The federal trial against Sean "Diddy" Combs is officially underway.

In a case that has rocked the music and entertainment world, the 55-year-old hip-hop mogul is facing a slew of federal charges including racketeering, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

During opening statements on May 12, prosecutor Emily Johnson laid out the allegations for the jury, warning all 12 jurors to brace themselves for evidence involving what she described as days-long, drug-fueled orgies — allegedly masterminded by Combs himself, according to NBC News.

Central to the prosecution's case are the infamous "freak-off" parties, with prosecutors painting a harrowing image of what these alleged sordid events entailed. According to a September 2024 indictment obtained by E! News, these so-called events were “extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.”

“Freak Offs were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded,” the indictment reads. “Freak Offs occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial sex workers.”

Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Testifying this week, R&B singer Casandra Ventura — better known as Cassie — took the stand as the prosecution's star witness and shared disturbing allegations regarding the relationship she had with Combs.

How Cassie Says The 'Freak-Offs' Started

Cassie detailed beatings and sexual violence she says she experienced during the relationship and described the toll it took on her mental and physical health. She told the jury that Combs controlled her life and coerced her into "humiliating" sex acts.

She recounted how she was introduced to the so-called "freak-offs" where, according to her testimony, she had sex with male escorts while Combs watched, directed, and recorded.

Ventura, who is about eight months pregnant, spoke softly and took deep breaths before answering prosecutors’ questions. At times she was visibly emotional. She told prosecutors that Diddy” first introduced voyeurism into their relationship during its first year.

According to Ventura, the initial experience involved her “hiring an escort and setting up” a scenario where she would “perform” for Combs while he watched her with another person.

She testified that what began as a proposal from Combs eventually escalated into a regular expectation. Orchestrating what Combs referred to as “freak offs” — sex performances that could last between 36 hours and four days — “became a job” for her.

“I had the contacts to set it up in the hotel room and all of that,” she said. “At the beginning Sean set it up.”

Ventura recalled her initial reaction to Combs’ proposal. “My stomach churned,” she said.

“I didn’t have a concept of how that would be a turn on, but I accepted the responsibility,” Ventura continued. “I was confused, nervous, but also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy. It wasn't something that I wanted to be doing, especially as regularly as it became, but again, I was in love and wanted to make him happy.”

She added, “At some point, I felt I didn't have much of a choice.”

Cassie also revealed that she would take a concoction of drugs in order to make it through the "freak-offs".

The Impact It Had On Her Body

Ventura also opened up about the alleged impact the "freak-offs" had on her body.

She told the court she experienced urinary tract infections, mouth sores, and stomach issues as a result of the encounters.

“When we were having frequent ‘freak offs’ — they were back to back — and sometimes I would do a ‘freak off’ with the infection,” Ventura said during her second day of testimony. “I tried to flush it out with water. I got to the point where [the antibiotic] CIPRO didn’t work anymore. It was a mess.”

“It was really painful for a long time,” she continued. “I can’t believe I actually dealt with that.”

Text messages presented in court showed an exchange between Ventura and Combs in which she told him she had sores on her tongue. He responded: “I’m sorry.”

On Wednesday, prosecutor Emily Johnson asked Ventura directly: “Who paid you $20 million?”

“Sean and his companies,” Ventura responded.

The $20 million figure refers to the high-profile settlement Ventura reached with Combs in November 2023, just one day after filing a lawsuit accusing him of raping her, physically abusing her, and forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes while he watched and masturbated.

At the time, Combs “vehemently” denied the “outrageous” allegations. But the lawsuit was swiftly settled the very next day in a then-undisclosed agreement.

Now, that history is taking center stage in a federal courtroom, as Ventura faces cross-examination and prosecutors attempt to build a case they claim reveals years of abuse, coercion, and exploitation.

Combs, through his legal team, continues to deny all allegations.

Featured image credit: Jackson Lee/FilmMagic/Getty Images

The trial against Sean “Diddy” Combs is unfolding in New York with the world watching — and it's ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura who has commanded the courtroom with four days of harrowing and graphic testimony, detailing what she describes as more than a decade of abuse.

Charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, transportation to engage in prostitution, arson, and bribery, Combs faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison if convicted.

Both the rapper and his legal team continue to assert his innocence.

Cassie takes the stand: "People aren't disposable"

Ventura - who is currently eight and a half months pregnant - has delivered a week of testimony that paints a disturbing portrait of their 11-year relationship with Combs, which started with her signing to his Bad Boy Records label in 2005 and ending in 2018.

Speaking to the jury, she described their early connection as fast-paced and intoxicating: “The beginning of the relationship was really ... fast, fast-paced, scary but the more time I spent with him and got to know him, his real personality -- at least what I thought was his real personality -- and I liked what it was," per ABC7.

But her testimony soon veered into allegations of violent abuse, sexual coercion, drug use, blackmail, and emotional manipulation.

She said, per Sky News: “What’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong. People aren't disposable.”

Ventura’s courtroom testimony has peeled back the layers on a deeply troubling chapter of her relationship with Sean “Diddy” Combs. At the center of her account were the couple’s so-called “freak offs” — a term referring to sexual encounters involving paid escorts — which she initially embraced but later described as exploitative, painful, and emotionally scarring.

'It Was an Integral Part'

During cross-examination, the defense revisited the topic repeatedly, probing Ventura’s earlier email descriptions and text messages about the “freak offs.”

Ventura confirmed to the jury that they were “an integral part” of her relationship with Combs.

In a 2009 email, she characterized the experiences as the “next stop” in their relationship but also stated the importance of safety. “In order for me to be more open with the things we do in bed, I need to feel safe, like home… like this is my husband, and this is the only man that will ever have this aggressive sexual side of me," she wrote, per CNN.

But her tone darkened in later messages. “The last time was a mistake but since has made me feel a little dirty and grimy as opposed to sexual and spontaneous,” she wrote. “That’s the only reason why I go back and forth in my mind with wanting and not wanting to do it.”

Reflecting on their early relationship, she testified: “When we used to freak off when we were so in love there were no questions asked, it felt right. Like it literally made sense for the next step in our sex life together.” Over time, however, she said the emotional connection waned. As the love faded, so did her willingness.

Text messages presented in court showed conflicting moments — one from August 2009 had her replying, “I'm always read to freak off,” after Combs asked when she wanted to participate again. According to coverage, the texts included graphic details, which Ventura read aloud in court.

Defense attorney Anna Estevao pressed Ventura about her feelings at the time. “At the time you were afraid that you were being treated as someone who he could just get his fantasies off with?” she asked. “That was a concern,” Ventura admitted. She testified she hoped their bond would evolve emotionally, though when it came to deeper conversations, it was “usually a one-way street.”

'I Felt Trapped'

Ventura said she didn’t speak to friends or staff about the “freak offs,” and made a conscious effort to keep them private. While Combs’ assistants sometimes arranged hotel rooms, she testified, she "definitely didn’t” want anyone to know about what happened inside. She deleted videos and photos from her phone and said she asked Combs to do the same. Yet she claimed he didn’t always follow through.

In one account, she said she saw him watching an old video on a laptop during a commercial flight from Cannes in 2013. “He was showing them with other people around. I said, ‘You are embarrassing me.’ I was scared, I felt trapped, how do you get out of this situation? I felt trapped.”

She said Combs threatened to release the footage. “That he was going to embarrass me and release them.” These threats allegedly continued whenever he was upset. One such incident came after he accused her of stealing drugs and kicked her off a friend’s boat. Another time, he got angry when she refused to leave a party for a “freak off.”

“It could ruin everything I worked for, make me look like a slut,” she testified. “I wasn't supposed to be on those videos. I didn't want to be in them.”

In March 2014, Ventura said she learned that an explicit video of her had leaked. “Immediately my thoughts went to a ‘Freak Off’ video,” she said. When she told Combs, she recalled him urging her to investigate: “You gotta tell him this is your life, this is serious.”

Health Toll and Drug Use

Ventura testified that participating in the “freak offs” led to health complications, including gastrointestinal issues, mouth sores, and recurring urinary tract infections. “I tried to flush it out with water. I got to the point where CIPRO didn’t work anymore. It was a mess,” she told the jury.

She often used ketamine to dissociate, especially when she didn’t want to participate. “Opiates made me feel numb, which is why I relied on them so heavily,” Ventura said. She described post-encounter recoveries involving IVs, massages, and medication.

“I definitely felt just gross,” she said, especially when Combs didn’t stay with her afterward. “Okay I did my job and now I’m going about the rest of my life. The same feelings over and over.”

Her reliance on drugs grew. “I had an addiction to opiates, so I would take pills to come down. I wanted to feel numb and not know what was going on in my mind.”

Cassie also opened up about relying on "marijuana, ketamine, mushrooms, whatever was the drug of choice at that point" in order to get through a "freak off", per NBC News.

Graphic Accounts and Humiliation

According to Ventura’s testimony, there was a typical structure to the “freak offs.” “It was established pretty early on in doing the Freak Offs that Sean enjoyed a lot of conversation and describing,” she said.

The sessions began with “oil and touching,” then oral sex, and eventually intercourse.

They were recorded frequently — first with a video camera, then with phones and other devices. She deleted the videos on her devices and asked Combs to delete his, fearing that his staff might see them. “I never wanted anyone to ever see me like that," Ventura said.

She said she couldn’t go through with the experiences without drugs. “I couldn’t imagine myself doing any of that without having some sort of buffer," she said, before testifying that Combs once made an escort urinate on her, then did it himself.

“It was too much. I choked, I didn’t want to be doing that, I was in a position I couldn’t easily get out of. I eventually put my hands up and Sean saw and told him to stop," she told the court.

Asked why she didn’t say no outright, she explained: “I was squeamish immediately, but high in the moment. That’s about it, you don't have a lot of control at that moment.”

Ten Bottles of Baby Oil

Ventura shared how much Combs fixated on baby oil. “Sean wanted it heated and he wanted it to be glistening so we applied every five minutes,” she said.

One incident at the Montage Beverly Hills involved a pool “filled with baby oil.” She said, “If Sean wanted it to happen, that was what was going to happen, there was no way around it. We used 10 bottles of baby oil, regular size.”

Finding Escorts

Ventura resumed her testimony by detailing how she had to find male escorts at Combs’ direction. She looked through ads on Craigslist and Backpage, and even contacted dancing and stripping services. She would present options to Combs for approval.

“I’d usually show them to Sean and see if that person was of interest for a ‘Freak Off,’” she said. If they hadn’t been used before, she had to confirm they weren’t law enforcement.

The escorts were paid between $1,500 and $6,000 after each session. She said she was responsible for handing them the cash, which Combs provided. Some were flown to participate in different states, with travel coordinated through Combs’ team under the guise of being “new staff members.”

Ventura also broke down when asked if Diddy would "beat her" during "freak offs", to which she said: "Yes."

She also stated that, "more than once", she told Combs that she "no longer wanted to do them".

Her closing words: “I will never forget”

Ventura ended her testimony with a public statement read by her attorney outside of court.

“This week has been extremely challenging, but also remarkably empowering and healing for me," it read. "I hope that my testimony has given strength and a voice to other survivors.”

“For me, the more I heal, the more I can remember. And the more I can remember, the more I will never forget,” she added.

She thanked her family and advocates and asked for privacy as she prepares to give birth.

If you or somebody you know has been affected by any of the issues in this article, please contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.

Featured image credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images 

The federal case against Sean "Diddy" Combs has officially begun, with the music mogul facing serious allegations of racketeering, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

On May 12, prosecutor Emily Johnson delivered opening statements, telling jurors they would hear evidence of what she described as drug-fueled, days-long sex parties that were allegedly organized by Combs, according to NBC News.

At the center of the case are the so-called “freak offs.” A September 2024 indictment obtained by E! News describes them as “extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.”

“Freak Offs were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded,” the indictment states. “Freak Offs occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial sex workers.”

Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations against him.

Taking the stand this week, R&B singer Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, testified as the prosecution's key witness. She detailed physical abuse and sexual violence she says she endured during her relationship with Combs. According to her testimony, Combs exerted control over her and coerced her into what she called “humiliating” sexual acts.

Cassie has testified against her ex, Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for SHOWTIME

Ventura said that Combs introduced her to the concept of voyeurism within the first year of their relationship. She testified that it began with her “hiring an escort and setting up” a scenario in which she would “perform” for Combs while he watched.

Over time, Ventura said, setting up what Combs called “freak offs” became her responsibility. These sex performances could last anywhere from 36 hours to four days. “I had the contacts to set it up in the hotel room and all of that,” she testified. “At the beginning Sean set it up.”

She told the court her “stomach churned” when he first brought up the idea. “I didn’t have a concept of how that would be a turn on, but I accepted the responsibility,” Ventura said. “I was confused, nervous, but also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy. It wasn't something that I wanted to be doing, especially as regularly as it became, but again, I was in love and wanted to make him happy.”

“At some point, I felt I didn't have much of a choice,” she added.

Ventura, who is currently about eight months pregnant, described the toll these encounters took on her health. She said she often used a combination of drugs to get through the “freak offs.”

Six months prior to his arrest, federal agents raided two of Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami. As reported by The Independent, they allegedly found over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.

This particular details became a huge talking point on social media.

While in the stand, Cassie shared more information regarding Diddy's alleged fascination with baby oil.

Why did Diddy want so much baby oil?

On May 13, Ventura testified that Combs directed participants in the alleged “freak-offs” to apply baby oil to their bodies repeatedly.

“Sean wanted it heated and he wanted it to be glistening,” Ventura told the court. “So we applied every five minutes.”

She described one incident at the Montage Beverly Hills where Combs told her to get into an inflatable pool filled with baby oil while still wearing her clothes.

Ventura said she didn’t want to do it, but added: “If it was something Combs wanted to happen, that’s what was going to happen.”

She testified that they used “10 bottles of baby oil, regular size.”

Referring to Cassie's 2023 civil lawsuit against Diddy, prosecutor Emily Johnson asked Ventura directly: “Who paid you $20 million?”

“Sean and his companies,” Ventura responded.

The $20 million figure refers to the high-profile settlement Ventura reached with Combs in November of that year, just one day after filing a lawsuit accusing him of raping her, physically abusing her, and forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes while he watched and masturbated.

At the time, Combs “vehemently” denied the “outrageous” allegations. But the lawsuit was swiftly settled the very next day in a then-undisclosed agreement.

Featured image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for SHOWTIME

Cassie revealed that she was allegedly forced to call Sean “Diddy” Combs a stomach-curdling nickname during his so-called "Freak Off" parties.

Diddy's ex-partner, Cassie Ventura, detailed her relationship with the rapper. Credit: Joe Maher / Getty

The shocking detail emerged on Tuesday (May 13) during Ventura’s testimony at Combs’ high-profile sex trafficking and racketeering trial, currently underway in New York.

Combs, 55, has been charged with racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion - charges he has denied. He has been held at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Centre since his arrest in September.

Cassie, now 38, met the rap mogul when she was 19 and he was 37. She testified that their relationship, which spanned from 2007 to 2018, was marked by frequent physical violence and psychological control.

When asked how often Combs abused her, she responded: “Too frequently," per the Telegraph.

On the stand, the 'Me & U' musician described in detail how she was allegedly forced to participate in “freak-offs” - voyeuristic sexual encounters involving other men.

According to BBC News, she told the court: “I remember my stomach falling to my butt. Just the nervousness and confusion… I had just turned 22.” Though she didn’t want to be involved, she said she complied because she "loved him" and "wanted to make him happy".

“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 explained, per Sky News, adding that she had to recuperate from lack of sleep, alcohol, drugs "and other substances", and "having sex with a stranger for days".

Among the disturbing allegations was that Combs made her call him “Pop Pop”—a name she had originally used for her grandfather. “He asked me what I called my grandfather,” Ventura testified. “I did it, but now I think it was disrespectful," The Daily Beast reported.

According to reporter Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press, who posted a court transcript, Ventura confirmed the nickname when questioned about an email between her and Combs.

Ventura was in a long-term relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. Credit: Kevin Mazur / Getty

The courtroom also heard that the 'I'll Be Missing You' rapper allegedly assaulted her repeatedly, resulting in injuries including busted lips, bruises, and swollen eyes.

“He would bash me on my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down,” she said. “I’d get knots in my forehead… bruises all over my body.”

Ventura said she feared Combs would release videos of the “freak-offs” if she refused to participate, stating: “I didn’t know what ‘no’ could be, or what ‘no’ could turn into. Sean controlled a lot of my life, whether it was career, the way I dressed, everything. I just didn’t have much say in it at the time.”

She also alleged that her ex-partner would punish her by taking away her possessions - her home, car, jewelry, laptop, and phone.

In one particularly graphic claim, Ventura testified that he once directed an escort to urinate in her mouth, which she said made her feel like she was “choking".

Jurors were also shown a now-viral surveillance video from 2016 that appeared to show Combs attacking Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel.

In 2024, Combs publicly addressed the video, admitting, “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that... I was f**ked up - I hit rock bottom - but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable.”

The 'Long Way 2 Go' artist had previously filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in 2023, accusing him of rape and abuse. The case was settled out of court shortly after.

The rapper’s legal team began their defense by admitting that he is a domestic abuser, while maintaining his innocence on the more serious charges.

Ventura, who is currently eight months pregnant with her third child with husband Alex Fine, may remain on the stand for several more days as the trial continues.

Featured image credit: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty

A hot mic has captured a conversation between Diddy and his lawyer as his ex, Cassie Ventura, testified in court.

The high-profile trial of Diddy - real name Sean Combs, began on Monday (May 12) as he faces charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and racketeering among other accusations, all of which he denies.

His former partner, Ventura, 38, took to the stand this week to share a harrowing testimony detailing the alleged abuse she endured at the hands of the 55-year-old rapper and record producer.

The pair dated on and off for nearly a decade before finally splitting for good in 2018, with Ventura claiming in court documents obtained by NBC News that she was “lured” into dating Diddy — who she described as a “vicious, cruel, and controlling man” — shortly after signing with his record label, and claimed she feared retaliation if she rejected his advances.

In court, Ventura described in harrowing detail the alleged "freak-off" sessions that Diddy would make her partake in, and the physical toll it took on her body.

A September 2024 indictment obtained by E! News describes them as “extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.”

“Freak Offs were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded,” the indictment states. “Freak Offs occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial sex workers.”

Ventura said she found the acts, which often included hired sex workers, to be "humiliating", claiming that Diddy made her "perform" for him while he watched, with the "freak-offs" lasting anywhere between 36 hours and four days at a time.

She told the court her “stomach churned” when he first brought up the idea. “I didn’t have a concept of how that would be a turn on, but I accepted the responsibility,” Ventura said. “I was confused, nervous, but also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy. It wasn't something that I wanted to be doing, especially as regularly as it became, but again, I was in love and wanted to make him happy. At some point, I felt I didn't have much of a choice."

The defense then cross-examined Ventura, with Diddy's attorney Anna Estevao confronting her with intimate text messages the pair had sent one another throughout their 11-year relationship.

It was during this part of the proceedings that a comment Diddy appeared to whisper to his lawyer was caught on a hot mic in the court.

According to reports from the Daily Mail, Diddy allegedly told Estevao he was "proud" as she tried to suggest that the "freak-offs" were consensual.

The reported comment was captured as Diddy and his attorney embraced on Friday.

Ventura had earlier described one horrifying incident in which Diddy had told an escort to "urinate" in her mouth, claiming the parties had taken a toll on her health, including having "painful" infections and mouth sores, as well as frequent urinary tract infections.

She claimed she'd needed "trauma therapy" to overcome PTSD she'd developed as a result of the alleged abuse.

During the cross-examination on Thursday (May 15), Estevao read out a text Ventura had allegedly sent Diddy in 2017, stating: "Please don’t play victim. That’s all you wanted, and that’s why I was upset. I love our FOs [freak-offs] when we both want it."

She then asked Ventura: "You and Mr Combs were in love for 11 years, right?", to which Ventura replied: "Yeah."

Estevao then pressed: "You loved him?" to which Ventura responded: "I did," and when asked if she believed Diddy had loved her, Ventura also confirmed: "Yes."

It was after this exchange that the rapper praised the attorney for the interrogation, which was accidentally caught on a mic.

The trial is currently ongoing and expected to last around eight weeks.

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