In a gripping and emotional testimony, singer Cassie Ventura took the stand Wednesday in the ongoing federal criminal trial against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, accusing him of raping her in 2018 and subjecting her to years of physical and emotional abuse.
Ventura, 38, who dated Combs for over a decade, broke down as she recounted the alleged rape, which she said occurred in her living room following their breakup.
“I just remember crying and saying no but it was very fast,” she told the court through tears.
Her testimony came on the third day of Combs’ trial in which the 55-year-old rapper and entrepreneur faces five felony counts including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, Combs could serve a minimum of 15 years, and possibly life, in prison.
Ventura, known professionally as Cassie, previously filed a civil lawsuit in November 2023 alleging abuse throughout their relationship. That suit was settled within 24 hours for $20 million. However, Ventura told jurors she decided to testify in the criminal case after undergoing trauma therapy. “I can’t carry the shame, the guilt, the way he treated people like they were disposable,” she said. “What’s right is right, what’s wrong is wrong. I came here to do the right thing.”
Wearing a turtleneck dress and dark jacket, Ventura recounted harrowing details of what she described as “Freak Offs”—drug-fueled sex parties allegedly orchestrated by Combs. She said Combs physically abused her during and after these parties, and threatened to ruin her career and release compromising videos if she ever spoke out.
“He would grab me up, push me down, hit me in the side of the head, kick me,” she said, recalling a 2013 incident in which he allegedly threw her against a bed frame, leaving a gash on her eyebrow.
Prosecutors presented still images extracted from videos of the parties, which were shown only to jurors. Their reactions were visibly disturbed, with one juror recoiling at the sight of an image.
Combs sat quietly in court wearing a cream-colored sweater and a collared shirt, flanked by family members including his mother and children. His attorneys are set to begin cross-examining Ventura on Thursday and are expected to challenge her credibility by referencing her own alleged history of domestic violence.
The trial is expected to last up to two months.
