Star witness Casandra “Cassie” Ventura broke down as she took the stand on day two of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex traffickingtrial.
Ventura, an R&B artist who used to date Combs and was signed to his record label, Bad Boy, testified Tuesday in a federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan about a pattern of physical abuse, psychological control and sexual degradation – all allegedly at the hands of her former boyfriend.
Combs is facing sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy charges. The 55-year-old media mogul was arrested in September 2024 as federal authorities alleged he threatened, abused, and coerced victims “to fulfill his sexual desires” between 2004 and 2024. Combs has denied any accusations of wrongdoing.
The 38-year-old singer, who is eight months pregnant, had opened the floodgates of accusations against Combs when she filed a rape and years of physical abuse in a 2023 lawsuit against him that was quickly settled.
As Ventura is set to continue her testimony Wednesday, here are five key takeaways from the second day of Combs’ federal trial:
‘Freak-offs’ that lasted ‘days on end’
From the stand in Manhattan federal court, Ventura tearfully recounted marathon drug-fueled sex sessions with male prostitutes that she said left her feeling “disgusting.” She also described the dissonance of feeling relieved that Combs was “really happy” that she “did something right.”
The infamous “freak-offs” eventually “became a job” for her, lasting anywhere from 36 to 48 hours on average once a week and requiring multiple days of recovery afterward due to the intense drug use during them and dehydration.
Ventura detailed Combs’ alleged orchestration of the freak-offs, telling the court she was asked to reapply baby oil at five-minute intervals until she was “glistening.” They would go through about 10 large baby oil bottles per freak-off, she alleged, with Combs having filled a small pool with the oil.
Physical abuse and psychological control
Ventura was probed about arguments she had with Combs throughout their on-and-off romantic relationship between 2007 and 2018, and testified the rapper could be physically, psychologically and emotionally abusive.
“He would … knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down,” she testified.
Combs’ level of control was central to much of the testimony about freak-offs, with Ventura having testified about being choked after men urinated in her mouth, and raising her hands to beg for it to stop.
She testified that Combs would even dictate her nail color. “Sean controlled a lot of my life, whether it was career, the way I dressed, everything, everything,” Ventura told the court.
The 2016 hotel incident
Ventura watched the 2016 surveillance footage of her in a Los Angeles hotel hallway being thrown to the ground by half-naked Combs, and told the court she was attempting to leave a so-called freak-off.
She said the incident occurred just days before her first big movie premiere. “If I pleased him with a freak-off, then my premiere would run smoothly,” she said, according to The New York Times.
The witness said that after being thrown to the ground, dragged around, kicked and punched, she covered her face, because she “didn’t want him to do any more damage than he had already done.” The beating, she testified, had given her a black eye.
“After he hit me and I saw the result of it, I knew I had to get out,” Ventura told the jury at another point, the Washington Post reported.
First freak-off framed as ‘voyeurism’
Ventura testified that she was barely 22 years old when Combs first asked her to participate in a freak-off, which he introduced as “voyeurism” to her. The marathon sex performances with male prostitutes while Combs watched started to become regular, she told the court.
The witness testified she was “confused” and “nervous” but loved Combs and wanted to make him happy.
With the assistance of drugs like ecstasy, Ventura agreed to participate in a freak-off – which soon became a regular occurrence. While she did not enjoy participating, the woman said, but did so at Combs’ request because it made him happy.
Music career stalls
Ventura felt in control of her career as she signed a 10-album deal with Diddy’s record label in 2006 at just 19 years old.
But out of the “hundreds of songs” she recorded, most “didn’t see the light of day,” she testified.
“I wanted to be around Sean for the same reasons as everyone else at the time – this exciting, entertaining, fun guy who also happened to have my career in his hands,” she said.
Ventura testified that her manager, James Cruz, was making decisions with “one hand tied behind his back” with everything having to run past Combs, the head of the label she was signed to.
She later described her career feeling like it was no longer music but performing for Combs’ sexual satisfaction.
