• Combs faces five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has vociferously denied the allegations against him.
• The prosecution and defense delivered their opening statements yesterday. Prosecutors alleged that Combs used his fame and power to run a criminal enterprise that facilitated his “freak offs,” drug-fueled orgies involving paid sex workers. The defense admitted that Combs was jealous and occasionally violent, but insisted all the alleged victims participated willingly in his sex life.
• Cassie Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend, has taken the stand as the government’s star witness.
• Daniel Phillip, a male escort who said he was paid to have sex with Cassie in 2012 and 2013, completed his testimony today. He testified that Combs directed the sexual encounters, which were all paid for, and denied questioning from the defense that he was in a relationship with Cassie.

 

Cassie Ventura walked into court today wearing a long-sleeved brown dress that went down to her ankles. Her pregnant belly was very obvious to onlookers.

She remained soft-spoken and composed through the majority of her testimony, though there were times she needed to take steadying breaths while answering questions. This was most obvious when she was describing what “freak offs” were to the courtroom. She dabbed at her eyes a few times with tissues when answering the question.

Ventura adjusted herself several times during her testimony, mostly keeping her hands clasped in her lap, though there were times she rubbed or pressed down on her stomach.

When Cassie first began discussing freak offs, a member of the public seated in the overflow viewing room yelled out, “That’s disgusting!” She expressed concern that Cassie was made to testify about such things while pregnant and exited the room after being told by a U.S. marshal to conduct herself the same as she would in a courtroom.

Cassie says Combs controlled her career and appearance, said she looked ‘too Mexican’

When Cassie Ventura came back to the stand after a lunch break, she said Combs had the final say on her career and her appearance.

While James Cruz managed her, he told her that he was doing it with “one hand tied behind his back,” and that everything had to go through Combs, she said.

Ventura also said Combs made comments about her physical appearance, including telling her that she “looked too Mexican,” that her hair looked bad, or that her nails “needed to look a certain way.”

“My appearance was very important to him, it was pretty immediate,” she said in court. “Some days he would want me to be really sexy and other days like a tomboy. He was just very involved in it.”

Ventura added that he preferred her nails to be white, and during “freak offs” they had to be white or a French tip. Combs would also make comments about her working out and keeping her shape, and talked to her about breast implants, she said.

“I had to look a certain way during freak offs,” Ventura said. “Definitely my self-worth took a hit during the entirety of the relationship.”

Combs would take away Cassie’s electronics and cars as punishment, she testifies

Cassie recalled how Combs would lash out at her by taking away her electronics, cars and other possessions as a form of punishment.

“He would take the car away, the house, jewelry,” she said. “The physical things didn’t matter; I just wanted his approval.”

The former romantic partner said Combs would dispatch his staffer for these take backs.

“Staff would take them,” she recalled. “If I wasn’t there, it would be a staff member or security.”

Combs had guns in safes in his homes, Cassie says

Sean “Diddy” Combs had guns in safes in his multiple homes, according to his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.

Ventura, who sometimes had access to these safes, said Combs had guns in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and New Jersey. She said she saw the guns outside of the safes “a few times.” The safes also contained cash, jewelry and video tapes, she said.

When she asked if she ever handled any of Combs’ alleged guns, she said she was handed a gun at a club in downtown Los Angeles to put in her bag while she was on mushrooms.

“I was freaking out it was going to go off,” she said, adding that she handed the gun off to someone after she left the club. Ventura said it wasn’t the only instance she came in contact with one of Combs’ alleged guns.

“The guns came out here and there. I always felt it was a little bit of a scare tactic,” she said.

Combs was ready to confront Suge Knight in the middle of a ‘freak off,’ Cassie said

Combs and Cassie Ventura were engaged in one of their “freak off” sessions when the rapper was told that long-time rival Suge Knight was at a nearby diner, prompting him to get dressed for confrontation, she said.

“We were having a freak off in one of his homes in L.A. and he said Suge was at Mel’s Diner and we packed up and drove down there,” Ventura testified.

“I was screaming and crying, ‘Please don’t do anything stupid.’ I didn’t know what they were going to do.”

Knight is now serving a lengthy prison term after pleading guilt to voluntary manslaughter.

Combs confessed voyeurism fantasy before proposing ‘freak offs,’ Cassie says

Sean “Diddy” Combs had a voyeurism fantasy, according to Cassie Ventura, mentioning it to her in the first six months of their relationship.

“He described it as a fantasy he had where he would want to see me having sexual interactions with another male so he could watch,” Ventura said in court, adding that she agreed because she didn’t want to upset him.

Ventura said she was 22 when Combs first proposed “freak offs.”

“I loved him, I didn’t want him to think I thought anything bad of him,” Ventura said of the experience.

Cassie felt ‘disgusting’ and ‘humiliated’ during ‘freak offs’

Drug-fueled orgies were a regular element of Cassie Ventura’s time with Combs, even though she hated virtually every moment of it, the former partner testified.

“I felt pretty horrible about myself. I felt disgusting. I felt humiliated,” she said. “I didn’t have the words to show how horrible I felt. I couldn’t talk to anyone about it.”

The witness recalled drinking alcohol and taking ecstasy when first having intercourse with a sex worker for Combs’ entertainment.

“I was high so I didn’t feel much,” she said. “Did this really happen to me? I didn’t know what was going to happen after that, if we were going to do it more frequently, I said yes to more, I didn’t want to make him upset or angry.”

Cassie gets emotional when recalling feelings for Combs

Cassie Ventura got emotional in court this afternoon when she was asked what she enjoyed about being with Sean Combs.

Ventura, who is eight months pregnant, was crying and grabbed a tissue as she answered the question.

“When we had one-on-one time,” she said. “When you care about somebody and love them, you don’t want to disappoint them.”

Ventura began to cry again when shown an email she wrote to Combs, in which said, “I really need 2 f–.”

“So who you wanna f–, gonna call someone?” Combs wrote back.

“I want to f– you are you crazy,” Ventura responded.

When asked why she wrote that, she said, “Because that’s how I felt.”

Cassie describes Combs as ‘a scary person’

Cassie said she was always conscious of appeasing Combs and did everything possible to stay in his good graces.

“I didn’t want him to be upset or not trust me,” she testified. “He was a scary person, he would be violent.”

She said they engaged “in freak offs in all the homes” and hotels, listing several places in Southern California and across the country.

Baby oil used in ‘freak offs’ at Combs’ request, Cassie says

Baby oil was used in “freak offs” at Sean Combs’ request, according to Cassie Ventura, who said everyone involved, including her, would pour it all over their bodies.

“Sean wanted it heated and he wanted it to be glistening so we applied every five minutes,” Ventura said.

Ventura said there was “a pool filled with baby oil” during a “freak off” at the Montage Beverly Hills, which she got into at Combs’ request.

“If Sean wanted it to happen, that was what was going to happen, there was no way around it,” she said. “We used 10 bottles of baby oil, regular size.”

Ventura also mentioned other items used in “freak offs,” including Astroglide lubricant and condoms. Staff would bring the items, but if the “freak off” was last minute, Ventura would bring them, she said.

 

S: NBC News