- Casandra “Cassie” Ventura is ready to testify in opposition to her ex-partner Sean “Diddy” Combs in his upcoming intercourse trafficking trial utilizing her identify, PEOPLE can completely reveal
- Three different victims are making ready to testify in opposition to the disgraced musician anonymously
- Combs will go to trial on Might 5 for intercourse trafficking, racketeering and transportation to have interaction in prostitution
Casandra “Cassie” Ventura is ready to testify in opposition to her ex-partner Sean “Diddy” Combs — and she or he shall be utilizing her identify to take action.
In a movement filed on Friday, April 4, prosecutors state that “Sufferer-1” wouldn’t be testifying anonymously throughout Combs’ upcoming trial, the place he faces fees of racketeering conspiracy, intercourse trafficking and transportation to have interaction in prostitution. PEOPLE completely confirmed with sources that Ventura, 38, is Sufferer-1 and that she shall be testifying within the trial.
“She is ready to testify beneath her personal identify,” the submitting states. “Sufferer-2, Sufferer-3, and Sufferer-4 have requested that their identities not be revealed to the press or the general public.”
Prosecutors requested that the nameless victims “be referred to at trial utilizing solely pseudonyms” and for the courtroom to require the protection to not share figuring out particulars about them.
“This case has already acquired an distinctive quantity of media protection, which is able to presumably solely enhance as trial proceeds,” prosecutors state. “Allowing these measures will forestall pointless public disclosure of the victims’ identities, and the harassment from the media and others, undue embarrassment, and different hostile penalties that might nearly definitely observe if these ladies had been pressured to disclose their true names publicly at trial.”
Rolling Stone beforehand recognized “Sufferer-1” as Ventura in January.
Kevin Mazur/Getty
Combs, 55, was first charged with three counts of intercourse trafficking, racketeering and transportation to have interaction in prostitution in September 2024. The most recent indictment in opposition to Combs, made public by federal prosecutors in New York Metropolis on April 4 after which obtained by PEOPLE, included yet one more rely every of intercourse trafficking and transportation to have interaction in prostitution.
The brand new fees are associated to a second sufferer, the indictment states.
Representatives for Ventura and Combs haven’t responded to PEOPLE’s request for remark.
The indictment alleges that Combs and his associates would lure individuals beneath the pretense of a romantic relationship earlier than he would use “pressure, threats of pressure and coercion” with a purpose to get them to take part in “freak offs” — which prosecutors describe as “elaborate and produced intercourse performances” that the disgraced music mogul allegedly coerced others to take part in.
The brand new rely of intercourse trafficking by pressure, fraud or coercion alleges that Combs “recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, supplied, obtained, marketed, maintained, patronized and solicited [Victim-2], and tried, aided and abetted, and willfully induced [Victim-2], to have interaction in industrial intercourse acts, understanding and in reckless disregard of the truth that Sufferer-2 was partaking in industrial intercourse acts on account of pressure, fraud, and coercion.”
Ventura first made headlines in Might 2024 when CNN launched a surveillance video that allegedly confirmed Combs chasing and beating her in a resort in March 2016.
The footage, captured on the InterContinental Resort in Los Angeles, allegedly confirmed Ventura strolling towards a financial institution of elevators as Combs chased after her, then grabbing her by the neck and tossing her to the ground earlier than turning to violently kick her and seize her purse and suitcase.
Additionally within the footage, Combs allegedly could be seen grabbing, shoving and kicking Ventura throughout an altercation — and the footage supported allegations she made in a now-settled lawsuit filed in November 2023.
WireImage
In one other submitting on March 13, Combs’ authorized workforce claimed CNN altered the footage by buying the one identified copy of the surveillance footage, importing it to a free modifying software program and modifying the unique video.
“All CNN video footage was considerably altered in important respects,” the letter to Choose Arun Subramanian reads. “This consists of overlaying the time stamp after which altering the video sequence. It additionally consists of rushing up the video to make it falsely seem that the actions within the video are happening sooner than they’re. Consequently, the CNN movies don’t pretty and precisely depict the occasions in query.”
“It is is no surprise that Combs would make a disingenuous argument to exclude the disturbing video from being proven to the jury within the upcoming trial,” Ventura’s legal professional Douglas Wigdor stated in a press release to PEOPLE on the time. “I’m assured that the video pretty and precisely represents what occurred, shall be admitted into proof, and that Combs shall be held accountable for his depravity.”
Wish to sustain with the most recent crime protection? Join PEOPLE’s free True Crime e-newsletter for breaking crime information, ongoing trial protection and particulars of intriguing unsolved circumstances.
Combs is presently behind bars at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Heart as he awaits his trial on the federal fees, which is scheduled for Might 5. He has pleaded not responsible.
He has additionally been named as a defendant in additional than 60 lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct. Combs has denied the allegations.
Should you or somebody you realize has been sexually assaulted, please contact the Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
Should you or somebody you realize has been a sufferer of sexual abuse, textual content “STRENGTH” to the Disaster Textual content Line at 741-741 to be related to a licensed disaster counselor.
