The mother of Sean “Diddy” Combs’s ex-partner, Cassie Ventura, testified regarding the threats and violence her daughter endured during their decade-long relationship.
Regina Ventura took the stand after several days of distressing testimony by her daughter, Cassie, the singer and actress known professionally as Cassie.
Cassie has shared detailed accounts of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Combs, including coercive drug-fueled sex parties referred to as “freak-offs.”
Combs, 55, is facing federal charges of sex trafficking and allegedly running an illegal sex ring. The charges include accusations of crimes such as arson, kidnapping, and bribery.
Recall that on Monday, prosecutors asked Regina Ventura about an email Cassie had sent her on December 23, 2011. Cassie, 38, testified that during late 2011, Combs became enraged after discovering she had been seeing rapper Kid Cudi (real name Scott Mescudi).
In the email, Cassie detailed the threats Combs made against her. “The threats that have been made to me by Sean Puffy Combs are that he is going to release two explicit tapes of me,” Regina Ventura read aloud in court. “He also said he will be having someone hurt me and Scott Mescudi physically.”
Ventura described feeling “physically sick” upon reading the email. “I did not understand it, the sex tape threw me,” she added.
Combs’s defense attorneys attempted to discredit Cassie’s testimony regarding the sex parties, claiming she participated voluntarily. In response, Regina Ventura stated that Combs, who was already extremely wealthy at the time—now with an estimated net worth of $700 million—demanded $20,000 to cover money he had spent on her.
Cassie’s mother clarified that the money was eventually paid, and she justified it as a measure taken to ensure her daughter’s “safety.”
Further questioning on Tuesday focused on photos of Cassie showing visible bruises on her body, which were taken during the same period in late 2011. “She was bruised. We wanted to make sure we’d memorialized (that) she was beaten by Sean Combs,” Ventura explained.
Combs, a mogul in the music, fashion, media, and liquor industries, has made hundreds of millions of dollars and is credited with helping to bring hip-hop into the mainstream. However, the rap producer and entrepreneur, once known for his extravagant parties, now appears visibly aged after spending months in prison.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges and faces life in prison if convicted. His defense maintains that while Cassie’s relationship with Combs was complicated and involved domestic abuse, it did not constitute sex trafficking.
