Cassie Alleges Diddy Called Sex Tapes 'Blackmail Materials' — and She Lived in Fear He'd Release Them

• Opening arguments in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ high-profile trial began on Monday, May 12, at a federal court in Manhattan
• The hip-hop mogul pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution
• Federal prosecutors allege that Combs is the mastermind behind a criminal enterprise that forced women — including his ex-girlfriend — to perform sex acts he filmed

To the outside world, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura’s life seemed carefree and glamorous.

Often seen at glittering Hollywood parties and on red carpets at high-profile events with her high-powered, jet-setting boyfriend, Sean “Diddy” Combs, the former model-turned-R&B singer seemed happy sharing the lavish life he lived.

Behind closed doors, though, Ventura says she lived in fear of Combs, who allegedly abused her mentally and physically during their relationship that began in 2006 and ended in 2018.

“He controlled a lot of my life,” Ventura told jurors on day two of Combs’ federal sex crimes trial on Tuesday, May 13, in Manhattan federal court.

Ventura said that when she met Combs in 2006 at age 19, she was “naive” and knew little of the lofty world he inhabited.

As a self-described “total people-pleaser,” when Combs demanded she perform certain sex acts for him, she said she complied.

Early on, Ventura told jurors, “Sean proposed this idea, this sexual encounter that he called voyeurism,” which was new to her.

Prior to meeting Combs, she had also never taken part in a “Freak Off,” which Combs allegedly forced her to do many times during their relationship. Asked to define what a Freak Off is, she said it involved hiring a male escort, “setting up this experience” and “performing.”

While she said Combs’ enjoyed watching her have sex with other men and being forced to perform degrading acts, she said the experiences left her feeling “nervousness and confusion.”

Combs often recorded these humiliating moments and referred to the footage as “blackmail materials,” Ventura told the jury.

For years Ventura said she lived in fear that he would release them. “He had many resources to do that,” she said.

During their relationship, Combs allegedly beat Ventura, including one now-infamous incident in which he was seen on surveillance video in 2016 hitting and kicking her in the elevator bank at a hotel.

The “Me & You” singer, who is now married to personal trainer Alex Fine and eight months pregnant with their child, is testifying about how her powerful ex-boyfriend of 11 years allegedly forced her to perform sex acts and abused her physically and emotionally.

Arrested in September 2024, Combs pleaded not guilty to five counts of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.

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In her opening statement, Combs’ defense attorney Teny Geragos said that any sex between her client and Ventura was consensual, as was the fact that she stayed with him for more than a decade.

“She made a choice, every single day for years — a choice to stay with him, a choice to fight for him, because for 11 years, that was the better choice,” she told jurors. When she made the choice to leave, Geragos said, “she communicated it to him, and ran into the arms of another man — a physical trainer Combs had hired to train her,” Geragos said.

Combs could face up to life in prison if he is convicted on all counts. Since his arrest, he has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Complex in Brooklyn.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.