R&B singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura is back on the glimpse stand at a court docket in New York on Friday to testify for a fourth day in the sex trafficking trial of music tycoon Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The 55-yr-traditional used to be arrested last September and faces 5 charges including sex trafficking, transportation to interact in prostitution, and the more serious racketeering conspiracy.
The latter includes accusations of kidnapping, drugging, and coercing ladies folks into sexual actions.
Ventura, his broken-down female friend of over 10 years, is a key prosecution glimpse in the trial and has described graphic crucial points of alleged sexual and bodily abuse by him.
She acknowledged Combs had controlled her from the initiate of her profession, pulling her into a drug-fuelled, controlling relationship after signing her to his mark at the age of 19, whereas he used to be 37.
A key fraction of evidence proven to jurors used to be a 2016 surveillance video appearing to demonstrate Combs kicking and dragging Ventura down a hotel hallway in Los Angeles.
Closely pregnant with her third limited one with husband Alex Fine, Cassie has described how Combs exerted vitality over her during their years together.
She acknowledged he had introduced her to what he called “Freak Offs” or orchestrated sexual encounters involving escorts.
Then in November 2023, she filed a lawsuit against Combs, accusing him of years of abuse and alleging that he raped her in 2018 after they ended their relationship.
A day after it used to be filed, both acknowledged they had reach a settlement. In court docket earlier this week, she revealed that she had got $20 million.
Since then, dozens of other of us – both ladies folks and males – contain filed proceedings accusing Combs of sexual assault.
Ventura informed the court docket she agreed to testify in the newest case because she may perhaps perhaps well no longer hold the burden of the years of his bodily and emotional abuse.
Combs has pleaded no longer responsible and denied all allegations against him. If convicted on the racketeering fee, he faces up to lifestyles in prison.
