By Jack Queen and Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sean "Diddy" Combs' former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, the star prosecution witness at his sex trafficking trial, testified on Tuesday that the rapper and hip-hop mogul forced her into repeated drug-fueled sex parties he organized.
Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known as Cassie, said she took part in Combs' parties known as "Freak Offs" for about a decade, at first to please him and later because he blackmailed her with videos of the encounters.
“The 'Freak Offs' became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again," Ventura, 38, told jurors in Manhattan federal court.
She said performances could last 1-1/2 to four days, with Combs giving her drugs to keep her awake and micromanaging her appearance.
“If I wasn't doing my nails, I was getting a tan," Ventura said. "After a while, that wears down on you, on your confidence and self-worth."
One casualty was her music career, with a 10-album contract signed in 2006 with Combs' Bad Boy Records label yielding only one album, Ventura testified.
Jurors were also shown a widely seen 2016 surveillance video from the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel where Combs, wearing only a towel, threw Ventura to the ground, kicked her, and dragged her away.
Ventura said the incident occurred after Combs had given her a black eye during a "Freak Off."
"All I could think about was getting out of there safely," Ventura said.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
If convicted on all counts, he faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and could face life behind bars.
Combs' lawyers have said prosecutors wanted to improperly criminalize his "swingers" lifestyle, where he and his girlfriends invited men to join them for sex.
"This case is about voluntary choices made by capable adults in consensual relationships," defense lawyer Teny Geragos told jurors on Monday.
The trial began on Monday, and could last two months. Combs is being housed in a Brooklyn jail when not in court.
'CONTROL WAS EVERYTHING'
Wearing a brown dress and later adding a camel-colored coat, Ventura said she began dating Combs in her early 20s, in what she thought was her "first real adult relationship."
Ventura said she loved Combs at the time and wanted to make him happy.
But she said Combs changed as time passed, as he began frequently beating her, and leaving her with black eyes and bruises all over her body.
"He would bash my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down," Ventura said.
The gray-haired Combs, clad in a gray sweater, often crossed his arms as Ventura testified.
Ventura fought back tears as she described "Freak Offs" in graphic detail.
She said she was 22 during her first "Freak Off," and the only parts she enjoyed were when she and Combs were alone.
But they often weren't, Ventura testified, with Combs paying male escorts, including one nicknamed "The Punisher," $1,500 to $6,000 to take part.
Ventura said she didn't want to participate when others were involved, but was afraid of making Combs angry.
"His eyes were black," she said. "The version that I fell in love with was no longer there."
Ventura also said Combs controlled much of her life and career.
"Control was everything, from the way that I looked to what I was working on that day, who I was speaking to," she said.
Ventura will resume testifying on Wednesday.
Combs has apologized for his conduct in the video.
His lead lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, has said the video depicted the aftermath of a dispute over infidelity.
Agnifilo said at a hearing last Friday that Ventura had a history of domestic violence, signaling he may use it during cross-examination to undermine her credibility.
Ventura filed a civil lawsuit in November 2023 accusing Combs of rape and serial sexual abuse. They settled after one day.
Jurors may hear testimony from two or three of Combs' other female accusers, and former employees who prosecutors say helped arrange and cover up Combs' criminal conduct.
Ventura married personal trainer Alex Fine in September 2019. They have two daughters, and Ventura is pregnant.
(Reporting by Jack Queen and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Writing by Jonathan Stempel and Noeleen Walder; Editing by Howard Goller)
