Casandra “Cassie” Ventura took the stand Tuesday (May 13) to testify against Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is on trial for federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. When asked about the nature of her near-decade-long relationship with the rapper, Ventura spilled some grisly details.
Trigger Warning: The details of Cassie’s testimony may be disturbing to some readers.
The Freak-Offs
Ventura was asked to discuss the so-called “freak-offs.” After being shown a still image of her leaving the InterContinental Hotel in 2016, she said she was departing from a “freak-off” hosted there. Hotel surveillance footage from that day showed her being beaten and dragged by Combs in the hallway. A former hotel security guard testified Monday that he saw her leave with a “purple eye.”
She said Combs brought forth the idea of “voyeurism” within the first year of them dating, per CNN.
“It basically entails the hiring of an escort and setting up this experience so that I could perform for Sean,” Ventura said, adding that Combs would be able to watch her with the other person and direct them on what they were doing.
“Eventually it became a job for me, pretty much so I knew if it was something he wanted me to do, I had the contacts to set it up and get a hotel room and all of that, but in the beginning, Sean set it up. He was in charge,” Ventura said.
Ventura then explained that at 22, she didn’t understand the concept of how the nature of the “freak-offs” would be a “turn-on.”
“I just remember my stomach falling to my butt, just the nervousness and confusion in that moment,” Ventura said of the moment she took in what the events truly entailed.
Diddy’s “Control”
Ventura also said she felt obligated to continue with the events because she “loved Combs very much” and “wanted to make him happy.” However, she said it got to a point where she didn’t feel like she had much of a choice but to comply. Ventura stated Combs “controlled a lot” of her life.
She also feared Combs would use the video recordings of the “freak-offs” to blackmail her if she ever told him “no.” Because of this, she said she held onto broken electronics including laptops and phones just in case of what content was on them.
“Sean is a really polarizing person, also really charming,” Ventura said, via The Associated Press. “It’s hard to really be able to decide in that moment what you need when he’s telling you what he wants. I just didn’t know. I didn’t know what would happen.”
Ventura said she spent a “big chunk of her life” in recovery from the “freak-offs,” which she said ranged from 36 to 72 hours...he longest being four days with some breaks. The singer stated that would be up for “days on end” under the influence of alcohol and drugs and having sex with “strangers.” She would then have to recover from the drug use, dehydration and sleep deprivation.
“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,” she said.
The Violence
When asked to describe her relationship with Combs, Ventura dove right into the thick of it.
“There were violent arguments that would usually result in some sort of physical abuse. Dragging, different things of that nature,” she said, via The New York Times. She added that Combs would allegedly knock her over, drag her and stomp her in the head.
Ventura described the frequency of the beatings as “too frequently,” noting injuries such as a busted lip, knots on her forehead and various bruises.
Breaking Down Cassie’s Allegations
The allegations against Combs of sexual abuse, physical abuse, bribery and various drug offenses were first brought forth by Ventura in a lawsuit. The most notable claims were about his so-called “freak off” sex parties, where prosecutors allege the singer was drugged and forced to perform sexual acts with male sex workers at Combs’ pleasure.
He was also accused of using video footage to blackmail the victims into compliance. The two settled the day after the suit was filed.