & called me names. My face was bruised.
AUSA: This photo, who is it?
Ventura: Scott Mescudi, known as Kid Cudi. We dated in 2011.
AUSA: Did Sean find out?
Ventura: Yes, in my phone
3h / 11:39 AM
AUSA: When you went to a party with your girlfriends, what happened?
Ventura: I saw executives from BET - then I heard that Sean was there.
AUSA: What did you do?
Ventura: I left. I ran out as fast as I could.
AUSA: Why?
Ventura: I thought he was angry
3h / 11:37 AM
Ventura: This was before Facetime was very popular, so I could hide myself. She asked if it was me.
AUSA: What did you say?
Ventura: No. I did not want my mother to know something of that magnitude, and be in danger.
3h / 11:32 AM
AUSA: Did you know that this assault incident was reported?
Ventura: I know there was a blind item on the Internet without our names
AUSA: Who raised the blind item to you?
Ventura: My mother
Defense: Objection
AUSA: Not for the truth
Judge: Overruled
3h / 11:31 AM
AUSA: Did you feel you could leave the London Hotel?
Ventura: No. I understood his capability, his access to guns, the threats he made.
AUSA: When you were taken to the hotel after the assault?
Ventura: No.
3h / 11:29 AM
Ventura: They snuck me into the hotel covered up so no one could see my face.
AUSA: How long were you at the London Hotel?
Ventura: A week, a little more. An assistant brought me ice cream.
AUSA: What was the assistant's name?
Ventura: Genevieve
3h / 11:26 AM
Ventura: I was on the floor of the car &he stomped on my face
AUSA: How long did this last?
Ventura: Ten minutes. Then I tried to get away but Sean's security brought me back.
AUSA: Who?
Ventura: Roger Bonds.
AUSA: What did they tell me?
Ventura: To go to a hotel
3h / 11:23 AM
AUSA: In January 2009 did you attend an event in LA with Sean?
Ventura: Yes
AUSA: What happened as you left?
Ventura: I'd been speaking to a producer about music. Sean called me a slut. I hit him in the face. I had been drinking
AUSA: Did you see any injuries?
No
3h / 11:21 AM
AUSA Johnson: When did Sean first use violence on you?
Ventura: In New York City. We were in a car, with his security, and he knocked me around.
AUSA: What did he do?
Ventura: He hit me in the side of the head. I fell to the floor of his Escalade.
3h / 11:10 AM
AUSA: When did Sean first hurt you physically?
Ventura: It started in the first year.
AUSA: What staffer were present when Sean was physical with you?
Defense: Objection - physical is vague.
AUSA: Punching, hitting...
3h / 11:08 AM
AUSA Johnson: We will call her Mia... When you gave your devices to the government, were they working?
Ventura: No, they were broken.
AUSA: Put up 602-A, for Ms. Ventura and the jury only. What's on your skin?
Ventura: Oil
3h / 11:01 AM
Jury entering
AUSA Johnson: I have a binder for the court... The gallery will not be able to see these exhibits. Ms. Ventura, I will show you some exhibits. 2A-404, who is it?
Ventura: She worked for Sean.
4h / 10:56 AM
they are belatedly back
All rise!
Judge: As to exhibit 619, the objection to the defendant's proposal is overruled. Let's have Ms. Ventura back, then we'll bring in our jury.
4h / 10: 17 AM
AUSA: We need more time to print the binders.
Judge: We'll break
4h / 10:02 AM
Now counsel to "Jane Doe" says, I am worried that Jane Doe will not know what she can ask me.
Judge: As long as you don't coach testimony.
WIgdor (counsel to Cassie Ventura) I have nothing to add
Judge: Ms. Shapiro, we've spoken with each attorney
5h / 9:54 AM
Judge: We are trying to prevent witnesses being counseled on how to testify, what to say or not say. Anything else, OK - would that be acceptable?
Hecker Fink lawyer: I'm afraid she'll have a moment, lose it.. then ask me, Did I forget something? I worry
5h / 9:52 AM
Hecker Fink lawyer: Mia would have taken this to her grave. I don't know how to support her if we can't discuss her pain, what she went through. We will not put words in her mouth. Her nerves are through the roof
5h / 9:50 AM
Defense: We just heard this morning about videos on his devices, so this is relevant.
AUSA Slavik: We can agree to more, something less than the ten pages...
And now:
Hecker Fink for "the witness known as Mia" - he says: there is a jury instruction about victims
5h / 9:34 AM
Judge: Jurors, you can take lunch now.
[Jurors leave]
Judge: Ms. Slavik, are there still disagreements on the exhibits?
AUSA Slavik: Yes. The defense wants the exhibit to be longer and about masturbation.
Defense: They wanted to cut it off at "looking at my iPad
5h / 9:31 AM
AUSA: When would you take Valium before a freak off?
Ventura: When I had anxiety. Sean's driver was bringing me the Valium. It was Raheem, I think.
5h / 9:27 AM
Ventura: I wrote, only Paul available, or Jake the white guy. But he can't do until 11. The other guy can do earlier. It's just one more person knowing our secret.
AUSA: What did you mean?
Ventura: The freak offs.
AUSA: What is SLS?
Ventura: A hotel in Hollywood.
5h / 9:24 AM
AUSA: Let's read these from June 13, 2013 - had Sean been violent with you before this?
Ventura: Yes.
AUSA: Had you told him before you didn't want to do freak offs?
Ventura: Yes.
AUSA: You said you needed GHB?
Ventura: Yes. And that 2 escorts not available
5h / 9:18 AM
AUSA: How did you feel?
Ventura: Trapped.
AUSA: When you landed in New York, what did you do?
Ventura: We went to a dinner. Then he wanted to have a freak off. So we had a freak off.
AUSA: Why did you do it?
Ventura: To make him not threaten me
5h / 9:14 AM
AUSA: How did you get back to New York?
Ventura: On a commercial flight. I traded my seat to get away. But he traded to get next to me.
AUSA: What did he show you?
Ventura: Freak off videos. He played them for me on one of his laptops. He said he'd release them
5h / 9:12 AM
AUSA: What happened at Cannes?
Ventura: Sean accused me of taking drugs from his boat. He threw me off - but my passport was still on the boat.
AUSA: And you were on the red carpet that same night?
Ventura: Yes.
AUSA: Did you attend the movie?
Ventura: Yes.
5h / 9:11 AM
AUSA: Then what?
Ventura: I spoke to a friend of Sean's... and then we had a freak off.
AUSA: What's this?
Ventura: My eye brow, healed up a little bit, a week later. I have a permanent scar on my eyebrow.
AUSA: What's this?
Ventura: Me at the Cannes Festival
5h / 9:08 AM
Ventura: Sean wanted to have a freak off in the Hamptons. We got a hotel and an escort
AUSA: Which one?
Ventura: Dave. I took GHB. I went into a "G hole" and blacked out. I woke up nude in the shower. Dave and Sean were freaking out. I bugged out. It wasn't pretty
5h / 9:07 AM
AUSA: Did you send this photo to Sean?
Ventura: Yes. And I wrote, So you can remember. I wanted him to be sorry about it, at least.
AUSA: In this photo where were you?
Ventura: In the green room in Toronto. I put my hair over my eye. Then we went to the Hamptons
5h / 9 :03 AM
AUSA: Where were you going?
Ventura: To a music festival in Canada run by Drake. Sean came to my home & tried to attack me. I was thrown into the bed frame.
AUSA: What's this?
Ventura: A photo of my eye afterward
AUSA: Who took you to the doctor?
Ventura: D-Roc
5h / 9:00 AM
Ventura: The escorts would ask me if I was OK, afterward.
AUSA: In what cities did he put his hands on you?
Ventura: NY, LA, Miami...
AUSA: How frequently?
Ventura: Too frequently.
AUSA: What's The Abbey?
Ventura: A gay club in LA. I went there with my friend
6h / 8:56 AM
AUSA: Who was present when Sean put his hands on you at freak outs?
Ventura: Sometimes the escort was there too.
AUSA: In the same room?
Ventura: Yes. Jules.
AUSA: & in the suite?
Ventura: Yes.
AUSA: Were they aware?
Defense: Objection!
Judge: Overruled.
A: Yes
6h / 8:48 AM
AUSA: Which escort would go to sex clubs with you and Sean?
Ventura: Jules.
AUSA: The escort from the Inter Continental in LA?
Ventura: Yes.
AUSA: Did you want to have sex with Jules, ever?
Ventura: No. (laughs). But I knew him
AUSA: Why did you do it?
A: Sean
6h / 8:43 AM
AUSA: What sores?
Ventura: Friction in my mouth.
AUSA: From what?
Ventura: Oral sex.
AUSA: You said, another UTI, then sad face emoji
Ventura: I was open with him about them.
AUSA: "So you feel sick?"
Ventura: "Why are you sorry?" I took the blame for things
6h / 8:41 AM
AUSA: Were the U.T.I.s painful?
Ventura: Very. Anti-bacterials didn't work anymore.
AUSA: How did it feel, during freak offs?
Ventura: Burning. I would not advise it.
AUSA: Let's read this out loud.
Ventura: "I have all these sores on my tongue. I have another UTI
6h / 8:37 AM
AUSA: How would you recover from a freak off?
Ventura: I'd take opiates. I wanted to feel numb. We'd get massages, I.V. fluids. The chef would cook us something.
AUSA: How often did you take opiates after freak offs?
Ventura: Often. I got Urinary Tract Infections
6h / 8:34 AM
AUSA: Did that happen?
Ventura: At a restaurant
AUSA: What was security's role?
Ventura: To intimidate. They were lining the room.
AUSA: Who was there?
Ventura: Uncle Paulie, James Cruz
6h / 8:32 AM
AUSA Johnson: What did you say here?
Ventura: I'd been told there was a sexually explicit video out there about me. I reached out to Sean.
AUSA: Then what?
Ventura: We were driving back to NYC from Atlantic City, to talk to this DJ ["Whoo Kid"?]
6h / 8:25 AM
AUSA Johnson: There's still some issues with the privacy screens, so we'll put that off and do something else now
Judge: OK.... Welcome back Ms. Ventura. Bring in the jury
[Jury enters]
AUSA Johnson: I offer more exhibits.
6h / 8:11 AM
Judge has taken a break to "change some things in the court room." During the break, Combs sit at defense table, his lawyer Xavier Donaldson leaning down to speak with him
7h / 7:59 AM
AUSA: Sidebar?
Judge: Yes.
7h / 7:58 AM
AUSA: Let me show you a chat. Who's on it?
Ventura: Me and Sean. July 22, 2013.
AUSA: Read your message
Ventura: I wrote, Please delete the videos off your phone, too many people have access to your devices. He said, No iCloud, all good, ambien kicking in
7h / 7:56 AM
Ventura: One time I was dating someone else and he threatened to release the freak off videos. I'd have to answer to my mother... It's horrible and disgusting. No one should do that to anyone.
AUSA: What did Sean say the impact would be?
Ventura: Shame
7h / 7:54 AM
Ventura: He had me pulled out of the Blind Dragon for the freak off... Some security.
AUSA: What about blackmail material?
Ventura: He wanted me to fear-
Defense: Objection!
Judge: Overruled.
AUSA: When would Sean mention the freak off videos?
Ventura: To hurt me
7h / 7:52 AM
AUSA: Did you try to avoid anything in the freak offs?
Ventura: I tried to avoid kissing, it seems too intimate. But Sean told me to do it, to kiss the escorts.
AUSA: What did Sean ask you to do on your 29th birthday?
Ventura: A freak off.
7h / 7:48 AM
AUSA: What did you write here?
Ventura: This is all we do, I'm just getting back on track. I'm sure you can call Kim or something.
AUSA: What did you mean by "this is all we do"?
Ventura: Freak offs.
7h / 7:41 AM
Ventura: We called him Tommy.
AUSA: Who is this?
Ventura: I know him as Greg, an escort in Miami.
AUSA: Who's this?
Ventura: Jonathan. We saw him in Miami.
AUSA: Who's this? [Red baseball cap, backwards
Ventura: I don't know. He looks familiar from the freak offs
7h / 7:36 AM
AUSA: I'm going to show you escorts ... do you know the name of this person?
Ventura: No.
AUSA: In what cities did you use him?
Ventura: New York
AUSA: Who's this?
Ventura: Islander. He was on Latin Men. We used him in LA and maybe Vegas.
AUSA: Who's this, 2A-616?
7h / 7:30 AM
AUSA: In this photo, what are you wearing?
Ventura: A gown and sunglasses. I had a black eye.
AUSA: What if any other bruising was visible?
Ventura: I had several bruises on my leg. But I changed clothes.
AUSA: What's this?
Ventura: Me and Sean at the afterparty
7h / 7:25 AM
AUSA: Did Sean try to come to your apartment?
Ventura: Yes. He was banging. That was pretty normal from him. But this' a pretty private building.
AUSA: Did you hear from Ms. Khorran that day?
Ventura: Yes. And I went to see D-Roc and his wife, to try to feel safe
7h / 7:22 AM
AUSA: Who was at your home when you got there?
Ventura: Kerry Morgan. She was upset when she saw me. She called the police.
AUSA: Did you speak with them?
Ventura: Yes. But I didn't say who I was talking about and they left.
AUSA: Why?
Ventura: I wasn't ready.
7h / 7:21 AM
AUSA: What did you write here?
Ventura: I said, please stay away from me
AUSA: And what does he say?
Ventura: He says, I'm getting arrested.
AUSA: Was he?
Ventura: I don't think so.
AUSA: What did you write back?
Ventura: Plugging my phone in and going to bed
7h / 7:17 AM
AUSA: Is this Jules?
[Photo shown - big smile]
Ventura: Yes.
AUSA: B606 and 607, side by side.
[Cassie in big sunglasses]
Ventura: That's me, a selfie of me with a fat lip.
AUSA: When did you take it?
Ventura: In the Uber, with one of my phones
7h / 7:15 AM
AUSA: Who sent that?
Ventura: From Sean. He was running around in a towel. I told him to put the robe on
AUSA: Who sent these green messages?
Ventura: I did. I wrote to Sean, "Jules left, as long as you're quiet you can stay. Peace."
AUSA: Who was Jules?
A: Escort
7h / 7:14 AM
AUSA: Now who's in the video?
Ventura: Me and security.
AUSA: In this one, play from 5:31... Where did you go from the hotel?
Ventura: To my house. I took an Uber.
AUSA: Now let's turn to text messages. Can you read page 4?
Ventura: Pls call, I'm surrounded
7h / 7:08 AM
AUSA: How did he get it?
Ventura: Well, he took all of my stuff.
AUSA: Where does he end up?
Ventura: Sitting in a chair in front of the window.
AUSA: What are you doing?
Ventura: I'm walking away from him
7h / 7:04 AM
AUSA: I'm going to show you the LA Inter Continental hallway again. Play from 1:43 to 1:46
AUSA: Who enters?
Ventura: Sean.
AUSA: What's in his hand?
Ventura: He doesn't appear to have anything.
AUSA: Play to 1:59... Now anything in his hand?
Ventura: My phone
7h / 7:02 AM
AUSA: What happened when you fought back?
Ventura: I did that more earlier in the relationship. It would make him more violent, want to push me harder
Defense: Objection to the speculation
Judge: Overruled.
AUSA: How would Sean react if you fought back?
A: Anger
7h / 7:00 AM
AUSA Johnson: Yesterday you testified about Sean going armed to look for Suge Knight
Ventura: Sean took guns with him
AUSA: And he told you to ask the escorts if they were cops?
Ventura: I would begin by saying I was not a cop
AUSA: Sean told you to do that?
Yes
8h / 6:54 AM
Judge: All rise!
[Jurors enter]
Judge: You are still under oath. Proceed.
AUSA Johnson: May I approach the witness?
Judge; You may.
AUSA Johnson: Ms. Ventura, I just handed you two drives. What is on them, GX 8?
Ventura: Messages and photos from my devices
8h / 6:47 AM
Judge: We have a witness waiting in the back. Produce them before the cross examination starts. You can email me cases during the trial day. Let's get moving. Let's get Ms. Ventura back.
Witness entering
Judge: Welcome back
8h / 6:43 AM
Judge Subramanian: You don't have to put in a letter. You can just email me the cases and I'll take a look at them.
[Inner City Press would asks, Are these judicial documents going to go into the public docket? How much is being left off-docket in this case?]
8h / 6:41 AM
Combs' Agnifilo: We don't think it's required, but we'll do it. Luckily we have a sizable defense team so we can do it.
Judge: Ms. Comey, what do you want?
AUSA Comey: We want their exhibits, not a trial by ambush. I want them now. I will find the cases.
8h / 6:37 AM
It's Combs' Agnifilo who answers: Rule 16 does not contemplate these carve outs. We are not behind the 8 ball on this - we have complied with Rule 16. I would be surprised if the Government only has another three hours with Ms. Ventura, but whatever
8h / 6:35 AM
Defense: Our paralegal is printing them out.
AUSA Comey: They should have turned over these exhibits to us on April 27.
Judge: Ms. Geragos [handling this issue], we did have a schedule. As you mark them, why shouldn't you be required to turn them over?
8h / 6:33 AM
Combs' Anna Maria Estevao: We are marking several chains of text messages. They had these documents in their possession for 8 months before we got them.
Judge: We are here. We were told there's half a day left of direct. Could you give them at lunch?
8h / 6:28 AM
AUSA: The defense has sent us a zip file of text messages, we are reviewing them before raising it
Judge: I appreciate that.
AUSA Comey: The defense has still not shown us exhibits they may use in cross examination of Ms. Ventura. We are worried this will continue
8h / 6:26 AM
AUSA: We anticipate these witnesses being on cross examination for multiple days. We need to speak with them about security and transportation.
Judge: Ms. Shapiro, can you draft something on a piece of paper, an instruction you would have me give.
8h / 6:24 AM
Combs' Alexandra Shapiro: I'm concerned that during the break there could be generalized discussion about the testimony and might come up. We are going to try to avoid any privileged communications
AUSA: During Mr. Phillip's testimony I spoke with his lawyer
8h / 6:20 AM
Judge: Have the privacy screens been installed?
AUSA: They are being installed by court tech staff.
Judge: On the conferring with counsel issue, I tend to agree with Ms. Shapiro.
AUSA: What about conferring about questions about privilege?
8h / 6:18 AM
All rise!
Judge Sumbamanian: We have a note from a juror about a scheduling accomodation [it's not in the docket]. What about Ms. Ventura's husband?
AUSA: He will be removed from the courtroom before a certain issue comes up.
Judge: Good.
8h / 6:16 AM
OK - US v. Sean Combs, Cassie still on direct (then cross) May 14,
MATTHEW RUSSELL LEE of I.C.P. is covering the trial
as the ears to the inside
For MIND OF MONKEY STUDIO
AND NOW THE VERSION NBC NEWS
POSTED TO THEIR WEBSITE
6h ago / 1:39 PM PDT
Defense's cross-examination planned for tomorrow
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian sent jurors home for the day, telling them to return Thursday at 9:30 a.m. "on the dot."
That's when Combs' defense lawyers are set to begin what could be a lengthy cross-examination of Cassie Ventura.
6h ago / 1:32 PM PDT
Cassie's second day on the stand wraps up
Doha Madani
In general, Ventura kept her composure today, answering questions in a calm and matter-of fact tone. But she became more visibly emotional as she described Combs allegedly raping her in 2018, and she broke down in tears shortly after as she recounted her trauma, suicidal ideation and “personal shame.”
7h ago / 1:25 PM PDT
Ventura's direct testimony ends
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
Ventura wrapped up her direct testimony, telling jurors she took the witness stand to rid herself of “the shame, the guilt” she has carried.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson asked Ventura why she put herself through this process.
“I can’t carry this anymore, the shame, the guilt, what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong, people aren’t disposable,” Ventura said.
The jury is now on a short break before cross-examination is expected to begin.
7h ago / 1:12 PM PDT
Cassie says that Combs raped her in 2018
Adam Reiss and Deon J. Hampton
Reporting from Manhattan
Cassie Ventura testified that Combs raped her in 2018 after she said they were supposed to have a "closure conversation."
She said the two went out to dinner at a restaurant in Malibu, Calif. She recalled their conversation being "nice" and "playful." At that time, she said she was already in a relationship with her now-husband, Alex Fine.
Combs eventually took her back to her apartment, Ventura told the court.
“I went inside, he came in and raped me on the living room floor,” Ventura alleged in court. “I remember crying and saying no. It was fast, his eyes were black, he wasn’t himself, it was like somebody taking something from you.”
She said after that incident, the two were intimate voluntarily one other time.
2h ago / 12:38 PM PDT
Court shown picture of Ventura with a black eye
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
The court was shown a close-up picture of Ventura's eyebrow and black eye. When asked who gave her the black eye, Ventura responded: "Sean."
Combs prevented his family from seeing Ventura after she had sustained any injuries, she said.
"He told me to make sure his son couldn’t see me like that, the bruises on my face," Ventura told the court.
2h ago / 12:33 PM PDT
Cassie says she broke up with Kid Cudi after Diddy threats
Adam Reiss and Deon J. Hampton
Reporting from Manhattan
Cassie Ventura said in 2011. while she was at home in Connecticut during the holiday season, she called off her relationship with Scott Mescudi (otherwise known as rapper Kid Cudi) after Combs threatened them both.
“I had broken off the relationship with Scott Mescudi, [there was] too much uncertainty if we continued to see each other,” she said, adding, there was danger and “Sean said he was going to hurt the both of us.”
At one point, she said Combs told her that when she was out of the country "Scott’s car would be blown up."
2h ago / 12:14 PM PDT
Cassie says her mother took pictures of her bruises
Adam Reiss and Deon J. Hampton
Cassie Ventura told the jury that she went to see her mother in Connecticut after allegedly being physically beaten by Combs.
Ventura said she raised her shirt, allowing her mother to take photos of the bruises to her lower back and butt, along with wounds on her right thigh.
“I believe I told her this was the first time, and I didn't tell her about the freak offs," Ventura said in court, adding that she felt she couldn't "justify it to anyone, especially my mom."
2h ago / 12:13 PM PDT
Cassie recalls another alleged incident of physical violence
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
Cassie Ventura recalled another incident in which she alleged Combs beat her, saying he got angry with her after she was at a party at Prince's house.
Ventura went to the basement, believing the late artist was going to play music, she told the court.
"I caught a glimpse of him (Combs), so I ran out as fast as I could because I thought he was angry," Ventura recalled. "I knew he was angry, his facial expression, he came after me."
Later, at a Los Angeles hotel room where she was staying, she said Combs "beat me up and threw luggage at me. I had bruising on my face, knots on my head."
2h ago / 11:48 AM PDT
Cassie describes alleged beating that happened inside car
Adam Reiss
David K. Li
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
Ventura recalled a violent outburst by Combs that she said happened early in their relationship that left her "shocked" and "angry."
Ventura said she had spotted Combs flirting in a restaurant with another woman and when they got back to their car, the rapper "knocked me around" in an outburst that allegedly happened in either 2007 or 2008.
"He hit me on the side of my head and I fell to the floor of the Escalade," Ventura said. "He shook me up and scared me quite a bit. So I got out of the car, I was shocked, I didn't understand what happened and why he was so angry."
She added: "I knew his capabilities, his access to guns, and threats he made."
2h ago / 11:37 AM PDT
Each juror has their own screen to view sensitive images
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
Post-lunch proceedings were delayed as the court put finishing touches on installing personal video screens for each juror, so sensitive video and still images are shielded from public view.
Ventura identified herself and others engaged in various sex acts as the jury paid very close attention. The courtroom was silent. One female juror nodded as Ventura identified people, and one male panelist took written notes.
“That’s me,” Ventura said of an image, adding that she had baby oil applied to her.
3h ago / 11:17 AM PDT
Photo: Tents on the sidewalk as people wait to enter court
Tents suggest that some people spent the night in line today to enter federal court for Combs' sex trafficking trial. On Monday, at least 20 fans of Combs camped out overnight ahead of the court’s doors opening.
3h ago / 10:45 AM PDT
Courtroom sketch shows hotel video as Cassie testifies
The security video of Combs assaulting Cassie Ventura at a hotel in 2016 played as she testified in court today.
4h ago / 10:18 AM PDT
Cassie is more composed in testimony today
Doha Madani
Reporting from New York City
Cassie Ventura appears less outwardly emotional during today's testimony, not breaking down in tears on the stand as she did several times yesterday.
Combs' ex-girlfriend is more composed today, speaking in a calm but somber tone of voice.
She is wearing a gray turtleneck dress and a black coat in court.
4h ago / 9:50 AM PDT
Court is in recess for lunch break
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian sent jurors off to lunch, with hopes to have proceedings resume at 1:15 p.m. ET.
Combs' former girlfriend Cassie Ventura is expected to still be on the witness stand when court resumes.
4h ago / 9:50 AM PDT
Cassie text to Combs: 'You treat me like Ike Turner'
Adam Reiss and Deon J. Hampton
Reporting from New York City
Prosecutors presented a text message exchange in which Cassie Ventura described how badly Combs allegedly abused her.
“You treat me like Ike Turner,” Ventura wrote to Combs, a reference to the volatile marriage the late musician was known to have had with his ex-wife, the late Tina Turner.
“He was abusive and controlling. He was physically abusive. He put me down a lot as much as I would be built up, the sheer embarrassment, how he treated me in front of other people,” Ventura testified of Combs.
5h ago / 9:34 AM PDT
Cassie recalls gashing her face while fighting off Combs
Adam Reiss and Matt Lavietes
Reporting from New York City
Cassie Ventura recalled a time when Combs attacked her and gashed her face in 2013, then forced her to go to a plastic surgeon to treat the wound.
"Sean came in. I was asleep. He was trying to attack me. We went into the master bedroom. My friends were jumping on his back trying to stop him," she testified. "I cut my eyebrow on the corner of the bed. Sean threw me onto the bed frame. I had a significant gash. I didn't go to the ER; it was a Sunday. Sean had security take me to a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills."
After the incident, she said she texted Combs a photo of the injury, writing: "so you can remember."
"You dont know when to stop you have pushed it too far," Combs replied.
"Just say sorry, I dont know why i deserve that you could care less if i was ok," Cassie responded.
5h ago / 9:29 AM PDT
Combs watched 'freak off' videos on commercial flight, terrifying Cassie, she says
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
Reporting from New York City
Cassie Ventura felt mortified and "trapped" when she spotted Combs watching videos of her having sex as they flew on a commercial jet, she testified.
They had been arguing during a 2013 trip to Cannes and the flight home took an embarrassing turn, Ventura said.
"He pulled up 'freak off' videos on his laptop that I thought were deleted," Ventura testified. "He was showing them with other people around. I said, 'You are embarrassing me.' I was scared, I felt trapped, how do you get out of this situation? I felt trapped."
She said she arranged a freak off within hours of their landing so he wouldn't get angry. If she didn't, she testified "he said the videos would be released."
5h ago / 9:09 AM PDT
Cassie testifies she would get scared during 'freak offs' and Combs would injure her
Adam Reiss and Deon J. Hampton
Reporting from New York City
Cassie Ventura testified that sometimes she would be afraid during the “freak off” parties, which often turned violent.
“Sean would put his hands on me, he would push me down ... kick me,” she told the courtroom.
“There were other times, if we were having a bad time or if I was scared of him, uncomfortable, typically I would leave and go out the back of the hotel,” she said.
When asked by prosecutors how often Combs would injure her during the “freak offs,” she replied, “Too often.”
5h ago / 9:06 AM PDT
Combs tried to force swingers 'lifestyle' on Cassie with sex clubs, she says
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
Reporting from New York City
Combs told his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura that having multiple sex partners was a "lifestyle" and "turn on" for the rapper, the witness said.
"What he told me is we could swap partners, a certain lifestyle and that was a turn on for him," Ventura said after a prosecutor asked if she was a swinger with Combs.
This "lifestyle" included sex club visits, which Ventura said she didn't enjoy. When she didn't want to go, Combs still pressed the issue, the witness said.
"Some of the time he would try to turn the energy around and keep it positive, become playful and funny and not scary," Ventura said. "He would push and try to convince me."
When the prosecution asked why she drank so much at these sex clubs, Ventura responded, "Because I didn't want to be sober."
5h ago / 8:54 AM PDT
Cassie says 'freak offs' gave her UTIs, mouth sores and stomach problems
Adam Reiss and Matt Lavietes
Reporting from New York City
Cassie Ventura said that "freak offs" would sometimes cause her to have urinary tract infections, mouth sores and gastrointestinal issues.
"When we were having frequent 'freak offs' — they were back to back — and sometimes I would do a 'freak off' with the infection," she said. "I tried to flush it out with water. I got to the point where CIPRO (an antibiotic) didn’t work anymore. It was a mess."
"It was really painful for a long time," she added. "I can’t believe I actually dealt with that."
5h ago / 8:51 AM PDT
Cassie would recover from 'freak offs' with massages and drugs
Adam Reiss and Deon J. Hampton
Reporting from New York City
Cassie Ventura said after a “freak off” she would go back to Combs’ place, where they would have massages to take care of themselves.
“I had an addiction to opiates, so I would take pills to come down,” she told the courtroom. “I wanted to feel numb and not know what was going on in my mind.”
She said she got the drugs from a drug dealer, who sometimes did the drugs with her beginning in 2007.
When asked how she felt after a “freak off,” Ventura said, “I felt so tired, achy, dehydrated, not really eating too much. Emotionally, I felt empty, gross. Like I did a job.”
5h ago / 8:46 AM PDT
Cassie describes panic over possible leak of sex video
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
Reporting from New York City
Cassie Ventura recalled the panic she felt after first learning that video of her having sex with another man, at Combs' direction, might have leaked.
The former girlfriend was hosting an event in Atlantic City when "someone I was working with said they saw a sexually explicit video of me, so I reached out to Sean," Ventura told jurors.
“I need you to call me ASAP,” according to a text message she sent to Combs on March 9, 2014.
Ventura said that any leaked footage "would put my career in jeopardy" and cause great embarrassment to "my mother, my family."
5h ago / 8:44 AM PDT
Combs' mother and son arrive in pouring rain
Matt Nighswander
King Combs, son of Sean Combs, held an umbrella for his grandmother, Janice Combs, mother of Sean Combs, as they arrived at court in the rain today.
6h ago / 8:10 AM PDT
Cassie says Combs blackmailed her with sex videos from 'freak offs'
Adam Reiss and Matt Lavietes
Reporting from New York City
Cassie Ventura said that when Combs was upset with her, he would frequently remind her that he had videos of her having sex at his "freak offs."
She said that Combs brought up the videos on the night of her birthday, when she refused to leave her friends to go with Combs to a "freak off."
"It is horrible and disgusting. No one should do that to anyone," she said of the alleged blackmail. "It could ruin everything I worked for, make me look like a slut."
"I wasn't supposed to be on those videos," she said. "I didn't want to be in them."
6h ago / 8:07 AM PDT
Cassie says 'freak offs' were fueled by ketamine
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
Reporting from New York City
Ketamine was the drug of choice for Combs and Cassie Ventura during their orgies with sex workers, she told the court.
"Ketamine, Sean had it, it took time out of the 'freak off,'" said Ventura, testifying about having sex with other men at Combs' direction as he watched. "That was my preferred drug because it was the most dissociative."
The prosecution showed Ventura a dozen photos of sex workers hired for these "freak offs." Ventura remembered many but not all of the names, such as "Ash," "Islander," "Skyler" and "Jake" from the website Cowboys 4 Angels.
"Don't remember his name, he looks familiar from 'freak offs,'" she said of one picture.
6h ago / 7:46 AM PDT
Cassie says she covered up black eye, fat lip and bruised legs for movie premiere
Adam Reiss and Matt Lavietes
Reporting from New York City
The court is now looking at text messages and photos shortly after the hotel attack took place.
Cassie Ventura said she had to attend the premiere of her movie "The Perfect Match" with bruises on her face and body.
She said she thought at the time Combs was "sick" to think that it was OK to do that to her and wanted him to stay away.
The court was also shown a photo of Ventura and Combs smiling at the premiere. She said she had to change her outfit to cover up bruises on her legs and needed to apply a lot of makeup to cover her black eye and fat lip.
6h ago / 7:38 AM PDT
Combs banged and kicked door at Cassie's apartment after hotel incident, she says
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
Reporting from New York City
Combs pounded on Cassie Ventura's apartment door, demanding to see his then-girlfriend after assaulting her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016, the witness said.
Ventura still isn't sure how Combs got to the 17th floor of her Westwood apartment building, calling the scene "chaos outside the door, banging, kicking, yelling and banging."
He didn't get inside.
7h ago / 7:21 AM PDT
Cassie describes hotel attack, says Combs told her she 'wasn't going to leave him'
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
Reporting from New York City
Cassie Ventura described how Combs lost control during a 2016 meltdown in a Los Angeles hotel hallway, hurling a vase that just missed her.
"I don't remember exactly his words," she told the court. "I’m sure he was calling me something other than my name."
Security was eventually called, but Combs allegedly made himself clear that Ventura wasn't free to leave on her own accord.
The defendant told Ventura "that I wasn’t going to leave him, that I couldn’t," according to Ventura.
7h ago / 7:02 AM PDT
Prosecution accuses Combs' lawyers of 'trial by ambush' in heated exchange
Adam Reiss and David K. Li
Reporting from New York City
Before Cassie Ventura retook the witness stand, prosecutors and defense lawyers clashed over how much notice each side deserves about upcoming trial strategy.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey was noticeably angry as she lashed out at the defense for allegedly not turning over exhibits it was planning to use to question Ventura: "We don't want a trial by ambush."
But defense attorney Marc Agnifilo insisted his side doesn't need to tip its hand about how it will cross-examine prosecution witnesses: "They have the burden of proof. We don't have to give the government what we are going to use so they can prepare their witness."
U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian denied the government's request that the defense turn over what it expects to use for Ventura's cross.
7h ago / 6:52 AM PDT
Combs and Cassie enter, court resumes for the day
Adam Reiss and Matt Lavietes
Reporting from New York City
Combs, Cassie Ventura and the jury have entered the courtroom to begin today's proceedings.
Combs is wearing a grey sweater over a white shirt.
Cassie is wearing a light gray dress with a jacket with wide lapels. For the second day in a row, she walks into the courtroom without looking toward Combs at the defense table.
8h ago / 5:43 AM PDT
Cassie to resume testifying
Doha Madani
Cassie will return to the witness stand today, where prosecutors are expected to resume questioning her on the 2016 assault viewed on hotel surveillance cameras.
Combs’ former girlfriend was mostly composed during hours of testimony yesterday, despite breaking down in tears at one point while discussing the emotional toll of trying to keep Combs happy and avoid his temper.
Cassie, now married to someone else, is visibly pregnant and took several steadying breaths while answering uncomfortable questions all day. She described how Combs’ constant demand for “freak-offs,” or drug-fueled sexual encounters, left her feeling “worthless.”
“I didn’t want him to be upset or not trust me,” she told the court. “He was a scary person, he would be violent.”
9h ago / 4:41 AM PDT
Cassie testified of abuse and humiliation from ‘freak offs’
+2
Doha Madani, Adam Reiss and Erik Ortiz
The R&B singer Cassie gave uncomfortable testimony yesterday during the sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, detailing allegations of physical abuse and control that included dayslong, drug-fueled sexual encounters with male escorts under his direction.
“I felt pretty horrible about myself. I felt disgusting. I felt humiliated,” Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, said in a federal courtroom in Lower Manhattan, describing how at times Combs’ “eyes would go black. The version I knew of him was no longer there.”
Ventura, the star prosecutorial witness whose 2023 lawsuit against Combs became a framework for the government’s sprawling case against him, took the stand for several hours on the trial’s second day. Wearing a modest long-sleeved brown dress accentuating her pregnant belly, Ventura, 38, remained mostly calm and soft-spoken.
