Filipino American victim pushes to keep Sean "Diddy" Combs behind bars

Cassie Ventura had an abusive 20-year relationiship with Sean 'Dddy' Combs.

A New York jury found Sean "Diddy" Combs not guilty on racketeering and sex trafficking charges but guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Evidently, the jury believed the defense's argument that the star witness, Filipino American singer Cassie Ventura consented to the abuse that she received from the Grammy award rapper. Combs was found not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking, but was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution of Ventura and another woman identified as "Jane."

After the verdict was read, Douglas Wigdor, Ventura's lawyer, handed a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian. The letter urged the judge in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial to deny his release on bond. In the letter, Wigdor shared Ventura's concern that Combs could pose a danger to her or others.

"Ms. Ventura believes that Mr. Combs is likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community," Wigdor wrote in the letter given to People.

The judge agreed and denied Combs bail. He will remain in custody until his sentencing at a date to be determined.

During the 28-day trial featuring 33 witnesses besides Vetura's. One of the key pieces of evidence was a security videotape at a Los Angeles hotel. Ventura tried to leave Combs' suite but he chased her into the hallway where he kicked and punched her as she curled up into a fetal position protect herself. The tape showed Combs grabbing her by the hair and pulling her back into the hotel room.

Subramanian ruled that psychologist Dawn Hughes was not allowed to discuss "coercive control," which is a type of domestic abuse. She was, however, allowed to discuss coping strategies for victims and explain why victims may stay in abusive or violent relationships. Victims can form trauma bonds with their abusers, she testified.

            FYI: Legal expert explains Combs' acquittals

After the verdict, Ventura's lawyer issued a statement to the media.

"This entire criminal process started when our client Cassie Ventura had the courage to file her civil complaint in November 2023,” Wigdor said in a July 2 statement to E! News.

“Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution. By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice. We must repeat – with no reservation – that we believe and support our client who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial.”

He went on to praise Ventura's courage for coming forward.

“She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion,” Wigdor continued. “This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors."

Although he was found "not guilty" on the more serious charges of trafficking, thus avoiding a potential life sentence, Combs could still serve a maximum of 20 years behind bars for the two guilty verdicts of transportation. In addition, Combs still faces the possibility of scores of civil suits from other witnesses and victims.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge. Now on BlueSky.

Filipino American is the star witness against Sean "Diddy" Combs

Actress and singer Cassie Ventura, right, with Sean "Diddy" Combs.

If rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs is found guilty of numerous abuse allegations, it will because of the testimony of his Filipino American Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, one of his former girlfriends.

There would be no federal case against Combs without Ventura and her bombshell 2023 lawsuit accusing him of physical abuse and sexual coercion.

Spending four days on the witness stand last month, Ventura accused Combs of rape as well as physical and emotional abuse. She said over their 11-year relationship, Combs coerced her into participating in drug-fueled “freak-offs,” in which she would have sex with male escorts.

She claimed Combs filmed these alleged encounters and supposedly threatened to ruin her budding singing and acting career by releasing the footage.

Ventura's initial suit was settled one day after it was filed in November of 2023, but that didn't end Comb's troubles.

Her lawsuit created a domino effect, resulting in several additional lawsuits against Diddy and a federal investigation into the allegations. The rapper was arrested in September 2024 and indicted on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Since then, new witnesses have emerged, including other former girlfiends and former employees, some using psuedonym, have corroborated Ventura's allegations as they recounted their own alleged abuse by Combs.

FYI: If you or someone you know is struggling with intimate partner violence, there are resources available, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

According to the indictment, prosecutors claim that Combs forced or coerced women into participating in "freak offs" and would allegedly leverage his power and influence to do so.

"The case rises and falls with Cassie. Especially the sex trafficking charges,” says former prosecutor Mark Chutkow. She testified last month.

Ventura, 38, is at the center of many of the charges, and other witnesses, including her friends and mother, have corroborated her testimony.

Still, Chutkow believes hotel the hotel's surveillance video from 2016, in which Combs is seen beating Ventura and kicking her while she’s on the ground, is damning to Combs' not guilty plea and overrides any single testimony. “You can’t really cross-examine videotape,” he says. “It’s like a crime scene frozen in time.”

The details of these allegations have become a central focus of both the civil lawsuits and the criminal proceedings against Combs have shed light on serious allegations of abuse and exploitation.

According to Ventura's testimony last month, Combs began physically, sexually and emotionally abusing her in 2007, around the same time the two of them began dating.

She had just recorded her biggest R&B hit, "Me & You," and was seen as an upcoming star in the recording and motion picture industry.

She signed with Combs' Bad Boy Records to a long-term contract, which in hindsight, she says, was a means of control. She nver replicated her first hit despite several

Under oath, Ventura said that during her 11-year relationship with Combs, she recorded hundreds of tracks under his direction. She now calls those efforts busywork, saying that her main job was organizing and participating in multi-day marathons of sex and drug use directed by Combs, which Ventura alleged happened "hundreds" of times over the years.

Combs' defense lawyers say her participation was entirely consensual, and Combs has pleaded not guilty to all the criminal charges against him.

The 38-year old actress/singer's husband, Alex Fine, whom she married in 2019, was in the courtroom during her testimony The couple share two daughters,  and welcomed their third child, a son, later last month.

INSTAGRAM / CASSIE VENTURA

Rod Ventura, Cassie Ventura's father, with one of her children.

While her parents have been mostly out of the spotlight, she has been vocal about their support throughout her life. During a February 2007 conversation with The New York Times, Ventura opened up about her parents' influence, saying, "My parents raised me right."

"I work hard, and I want to prove I deserve what I have. I talk to them every day,” she said, adding that they "keep (her) focused."

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. If found guity, Combs could face life imprisonment.

Ventura was raised by her parents — an "army brat" mom and "navy brat" dad — in Connecticut, as she said during a January 2008 interview with Blackfilm.

"My Dad is Filipino and my Mom is Mexican, Black and West Indian."

"My childhood was fun," she told the outlet, adding that it was "pretty carefree."

"I tried a little of everything when I was little," Cassie said. "I tried karate, I tried ballet, I tried piano lessons and singing lessons. ... I was a pretty normal kid, for the most part."

Friday is the 23rd day of Combs' trial. Because he was denied bail, Combs remains in detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, while the trial continues.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X or at the blog Views From the Edge. Now on BlueSky.