Diddy

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Warning: This story contains details of domestic violence.

Cassie Ventura is recounting a terrifying experience.

During the court hearing on May 14, where the singer was testifying against her former partner Sean “Diddy” Combs in his sex trafficking trial, she described the events following a 2016 incident at a hotel in Los Angeles. In a video footage released by CNN on May 2024, there’s evidence of Combs assaulting Ventura in a hallway.

As an ardent fan, I can’t help but share the shocking revelation that Ventura testified, as reported by NBC News, about an unsettling encounter with a renowned rapper. Shortly after the incident, she claims he persistently pounded on her apartment door, demanding to see her. Being seven months pregnant with our third child (thanks to my wonderful husband Alex Fine), I was left bewildered as to how he miraculously managed to reach the 17th floor of my building. However, what I do remember vividly is the tumultuous scene outside my door – the banging, kicking, yelling, and more banging that filled the air.

During the same time span, Ventura claimed that she was made to attend the premiere of “The Perfect Match” two days later, despite having visible bruises on her face and body, as evidenced by texts and photographs submitted in court.

According to NBC News, she added that she needed to modify her attire to conceal bruises on her legs, as well as apply a substantial amount of makeup to mask a black eye and swollen lip.

Regarding the 2016 surveillance footage depicting the alleged incident, I personally observed a figure, who appeared to be the rapper in question, sprinting down a corridor in a towel, pursuing the woman identified as Ventura. Subsequently, he is seen forcefully grabbing her, dragging her to the ground, and delivering several kicks.

Moments later, the man also appeared to pick up an object from a table to throw it at the victim.

Douglas H. Wigdor, Ventura’s lawyer, told CNN last May, six months following her lawsuit against her ex, that a distressing video had only served to underscore Mr. Combs’s questionable and exploitative actions. He expressed that words fall short in expressing the bravery and resilience shown by Ms. Ventura in speaking out about these issues.

Initially denying the accusations against him (which eventually led to his arrest on charges involving sex trafficking and racketeering, to which he has pleaded not guilty), Combs later issued a public apology.

Combs, who faced charges related to sex trafficking and racketeering after initially denying the accusations, later released a public statement expressing regret.

Looking back at those tough times in my life isn’t easy, but it’s necessary sometimes. Two days ago, when that hotel footage went public, I was reminded of how far I had fallen. I reached my absolute low. Yet, I won’t make any excuses for myself. The actions I displayed in that video are unforgivable and I take full accountability for them.

To delve deeper into the unveiling events during Combs’ trial, such as Ventura’s narrative about the “bizarre gatherings” he claims happened, continue reading.

On her second day of testifying, Cassie Ventura recalled the hotel assault that transpired in 2016, an incident that was later broadcast by CNN in May 2024 based on security camera recordings.

She stated that Sean “Diddy” Combs hurled a vase at her following his attempt to exit the Intercontinental Hotel prematurely, prior to physically attacking her.

During the court proceedings on May 14th, Ventura recounted the vase moving toward him. ‘It struck the wall, not me,’ he clarified. ‘He was shouting at me. I believe he hurled it in my direction, though I can’t recall his specific insults accurately. I’m confident he used something other than my name to address me.’

However, she said that Combs told her “that I wasn’t going to leave him, that I couldn’t.”

Immediately following the hotel incident, Ventura mentioned that she needed to attend the red carpet event for her movie “The Perfect Match” sporting injuries on her face and body alongside Combs. To conceal her swollen eye and split lip with thick makeup, she also disclosed that she had numerous bruises on her legs, thus opting to change her outfit.

On May 13, Cassie Ventura declared under oath that Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulted her in a Los Angeles hotel corridor back in March 2016 due to his anger over her departure from a private event, referred to as a “freak off.” (Footage of the incident obtained from hotel surveillance cameras was made public by CNN in 2024. The defense’s attempt to keep this video out of evidence was unsuccessful.)

Ventura stated in court that he decided to depart. After I exited, Sean pursued me into the corridor, seized me, pushed me to the floor, kicked me, and dragged me back to the room before taking my belongings.

She initially didn’t wish to join in, but she had a film premiere scheduled just a few days ahead, and she wanted to keep Combs satisfied. So, she mentioned, “If I could appease him by doing something unusual,” Ventura said, “then my event would proceed without a hitch.

After he inflicted a black eye upon her, she expressed that all she could focus on at that moment was escaping the situation safely. With her major event approaching, she didn’t wish to jeopardize it in any way. As he shoved her into the hallway, Ventura mentioned that she remained on the ground because she didn’t want him to cause any further harm than what he had already inflicted.

Testified Ventura, she consumed alcohol and ecstasy during her initial sexual encounter with an escort in Combs’ presence. To survive “freak-out sessions,” as she put it, she would resort to smoking marijuana, ketamine, mushrooms, or any drug that was popular at the time.

“I couldn’t imagine myself doing any of that without having some sort of buffer,” she said.

At times, she’d become so overwhelmed that she’d physically retch, Ventura noted, and Combs urged me to keep going despite this.

As a die-hard admirer, I felt compelled to convey to Mr. Combs how his “freak offs” left me feeling dejected and insignificant. However, his response to my worries seemed rather nonchalant and indifferent.

After an unexpected incident, a hotel room would have been covered in baby oil, according to Ventura’s testimony. If Combs had ordered someone to wet the bed, there might also be urine stains on the sheets. Additionally, if she was menstruating during this occurrence, Ventura stated that there could potentially be blood spots not only on the sheets but also on the furniture.

According to Ventura, being urinated upon left her feeling deeply embarrassed. She explained, “It was revolting, it was more than I could bear. I gagged, I didn’t want to be in that situation, I found myself in a predicament from which I couldn’t escape easily.

Ventura stated, “It was something that excited him, which led to the event occurring.” When Emily A. Johnson, the prosecutor, asked her why she didn’t resist Combs’ instructions in these situations, she responded, “I believed it was clear that I didn’t want to participate.

On May 13, Ventura stated that Combs instructed her and the rest of the “freak off” performers to apply baby oil all over their bodies.

In court, she stated that Sean preferred the item to be both hot and shiny. So, we took care of it by applying something every five minutes.

At a surprising incident, or “freak out,” taking place at the Montage Beverly Hills, Ventura recalled that Combs invited her to step into a pool filled with baby oil, all while she was still dressed.

Despite her reluctance, if Sean Combs wanted the event to unfold, that’s exactly what would transpire, she added. “We utilized no less than ten standard-sized bottles of baby oil,” she explained.

In the course of my ten-year romance with Diddy, as I shared with prosecutors on May 13, during our initial year together, he suggested we incorporate voyeurism into our intimate experiences. This started when I arranged for an escort and prepared a setup so that I could entertain him with another individual’s presence. He would then observe our performance from the sidelines.

Ultimately, she found herself engaged in organizing adult shows that Combs referred to as “freak offs.” These shows, which could span from 36 hours to four days, effectively turned into her occupation.

As a lifestyle connoisseur looking back, I remember establishing the arrangement within the hotel suite, and it was initially arranged by Sean at the outset.

Ventura said that her “stomach churned” when he first proposed the experience.

She explained, “I hadn’t realized how it would arouse him, but I took on the task because…” [She felt] puzzled, anxious, yet deeply loved him and desired his happiness. It wasn’t an action I initially desired or could do frequently, but my love for him made me want to please him.

She admitted, “At some point, I felt I didn’t have much of a choice.”

In their on-again, off-again relationship from 2007 to 2018, Ventura claimed that Combs was often abusive towards her.

She confirmed to the jury that their disputes were often intense, leading to physical harm such as striking her head, pushing her down, dragging her, and kicking her.

She mentioned that her injuries were typically noticeable, pointing out, “I’d develop lumps on my forehead, have black and red eyes, and sport bruises across my entire body.

On May 13th, Ventura was set to testify following Daniel Philip, a male escort. Combs’ defense asked that Ventura be placed in the witness stand prior to the jury’s entrance, as she is currently eight months pregnant.

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo informed the judge, “I believe there’s a bias present,” and added, “Pregnancy carries an inherent charm and warmth that could potentially stir feelings of empathy.

Ventura joined the case later on, once the jury had already been selected, suggesting that his legal team’s request for something prior to this point was denied.

On one particular instance when Ventura didn’t promptly respond to Combs’ call, Philip testified on May 12 that Combs angrily hurled a bottle of liquor towards her, subsequently seized her by the hair and forcibly pulled her into the bedroom. “She was screaming,” Philip recounted, and from another room, it sounded like he was hitting her. Philip also mentioned that he heard Combs say, “‘I order you to come here, you come here now, not later.’

Phillip said he was “terrified” and did not intervene.

He additionally stated that on another instance at the Essex House hotel in New York, he believed he heard Combs physically attacking Ventura. “I overheard a woman crying ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ and someone being slapped and thrown around the room,” Philip explained. “Peeking around the corner, I saw Mr. Combs exit the hotel without clothes, possibly wearing just a towel.

Ventura exited the room and leaped onto Philip’s lap, as he testified. He went on to say, “She seemed to be trying to assure me that ‘everything would be fine’ and ‘I would be alright,'” Philip added. However, he stated, “It certainly wasn’t fine, and she needed help.

“I tried to explain to her that she was in real danger if she stayed with him,” Phillip said.

In response to a question from prosecutor Maureen Comey about why he didn’t contact the authorities, Philip explained that he viewed Combs as someone with immense influence. He suggested that even if he had gone to the police, there was a possibility that his life might still have been at risk.

In a previous time period, Daniel Philip claimed to be managing a male entertainment show, testified that he received a substantial amount of money, approximately thousands of dollars, for engaging in sexual activities with Ventura while Diddy (Combs) observed at Manhattan’s Gramercy Hotel in 2012. Philip stated that Combs was dressed in a robe, a baseball cap, and a head covering, but he recognized his voice distinctly.

Ventura compensated him and mentioned, “I’ll give you a tip when you depart,” Philip shared with the court. “Subsequently, we engaged in sexual activity. We massaged baby oil onto each other for a few moments. Combs was positioned in a corner, engaging in self-stimulation.

Afterward, the witness continued, Ventura gave him “a couple of thousand more.”

Philip shared that he was reached out to on numerous occasions throughout the following year for similar experiences with Ventura and Combs at various hotels and their homes in New York. He stated that Combs videotaped him and Ventura during sexual encounters one or two times, and occasionally Combs would step in and engage sexually with Ventura while Philip was present.

In a 2023 legal claim against her former partner for sexual assault and physical violence, Ventura asserted that Combs compelled her into having intimate relations with hired males.

According to Florez’s testimony, Ventura appeared frightened. She was huddled in the corner, with her hood up and concealed. Her face wasn’t visible to me, as she was mainly hiding in the corner. There was a shattered flower vase on the floor nearby.

After Ventura departed from the hotel, Florez mentioned that she had a noticeable purple eye. Later, when she was no longer present, Florez stated that he and the desk manager went up to speak with Combs about the hotel’s rules. According to Florez, Combs believed the manager was secretly filming him on his phone and attempted to take it. In response, Combs tried to seize Florez’s own phone, as Florez explained. He then stated that he restrained Combs against a wall. “We informed him we weren’t recording him,” Florez testified, “and managed to calm the situation down.

In court proceedings during May 2024, the prosecution presented a slowed-down version of the CCTV footage depicting Combs seemingly attacking Ventura by hitting, kicking, and dragging him – an allegation initially disputed by the defense claiming the original clip was sped up to exaggerate the violence. Additionally, the jury viewed video recordings made by Florez on his phone when he attended a distress call on the sixth floor earlier in the day.

Florez stated that he didn’t contact the police immediately since Ventura refused to discuss what had transpired and indicated she simply wished to depart.

In his role as a security officer at the InterContinental Hotel, Israel Florez, an LA police officer, was present during the altercation between Combs and Ventura that occurred on March 5, 2016. During her initial statement, Geragos characterized the surveillance footage of the incident, initially broadcast by CNN in May 2024, as strong evidence supporting claims of domestic violence. However, it is essential to clarify that this evidence was primarily related to infidelity uncovered on a mobile device and did not pertain to allegations of sex trafficking.

As a lifestyle connoisseur, I can share with you that on the aforementioned date, May 12th, I bore witness to what appeared to be an altercation. Later on, Diddy, or Combs as he’s otherwise known, presented me with a generous stack of cash, in an apparent attempt to influence my perspective and overlook the incident.

During questioning, Florez stated that he was completely convinced the gesture from Combs was an attempt at bribery.

In her initial remarks, the defense lawyer, Teny Geragos, asserted that the prosecution was attempting to transform what appeared to be consensual sexual acts into charges of sex trafficking. However, he expressed his confidence that this strategy would ultimately fail.

“Sean Combs is a complicated man,” she said, “but this is not a complicated case.”

Geragos emphasized that the matter at hand pertains to Sean Combs’ private, intimate sexual activities. He stressed this point has no connection whatsoever to his legitimate business dealings.

She informed the court that her client exhibited aggressive behavior, used illicit substances, and had anger management problems. During this trial, there may be instances where you might find him rude or unpleasant. However, it’s important to note that he is not on trial for his rudeness or unpleasantness; he is being tried for other charges.

Geragos stated, “The evidence will reveal an imperfect person, yet it won’t depict them as a racketeer, a sex trafficker, or someone involved in transporting for prostitution.

Assistant District Attorney Emily Johnson alleged that Defendant Combs orchestrated an extensive team of staff members to execute unlawful activities, such as multi-day “wild parties” – activities outlined in the federal indictment, as reported by journalists from NBC News who were present in the courtroom.

On occasion, he referred to himself as a king and demanded special treatment,” she informed the court. “Through his businesses, he exerted control over women, compelling them to engage in sexual acts with male escorts while he observed. He and his close associates ensured all his demands were met.

Johnson kicked off her argument to the jury, painting Combs as an imposing figure who orchestrated a criminal organization.

In an attempt to emphasize his accusations against Combs, Johnson described to the jury that on a particular night, following news of Ventura starting a new romantic relationship, Combs was “pursuing” or “chasing” Ventura. Johnson claimed that upon discovering Ventura, Combs allegedly assaulted her severely by beating her, kicking her in the back, and violently throwing her around as if she were a piece of discarded clothing.

She went on to explain that he had made a threat against her, stating that if she disobeyed him once more, he would expose footage of her involved in intimate acts with male escorts – moments that represented the most shameful nights of her existence.

The prosecutor alleged that Combs’ inner circle covered up “crime after crime.”

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, expressed his belief that the trial might wrap up by the 4th of July. He added that he anticipates finishing the trial by then, though there’s a possibility it could stretch beyond that date, but he doesn’t foresee this happening.

On the opening day of his sex trafficking trial on May 12, his mother, Janice Combs, and six of his oldest children were by his side.

Quincy Brown, Christian “King” Combs, Jessie Combs, D’Lila Combs (Kim Porter’s kids), Justin Combs (Misa Hylton’s son), and Chance Combs (Sarah Chapman’s daughter) – all of whom are his children – got to embrace their father before he conferred with his lawyers.

In the case at hand, both the prosecution and Chris Combs’ legal team consented on having an 8-member jury composed of 4 men and 4 women, along with 4 male and 2 female alternates, ready to step in if needed during the trial.

Marc Agnifilo, lawyer for Combs, contended that the prosecution seemed to be deliberately excluding prospective Black jurors. He emphasized this as a pattern and urged the judge to demand explanations for these dismissals.

However, Prosecutor Maurene Ryan Comey countered the allegations by stating, “We’ve acted impartially throughout this case, and our jury is diverse, comprising several individuals who are not white.

This group consists of twelve jurors, some of whom reside in New York City or Westchester. Among them is a 69-year-old actor who also provides massages, a 31-year-old investment analyst, a 51-year-old scientist, a 30-year-old deli clerk, a 42-year-old nursing home aide, a 41-year-old communications clerk at a correctional facility, a 68-year-old retired banker, another 68-year-old retiree from the telecommunications industry, a 43-year-old physician assistant, a 39-year-old social worker, a 67-year-old logistics analyst, and a 74-year-old treatment coordinator.

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2025-05-14 21:18