The federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs took another dramatic turn when Regina Ventura, mother of singer Cassie Ventura, testified about an alleged blackmail payment. Speaking under oath, Ms. Regina said that in 2011 she felt forced to take out a twenty-thousand-dollar home-equity loan on her house after Diddy threatened to release sexually explicit videos of Cassie. At the time Cassie had just begun seeing rapper Kid Cudi, a move that angered Diddy, according to Ms. Regina.
“I was physically sick,” she told Assistant U. S. Attorney Emily Johnson. “The sex tape threw me. He was trying to hurt my daughter.” Ms. Regina explained that she handed the money to Diddy but that he returned it four or five days later. Even so, she said the incident left her shaken.
Ms. Regina also described taking photos of Cassie’s injuries in December 2011, the first time her daughter spoke of alleged abuse. Those photos were shown to jurors to support Cassie’s account. In another incident Ms. Regina called police after Diddy allegedly took Cassie’s phone. She said she argued with him outside Cassie’s apartment and tried to grab the phone back. Diddy eventually returned the phone but, Ms. Regina claims, left with Cassie’s car.
Diddy faces five federal counts, including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. He has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys declined to cross-examine Ms. Regina after her testimony.