Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial officially began Monday in Manhattan federal court, following the selection of a 12-member jury.
On the first day, the eight men and four women were shown a key piece of prosecution evidence: hotel security footage from 2016 that appears to show Combs assaulting his former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, in Los Angeles. Ventura, who dated Combs on and off for nearly 10 years before their split in 2018, is expected to take the stand later in the trial.
Who is Cassie Ventura?
Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, is a model and R&B singer who was once signed to Combs' music label. The 38-year-old was first linked to the hip-hop mogul in 2005.
Ventura began her singing career in 2004, just before being discovered by Combs. She joined his label, Bad Boy Records, and released her debut single, "Me & U," about two years later.
The single off her self-titled debut album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Five years after their relationship ended, Ventura filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in late 2023 in federal court in Manhattan. She accused him of years of physical abuse, including forcing her to have sex with male sex workers while he filmed them, and of raping her in September 2018, near the end of their relationship, along with other allegations.
Ventura’s lawsuit claims that shortly after meeting Combs in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37, he signed her to his record label and took complete control of her personal and professional life, including by allegedly supplying her with drugs.
According to her lawsuit, throughout their relationship, Combs "was prone to uncontrollable rage" and would often beat Ventura "savagely." The suit claims that his staff and employees from his various businesses witnessed the abuse but were too fearful to speak out against him.
In May 2024, hotel surveillance footage released by CNN showed Combs kicking and striking Ventura, then dragging her through a hallway by her sweatshirt at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in March 2016. Ventura’s attorney, Wigdor, confirmed that the video supported the allegations made in her lawsuit.
After the footage leaked, Combs apologized, admitting that his behavior in the video "is inexcusable." However, his attorneys argued in a court filing last month that the video had been "substantially altered in significant respects" and did not "fairly and accurately depict the events in question," a claim that CNN has since refuted.
Combs’ attorneys also argued that the violence shown in the video was unrelated to sex trafficking and was instead tied to a dispute over fidelity. However, the video remains a crucial piece of evidence for the prosecution.
On the first day, the eight men and four women were shown a key piece of prosecution evidence: hotel security footage from 2016 that appears to show Combs assaulting his former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, in Los Angeles. Ventura, who dated Combs on and off for nearly 10 years before their split in 2018, is expected to take the stand later in the trial.
Who is Cassie Ventura?
Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, is a model and R&B singer who was once signed to Combs' music label. The 38-year-old was first linked to the hip-hop mogul in 2005.
Ventura began her singing career in 2004, just before being discovered by Combs. She joined his label, Bad Boy Records, and released her debut single, "Me & U," about two years later.
The single off her self-titled debut album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Five years after their relationship ended, Ventura filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in late 2023 in federal court in Manhattan. She accused him of years of physical abuse, including forcing her to have sex with male sex workers while he filmed them, and of raping her in September 2018, near the end of their relationship, along with other allegations.
Ventura’s lawsuit claims that shortly after meeting Combs in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37, he signed her to his record label and took complete control of her personal and professional life, including by allegedly supplying her with drugs.
According to her lawsuit, throughout their relationship, Combs "was prone to uncontrollable rage" and would often beat Ventura "savagely." The suit claims that his staff and employees from his various businesses witnessed the abuse but were too fearful to speak out against him.
In May 2024, hotel surveillance footage released by CNN showed Combs kicking and striking Ventura, then dragging her through a hallway by her sweatshirt at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in March 2016. Ventura’s attorney, Wigdor, confirmed that the video supported the allegations made in her lawsuit.
After the footage leaked, Combs apologized, admitting that his behavior in the video "is inexcusable." However, his attorneys argued in a court filing last month that the video had been "substantially altered in significant respects" and did not "fairly and accurately depict the events in question," a claim that CNN has since refuted.
Combs’ attorneys also argued that the violence shown in the video was unrelated to sex trafficking and was instead tied to a dispute over fidelity. However, the video remains a crucial piece of evidence for the prosecution.
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