Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial day 2 Live Updates: Cassie Ventura tells court Diddy blackmailed her with ‘freak-off’ videos

Federal prosecutors have accused Sean 'Diddy' Combs of running what they call a “sex-trafficking empire,” in which he allegedly used his fame and wealth to manipulate and abuse women, including Cassie, over the course of years.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial live updates: Singer Cassie returns to the witness stand today in a federal trial against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, continuing her testimony about what she describes as a decade of abuse, coercion, and exploitation. Cassie tells the court she endured abuse at the hands of Combs during “freak-offs” – sexual encounters with male escorts, and that the videos were later used as blackmail. Cassie — full name Casandra Ventura — first rose to fame in the mid-2000s with her hit single “Me & U” and later became romantically involved with Combs after signing to his Bad Boy Records label. Prosecutors are expected to finish questioning her by midday, after which Combs’ defence team will begin cross-examination.

What is the trial? Federal prosecutors have accused Combs of running what they call a “sex-trafficking empire,” in which he allegedly used his fame and wealth to manipulate and abuse women, including Cassie, over the course of years. During her testimony Tuesday, Cassie said she was pressured into participating in prolonged, drug-fuelled sex acts with paid male sex workers — encounters she called “freak offs” that she said left her physically and emotionally broken. “‘Freak offs’ became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again,” she told the jury. She also testified that Combs repeatedly beat her and threatened to release intimate videos if she tried to leave.

The Leaked Video: Cassie’s 2023 civil lawsuit against Combs — settled within a day — triggered a broader criminal investigation and inspired multiple additional legal claims from other alleged victims. In May, CNN released surveillance footage from 2016 showing Combs attacking Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway, supporting her claims of physical violence. Combs’ lawyers have acknowledged he could be violent but argue all sexual activity was consensual and deny the charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.

Live Updates
22:57 (IST) 14 May 2025
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial day 2 Live Updates: Ventura says Combs threatened to ruin her career with 'Freak Off' videos

Ventura testified on Wednesday that the hip-hop mogul physically assaulted her during drug-fueled sex parties, referred to as "Freak Offs," and threatened to release videos of her participation, warning that he would destroy her career. "He would grab me up, push me down, hit me in the side of the head, kick me," Ventura, an R&B singer known as Cassie, told jurors during the third day of Combs' trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges in Manhattan federal court.

She also recounted an incident in 2013 when Combs threw her against a bed frame, leaving a gash on her eyebrow. Ventura showed him a photo of the injury, but he was dismissive, telling her, "You. Don't know. When to. Stop. You have pushed it too far and continue to push. Sad."

22:38 (IST) 14 May 2025
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial day 2 Live Updates: Prosecutors suggest blackmail in Cassie Combs testimony

Throughout Ventura's testimony, prosecutors appear to be aiming to depict Combs as engaging in blackmail and highlight the alleged non-consensual nature of the freak-off sessions.

As previously reported, these sessions involved a paid escort having sex with Ventura, during which she claims Diddy watched, directed, and recorded the encounters.

Cassie testifies that Combs would threaten to release videos of her drunk and during the freak-offs if she upset him, which caused her significant distress.

She expressed concerns about the impact on her career and family, telling the court, "I would have to answer to my mother," and adding that the videos "make me look like a slut."

In one set of text messages shown to the court, Ventura asks Diddy to delete videos from his phone. He responds by assuring her that he has deleted them and that they are not stored in the iCloud.

However, Cassie testified that she saw several videos that were not deleted, despite Combs' claim.

20:39 (IST) 14 May 2025
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial day 2 Live Updates: Cassie Ventura is back on the stand

Cassie Ventura resumed her testimony today, detailing the aftermath of the 2016 hotel altercation with Sean “Diddy” Combs. She said he later tried to force his way into her apartment, banging and yelling at the door. “It was pretty normal,” Ventura said of his behaviour. A friend who saw her injuries — “both black eyes and busted lips” — called the police, but Ventura refused to name Combs at the time. “I didn’t want to hurt him that way… I wasn’t ready,” she said.

Prosecutors showed the jury photos Ventura took of herself in the Uber ride home, revealing a black eye and a fat lip. In texts to Combs, she wrote: “You are sick for thinking it’s okay to do what you’ve done please stay far away from me.” Combs, meanwhile, sent her a barrage of texts pleading with her to call him, saying: “Call me,” “I got six kids,” “For my kids help.”

Ventura also testified that fighting back during violent episodes would only escalate Combs’ aggression: “It would make him more violent, make him stronger.” In the hotel surveillance video shown again in court, Ventura pointed out that Combs took her phone — “He took all my stuff,” she said.

She also recalled an earlier incident when Combs and his team “quickly packed up guns that were in the safe” after learning that rival Marion “Suge” Knight was nearby, during a “Freak Off” at one of Combs’ homes in Los Angeles.

20:11 (IST) 14 May 2025
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial day 2 Live Updates: What has Diddy been accused of?

According to the federal indictment, Sean Combs — also known as “Puff Daddy,” “P. Diddy,” and “Diddy” — “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”

The indictment details decades of alleged abuse, painting a disturbing picture of Combs using his sprawling business empire to orchestrate so-called “freak offs” — drug-fueled sex events in which women were allegedly coerced to participate.

Combs is accused of arranging, directing, and masturbating during these “freak offs,” which he allegedly filmed, sometimes without the victims’ knowledge. These sessions often lasted for days and involved multiple sex workers.

Prosecutors say Combs supplied drugs including ketamine, ecstasy, GHB, psilocybin, and methamphetamine to keep women “obedient and compliant.” According to the indictment, both Combs and the women would “typically receive IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion” once the sessions ended.

His staff allegedly played a key role, arranging travel for sex workers across state lines, booking hotel rooms, and preparing spaces with “freak off supplies,” which included “more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.” The recordings, prosecutors say, were used as blackmail to ensure “the silence of the victims.”

The indictment further claims Combs used “guns, kidnapping and arson” as tools to exert control over those around him.

19:48 (IST) 14 May 2025
Welcome to our live coverage of the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial

Hello and thanks for joining us.

We’re bringing you live updates from the New York courtroom where R&B singer Cassie Ventura is testifying for the second day in a federal sex trafficking and racketeering case against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Today, we expect more gripping testimony as Cassie continues to recount her decade-long relationship with Combs, including allegations of abuse, coercion, and sexual exploitation. Stay with us throughout the day for real-time updates, courtroom developments, and key takeaways.

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