Defense attorneys are beginning to poke holes in the testimony of Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura against Sean “Diddy” Combs amidst his federal sex crime case. They dug up a ton of receipts to prove their argument that the pop singer was a willing participant in the so-called “freak-offs” as opposed to being coerced into the sexual acts.
Whether you are on Cassie’s side or not, the defense seemingly changed the narrative on a bunch of issues. Here we go:
Why Did She Love Him?
Combs’ attorneys spent a significant amount of time Thursday establishing the reason why Ventura fell for the Bad Boy CEO in the first place. She admitted that once she got to know him and his personality, she saw him as caring and attentive. The defense backed this up by showing the jury messages from Ventura expressing her love toward Combs and expressing her need for more attention.
Though, she did testify that she expressed her feelings toward Combs more than he did.
Was Cassie Sneaky?
Ventura appeared to admit that she was cheating on her former boyfriend, music artist Ryan Leslie, while she began dating Combs. She testified that she took a romantic trip to Miami with Combs once, convincing Leslie she was going for an event and even sent him a fake promo flyer, per WaPo. She also seemed to reference the infidelity, calling herself sneaky.
“On the other hand you’re constantly weary of me… I’m sneaky. I never seem to make the right decisions to you. I’m a spoiled brat, I’m dramatic, disrespectful and for some reason, you just don’t trust me,” she said in one message to Combs.
Why Did Cassie Do The Freak Offs?
When asked if she told Combs she wanted to participate in the freak-offs, Ventura said no and that “there’s a lot more to that.” However, attorney Anna Estevao showed the jury a text message from 2009 from Ventura reading, “I’m always ready to freak off lolol.”
In other messages anticipating the freak-offs, Ventura said “I just want it to be uncontrollable.” The singer previously testified that she did not want to participate in the sex events but complied to please Combs - also in fear of retaliation if she refused.
Other messages show Ventura being involved in buying some supplies for the freak-offs, asking if Combs had any more pills and telling him she deleted their “little vid” off her camera. As prosecutors previously argued that Ventura didn’t like the freak-offs because she was forced to participate, the defense pulled up messages suggesting she was more worried about the status of her relationship with Combs in light of the frequent events.
“When we used to freak off when we were so in love. There were no questions asked, it felt right, like it literally made sense for the next step in our sex life together. I get nervous that I’m just becoming the girlfriend that you get your fantasies off with and that’s it. I don’t get the other part… Anymore at least,” one message read.
What Are “Freak-Offs”?
The freak-offs began early in her relationship with Combs, she stated. She said Combs first brought forth the idea of the “freak-offs” by calling it “voyeurism.” According to her 2023 lawsuit and recent court testimony, “freak-offs” are events where Ventura was expected to perform sexual acts with other men at Combs’ pleasure. Ventura said she was in charge of organizing the event from booking hotel rooms to going on websites to hire male sex workers. She said she would pay the workers with Combs’ money.
Inside the room would be tons of bottles of baby oil, lubricants and condoms even though Ventura said protection was rarely used. Ventura also said the routine was for everyone to take drugs provided by Combs and drink alcohol. Ventura had outfits picked out for her including disguises such as masquerade masks. Combs would then orchestrate the scene, ordering Ventura and the sex workers to perform sexual acts in certain ways while he pleasured himself watching, Ventura said.
“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. Ventura also said she felt obligated to continue with the events because she “loved Combs very much” and “wanted to make him happy.”
She also said she 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.
By the time they were over, she said she’d participated in hundreds of freak-offs. She also said the events would go on for anywhere from 36 hours to four days with no sleep.The freak-offs are different from what the public believed were celebrity-involved group sex sessions held at the rapper’s white parties - which were cited in multiple lawsuits filed by other plaintiffs who accused the rap mogul of sexual assault.