Celebrities
Cassie’s mom says ‘Diddy’ demanded $10K as a result of her daughter was courting
By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER, Related Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs demanded $10,000 from Casandra “Cassie” Ventura’s mom and threatened to launch express intercourse tapes of his longtime girlfriend when he grew to become offended that she was courting another person, the mom testified Tuesday on the hip-hop mogul’s intercourse trafficking trial.
Regina Ventura stated she felt “bodily sick” when she acquired an e mail from Cassie in late 2011 saying Combs was planning to launch two express movies of her and ship somebody to harm her and the person she was seeing, rapper Child Cudi.
“I didn’t perceive a variety of it. The intercourse tapes threw me,” Ventura instructed the Manhattan federal courtroom.
Ventura, of New London, Connecticut, stated she then acquired a requirement from Combs for $10,000 “to recoup cash he had spent on her as a result of he was sad she was in a relationship with Child Cudi.”
“He was offended that he had spent cash on her and she or he went with one other individual,” she stated.
Ventura stated she used a house fairness mortgage to make the fee as a result of “I used to be scared for my daughter’s security.” Days later, she stated, the cash was returned, and earlier than lengthy, Cassie was courting Combs once more.
Ventura’s testified for lower than a half-hour, partially as a result of protection lawyer Marc Agnifilo declined to cross-examine her. Throughout her testimony, the jury was proven pictures of bruises on Cassie’s physique that Ventura testified have been taken when her daughter got here dwelling for Christmas in 2011.
Earlier than the jury arrived Tuesday, Agnifilo tried to steer Decide Arun Subramanian to disallow the testimony, saying it was “purely prejudicial” as a result of it illustrated the large distinction between the monetary standing of the Ventura household and Combs. The choose allowed it although, saying the threats to launch intercourse tapes and hurt Cassie made it an occasion of “potential extortion.”
The testimony got here throughout the second week of the trial, which is scheduled to last as long as two months. If convicted of the costs he faces, together with racketeering, the Dangerous Boy Data founder might be sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in jail.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not responsible to prices that he used threats and his highly effective place within the hip-hop world to abuse girls and others, and pressure Cassie to participate in drug-fueled sexual performances with different males that she stated left her too drained to pursue her singing profession.
Earlier Tuesday, David James, Combs’ private assistant from 2007 to 2009, instructed the courtroom that the job that appeared to come back with growing perils. He stated he stop when he realized that his life had been put at risk after he was pressured to drive a automotive by which an offended Combs sat within the again seat with three handguns on his lap.
James stated his job generally required him to make sure that lodge rooms the place Combs stayed beneath the title “Frank Black” have been stocked with the musician’s comforts, together with recent underwear, an iPod, apple sauce, vodka, child oil, Viagra and condoms.
There have been additionally stunning moments, James stated, like one in 2008 when Combs requested him to convey an iPod from his Miami dwelling to a lodge room. Upon coming into, James stated he noticed Cassie on the mattress with a white comforter pulled as much as her neck and an unfamiliar bare man working from the room.
One other time, he stated Combs summoned him to his workplace to indicate him video he’d recorded at a celebration of James dancing wildly and instructed him: “Okay. I’m going to maintain this footage in case I ever want it.” James stated he took it as a risk to maintain him in line.
Cassie testified final week that Combs threatened to launch movies of her having intercourse with male intercourse staff throughout so-called freak-offs Combs orchestrated if she didn’t do as he stated.
James additionally described being required to take lie detector checks twice when Combs was looking for out who stole money in a single occasion and a watch in one other.
He stated Combs was on medicine almost day by day, typically taking Percocet by day and ecstasy by evening. When he stocked Combs’ lodge rooms, he stated, medicine have been in a bag dropped off by safety, together with the tablet meant to appear to be then-President Barack Obama.
The second when James noticed the three weapons on Combs’ lap got here when he testified that he was concerned in Combs’ try and confront his music business rival Suge Knight at a Los Angeles diner in November 2008 — an incident that Cassie additionally testified about. He stated he stop quickly afterward.
“I used to be actual shook up by it,” James testified. “This was the primary time being Mr. Combs’ assistant that I spotted my life was at risk.”
Earlier than Tuesday’s lunch break, Sharay Hayes, an unique dancer generally known as “The Punisher,” testified that Combs and Cassie introduced him into the freak-offs world. He stated a lady — Cassie utilizing a pseudonym — known as and instructed him it was her birthday and that her husband stated she ought to rent a dancer.
Hayes stated he arrived at a Manhattan lodge room anticipating to carry out a striptease for a small group of individuals however as an alternative discovered the girl who employed him — whom he later discovered was Cassie — alone with an in any other case bare man who hid his face with a burqa-like fabric. That man, he stated, turned out to be Combs.
Hayes recalled seeing bottles of child oil in bowls of water and getting handed a stack of $800 in money. Later, after Combs watched him have a sexual encounter with Cassie, he stated he was handed a further $1,200. He stated he was a fan of Combs however didn’t understand it was him within the room till a subsequent encounter at one other lodge the place the message on the TV display screen stated: “Essex Home wish to welcome Mr. Sean Combs.”
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