NEW YORK (TNND) — The sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is entering its second week after R&B singer Cassie Ventura testified for four days about the couple’s decade-long relationship involving paid sexual encounters known as “freak offs” that she said she was forced to endure.
Prosecutors are accusing Combs, a key witness in the trial, of exploiting his status as a powerful music executive to “violently force Ventura and other women into marathon encounters with sex workers.”
During cross-examination on Thursday, Combs’ lawyers worked to portray Ventura as a “willing and eager participant” in Combs’ lifestyle and had her read aloud her text messages to him.
Ventura, 38, testified that Combs threatened to release videos of her during the “freak-offs” to keep her involved and that he raped her when she broke things off with him in 2018.
Former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard is expected to continue her testimony Monday after taking the stand on Friday. Combs formed Danity Kane as part of the MTV series “Making the Band” in 2005.
According to Richard, she worked for Combs from 2004 to 2011, saying that she knew Combs as “Puff,” another nickname he went by.
Richard testified that she saw Combs attack Ventura in 2009, saying that “He came downstairs screaming, belligerent, asking where his food was, and proceeded to hit her over the head, kicked her, and beat her to the ground in front of us.”
She said that she saw Combs drag Ventura upstairs by her hair and that she heard “glass breaking and yelling,” according to CNN. Richard said she did not call the police because she was afraid and was “scared to do anything in fear of what that might mean for me, too.”
Both Richard and the other woman who saw the attack, Kalenna Harper, were asked to go to Combs’ home and where he told them that what they saw was “passion.” Combs said that it was in their best interest if they did not say anything and that “where he comes from people go missing if they talk,” CNN reports.
In September 2024, Richard sued Combs, describing years of psychological and physical abuse, including groping, that she says she suffered as he helped launch her career.
After Richard finishes giving testimony, prosecutors say Kerry Morgan, Ventura’s former best friend, will take the stand. Ventura’s mother is also expected to testify early next week.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024, about roughly six months after federal authorities raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami. He has been jailed in Brooklyn since his arrest.
He has pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment and faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on all charges. He is facing charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, transportation for purposes of prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy.
If you or someone you know is struggling with abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help.
