Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, gives her second day of testimony as the prosecution’s key witness in the sex-trafficking trial of disgraced rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. Cassie, the ex-girlfriend of the rapper, tells the court that Combs asked her to get into an inflatable pool filled with baby oil.
She continues to describe the abuse she endured during events she called “freak-offs,” saying Combs later used video recordings of the encounters to blackmail her.
Cassie alleges she repeatedly suffered from urinary tract infections as a result of the "freak-offs," to the point that she became immune to antibiotics. She testifies that Combs forced her to perform during her menstrual cycle and took away her possessions if she upset him in any way.
Combs faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. The 55-year-old denies all charges. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Follow Crime Stories with Nancy Grace for the latest on the government’s case against Sean "Diddy" Combs
Joining Nancy Grace today:
-
Neama Rahmani - Former Federal Prosecutor, Trial Attorney, President - West Coast Trial Lawyers, and Author: “Harvard to Hashtag;" INSTAGRAM: @Neamarahmani, X: @NeamaRahmani
-
Dr. Bethany Marshall- Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker," and featured in hit show "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, X: @DrBethanyLive
-
Tom Smith - Former NYPD Detective for 30 years - Narcotics, Robbery Squad, Gang Investigations, and Co-Host of the GOLD SHIELDS Podcast; FB & Instagram: @thegoldshieldshow
-
Rachel Fischer - Registered Nurse; Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE); Expert Witness; Private Investigator; Author: "Taking Back the Pen;" Forensic Nursing Consulting and Education LLC
-
Lauren Conlin - Podcaster, Reporter, Host- Co-Host of "PopCrimeTV" on YouTube; X- @Conlin_Lauren, Instagram- @LaurenEmilyConlin, YouTube: @PopCrimeTV
-
Sydney Sumner - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
You need to glisten what you need to glisten?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
According to Sean Crimes, what does that mean?
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Pregnant mom Cassie Ventirol on the stand under oath, reliving
humiliating sex acts she was forced.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
To perform with strangers on video.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
It's all about Ditty's foul fetish. I'm Nancy Grace. This
is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being
with us. We are live at the courthouse going straight
out to Lauren Conlin, investigative reporter host of Pop Crime TV.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Lauren, thank you for being with us. What's happening in
court today?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
We are learning about what a vile human Diddy is.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
As if we didn't already know.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Cassie is still on the stand, and we are actually
seeing never before seen photographs of black eyes fatless. We
actually saw a photo of her eyebrow after she told
us that when she was sleeping one night, Diddy came
in and just attacked her and her friends and threw
her against a bed, the corner of a bed where
(01:14):
she split her eyebrow open. And that's not all, Nancy.
We are learning that Cassie experienced mouthswords during these freakoffs,
many utiys, and she sat up there on the stand
and told us that she was expected to go through
with these freakoffs while she had these beaut eyes. I mean,
is it is heartbreaking and just painful to listen to.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
What does she say? How does she respond? What is
her demeanor?
Speaker 3 (01:40):
I mean she says over and over here Nancy, how
young she was, and how regretful she is, and what
she could have said at the time, but she was
so young that she didn't know how to verbalize it.
She did break down on the stand a few times.
Day two, Day three, we aren't seeing her as emotional.
(02:02):
She appears to be very strong, but again she is saying,
over and over, I wish I never did this. I
wish I did things differently. She's incredibly strong. I mean,
think about it. She is up there, eight months pregnant,
with two toddlers at home, having to relive the most
humiliating and terrifying time of her life. And Nancy, I mean,
(02:25):
what Cassie van Tura went through. I want justice for Cassie.
Here I will say it. I want justice for Cassie.
She is truly heroic, and I mean she is you
can tell she's a little uncomfortable, of course physically and
of course emotionally, but she's not holding back.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
I mean.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
There was another instance that she spoke about where she
appeared to take too much GHB. She described going into
a g hole. This is before a freak off, and
she described waking up nude in the shower with Diddy
and another escort hovering over her, freaking out. She kind
(03:02):
of comes to and I'm thinking, Okay, they're going to
take her to a hospital at this point.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Nope. Jeddy says, you're ready for the freak off.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Wow, okay, So a lot to take here in Lauren
Colin has been in the court of the entire day
and is telling us what the jury is hearing from
the witness stand. You stated that Cassie Ventira described earlier
today being in a g hole that's from GHB, gemma
hyjoxy buteray, which is a date rape drug, completely passed
(03:30):
out and as soon as she comes to naked in
a shower, Sean com says, okay, let's go. She also
described being forced to perform in free coughs when she
was on her period and she didn't want to, but
she did. She also described Lauren Conlin, where she would
basically have to drug herself to get through yet another freak.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Cough Lauren Conlin.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yes, yes, I mean she really seemed to live a
very existence for eleven years of her life, and I
think many of us watching here all feel the same way.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
I mean, justice for Cassie Nancy.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
She also described a time in con where she was
at the Con Film Festival and she was staying on
a boat with Sean Holmes and he got upset with
her that morning. He kicks her off a boat without
her shoes, without her passport, anything. She has to walk
over to the staff hotel and she doesn't see him
(04:29):
until learn it later that evening, and then we're shown
a picture of her on the red carpet looking glam
at the Con Film Festival. She described that she has
some bruises covered up with makeup, and she sits through
this premiere with Sean where he is squeezing her leg
as hard as he can while she's wearing this beat
a dress. She gets on a plane, she tries not
(04:51):
to sit next to him.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
He switches seats.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
With somebody in order to sit with her, and then
during that slight Nancy, he proceeds to torment her by
showing her freak off videos and threatening her. Okay, and
there are other people around, and then they land in
New York City and then they go to dinner and
she says after that, I was expected to do a
(05:14):
freak off and my stomach is I mean, my stomach
is turning.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
We are live at the courthouse and now also joining
as Sydney Sumner crimeonline dot Com investigative reporter. The evidence
has been pouring from the witness stand all day. There
were thoughts so that we would get to cassievterior cross examination.
Her direct examination is a bomb in that courtroom, Sydney Sumner.
(05:42):
What else is happening in the courtroom?
Speaker 5 (05:43):
Well, Nancy. In addition to what Lauren told us, we've
also heard about an instance of abuse in twenty thirteen,
when Combs attacked Cassie in her own apartment while her
friends were there. Her friends moved to protect her, jumped
on Comb's back, but at one point Comb's through passy
into the side of her bed, causing a gash in
(06:06):
her eyebrow. Combs how to security guards take Kathy to
go get the wound closed by a plastic surgeon. And
she sent him a photo of that injury afterwards, saying,
here's the picture so you can remember what you did
to me. And Comb's response was, you don't know when
(06:27):
to stop. You have pushed it too far and continue
to push bad.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Isn't it true?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Sydney Sumner that after that incident, the friendship between Cassie
Ventura and the friend dwindled away because of Seawan Coins.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
Yes, Cassy talks about how isolating this romantic relationship with
Colb's was because all of her friends couldn't stand to
watch her stay with him and watch the continued physical
abuse psychological abuse against someone they care. She wouldn't leave
him because she loved him so much, and her friends
just they couldn't stay around and.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Watch baby oil, Baby oil? Will we never hear the
end of baby oil? In the courtroom is being pervasive
today as well, Lauren Colin.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
It's getting crazy.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I mean, the talk of baby oil, and I'm not
even trying to be funny.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
The talk of baby oil got.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
To a point where they had to have a sidebar,
Thank goodness. Tenny Garrigos objected because at one point Emily
Johnson doing a great job as the prosecutor. She's questioning
Cassie and she probably questioned her for about ten minutes
about baby oil, and it got to the point where
Cassie had to tell us that she hum pms Sean
(07:46):
Colmes made her get into a blow up pool of
baby oil and astroglide with all of her clothes on,
and then we had to hear about how many bottles
of baby oil they went through during a freak off,
which by the way, was ten, and she described they
were the big size bottles.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I mean, there's so much more.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I didn't bring my notepad out, but I mean a
lot of us are wondering, what does this have to
do with anything? Are they just trying to corroborate the
freak offs when other witnesses come on the stand and
talk about this baby oil and astroglide. It's really really strange.
But I am I'm wondering when we are going to
(08:26):
hear more about his criminal enterprise, about the sex trafficking,
the transportation across state lines, because right now Cassie is
giving really really tragic testimony and I feel awful for her.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
This is horrible, but it definitely is.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
It's seeming to me so far again, so far, it's
just seeming like it is a lot of domestic violence,
a lot of assaults and awfulness.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
I mean, he treated.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Her horribly, horribly, horribly.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
He's a vile man.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
I'm just trying to figure out when we're going to
start really getting into these charges. I mean, right now,
I'm in the overflow room, and people in the overflow
room are kind of like, what's what's going on?
Speaker 4 (09:09):
What are we what are we listening to?
Speaker 3 (09:11):
And yeah, I mean at another point, she asked, Cassie,
you know, why did you continue to participate in these
freak offs or why did you say yes to a
freak off?
Speaker 4 (09:20):
And Cassie actually, under.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Her breath, was like, good question, but she broke down
crying on the stands and it was awful.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
It was so awful.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
She you know, she just talked about how much she
loved Sean Colmes and how you know, she did these
freak offs so she could be with him, and that
is just really sad.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Well, I appreciate your perspective, but let's go to trial
lawyer Nima Romani joining us out of LA former federal
prosecutor turned trial lawyer, president of West Coast Trial lawyers
and author of Harvard to hashtag nima what a layperson sees.
(10:03):
They don't understand necessarily that what is happening right now
is proving sex trafficking and rico. Normally we see which
are the most serious charges that comes is facing rico,
which is racketeering. We normally see that apply to the mob, right,
(10:24):
a criminal enterprise like they have a vast criminal enterprise
involving stolen goods, prostitution, counterfeit, money laundering, even murder, and
there are many.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
I mean, we've all.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Seen Sopranos, right, that was a criminal enterprise for more
than one person, multiple people work to advance. Let's just
pretend Tony Sopranos criminal enterprise, right, He was the boss,
it was his enterprise, and all those people worked for him.
So what we're hearing, I know we've said in a
(10:58):
million times baby oil really baby oil to be used
in an illegal act, which is flying in escorts male
and female from other cities, buzzword flying, interstate commerce, using texts,
using online to find the escorts, wired transmission.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
See where I'm going with this.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Who went to get the baby oil, who paid for it?
Who paid the sex workers? Who set up the scene
for illegal freak offs. All of thats prostitution equals moving
people across state lines for purposes of prostitution. That is
a criminal enterprise. That's the point that jury may not.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Be getting it yet.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
But when Emily Johnson explains what the law is and says,
this is transporting across state lines. This person worked for
Seawan Combs. This person paid the sex workers, this person.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Bought the baby old.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
I mean, what did Shaun Holmes get a blow up
pool himself and blow it up, impouring heated baby oil?
Hgl n O. He pays somebody to do that? Hints
criminal enterprise.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
You explain it.
Speaker 6 (12:19):
Nancy, You're absolutely right. And as prosecutors, former prosecutors, we
know these are the elements of the crime. Let's just
go through them. Sex trafficking. You need that force, fraud
or coercion, the force right beating Cassie, throwing her against
the bed, that gash. We're gonna have independent witnesses, the
plastic surgeon, members of his security team. They are going
to testify to that the coersion givings drugs.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I just heard you say, plastic surgeon.
Speaker 6 (12:43):
What the plastic surgeon that Cassie went to see to
fix the gash in her eye. There's gonna be medical records, Nancy,
independent evidence to support her allegations. That's what you want
if you're the government. Let's talk about the coorden.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
When you hear Lauren Colin talking name of Ramani, when
you hear her talk to you like I'm sick baby oil,
We're all looking at each other thinking, where are we
really going to hear the evidence about sex trafficking. You
are hearing it right now, Break it down, Nima.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
This is it. This is sex trafficking.
Speaker 6 (13:14):
You give someone drugs so much that they throw up,
and they're forced to perform sex over a matter of days,
sometimes up to four days.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
That is coercion.
Speaker 7 (13:25):
Lauren, and I love Lauren.
Speaker 6 (13:26):
You urinate in someone's mouth, that is coercion. You force
someone to have sex on her period when she's bleeding
all over the bed sheet, that is coercion. It's not
just about the baby oil. It's not just about the vomit.
It's not just about the urine and the blood. No
human being could consent to this. The defensive argument is consent.
(13:51):
This is what the government is proving.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
And like you so wait a minute, wait a minute,
Nama Romani. When you say and I don't want to
go too, have come for on the law here.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
But when you say sex with Cassie Ventira without her consent,
that's rape. But I'm not proving a rape case right now.
I'm talking about the state proving reco a criminal conspiracy,
a criminal enterprise and what the jury.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Is hearing right now. As a matter of fact, Sidney.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Sumner, it's so upsetting what they're seeing these videos that
they've had to put up privacy monitors in the last
hours in court so everybody doesn't see the videos that
the jury is seeing.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Isn't that true, Sydney.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
That is true, Nancy. We expect the prosecutors to play
some of these freak off tapes for the jury in
the next hours. They already tried to play them, but
there were some technical difficulties, so they decided to try
and work on those and continue with a different line
of questioning. So videos we're going to come up and
(15:01):
court very very soon. We see that reporters are scrambling
to actually get a seat in the courtroom instead of
the overflow rooms so they can watch the jury as
these videos are played.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
The goal trying to use the Bible, the Holy Bible,
as a prop There was only.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
One God in Diddy's world, and that.
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Was even Satan quoted scripture in the Bible, and at
the end of the day, he was still the devil.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Cassievententira, still on the witness stand. At the end of
the day, the testimony and video so upsetting that privacy
monitors have been put up to shield cameras and journalists
everyone out of the audience from seeing what the jury
is seeing. Okay, joining me at the courthouse is Lauren Conlin,
(15:55):
also with us on the trial from the get go,
Sidney Sumner, Nima. What I'm trying to tell you is
that while Lauren Conlin points out that everybody in the
overflow room, while the journalists are saying, well, when are
we going to be done with baby oil? When are
we going to talk about sex trafficking, We're talking about
sex trafficking right now. Cassie Ventira doesn't have to say
(16:19):
people were sex trafficked, there was a conspiracy. This is
a reco case. We don't expect that. We expect the
prosecutor to take the evidence from the witness stand, explain
the law to the jury and explain why what they're
hearing if they believe Cassie Ventira equals sex trafficking and
(16:42):
racketeering charges.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Okay, listen to this.
Speaker 8 (16:44):
Cassie says Combs wanted her glistening at all times and
had her reapply heated baby oil as often as every
five minutes, and during one performance, even made her get
into a kiddie.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Pool of baby oil.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
Afterwards, staff member were charged with cleaning up but with
baby oil and bodily fluids all over the floors, walls,
and door handles. Cole's was frequently charged for damages to
hotel rooms, negotiations handled by Combe's assistance.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Okay, you know I want to fight with Nimo Romani
right now about six trafficking, but I can't ignore that
Doctor Bethany Marshall joining us.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Are now psychoanalysts.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
I don't know what you're smiling about, Romani, but that's
a whole other can of worms. Doctor Marshall a psychoanalyst
out of LA, author of deal Breaker. You can see
her now on Peacock and find her at doctor Bethany
Marshall dot com. Dr Bethany just forcing Cassie Ventira to
engage in freak offfs during her period, forcing her out
(17:45):
of a shower where she's having cold water sprayed on
her after going down a g hole from GHB.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
And saying, Okay, you're ready, get back in there.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
It's like putting a boxer who's bleeding from the face
and all two big black eyes cut open and.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Put back in the ring.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Now we hear about a kiddie pool, a blown up
kittie pool full of warm baby oil.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
That Cassiyeventier had to get into.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
What woman on this jury is going to think any
of that is consensual.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
It's not consensual, Nancy.
Speaker 9 (18:16):
And what you're pointing out is correct is that this
is not simply just a domestic violence case.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
Two people who are.
Speaker 9 (18:22):
Romantically connected, yet there maybe one partner gets jealous or possessive.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
He is sex trafficking her. He takes away her shoes, takes.
Speaker 9 (18:32):
Away her purse, uses threats and intimidation to have control
over her. This is absolutely sex trafficking. In terms of
that baby oil, I think it's fascinating. If he can
only achieve arousal and ejaculate when looking at somebody with
baby oil on, then that technically would fit under the
category of a perversion, but I think he has multiple perversions.
(18:54):
What I really think is going on is that somehow
baby oil has become a associated with experiences of arousal,
which made me wonder, like, what were his early experiences
in life? I mean, how long has he been using
baby oil? Was baby ole used as a part of
a masturbatory ritual starting when he.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
Was really young?
Speaker 9 (19:16):
Did his mother use baby oil when he was an
infant and somehow that got eroticized or sexualized? I mean,
this is so fascinating to me as a clinician because
there's all kinds of meanings underneath this.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
You know, I'm glad you're the shrink and not me,
because I'm not really fascinated by a woman on her
period being forced to engage in a freak off with
a group of sex partners, male escorts that have been
flown in from out of state. I'm not really fascinating
with that, But I do I do want justice.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
This is like.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
A cornucopia. It's a Freudian freak show. I don't even
know what all of this means. And you know what,
doctor Bethany, no offense to you, but I don't care
what it means psychologically, I care if I or the
prosecutor can prove the case. And what Cassie Venturi's testimony
(20:14):
proves sex trafficking and rico. That's racketeering charges usually reserved
for the mob.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Okay, so how are they going to prove it? Listen?
Speaker 10 (20:27):
Prosecutor Emily Johnson briefly pauses Cassie's narrative testimony to make
a point. Whose decision was it to have freak offs?
Whose decision was it to involve baby oil? Whose decision
was it to use male sex workers? Whose decision was
it to pour hot wax on your body? Cassie's answer
remained the same Shawn's.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Crime stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 10 (21:00):
Prosecutor Emily Johnson briefly pauses Cassie's narrative testimony to make
a point. Whose decision was it to have freakoffs? Whose
decision was it to involve baby oil? Whose decision was
it to use male sex workers? Whose decision was it
to pour hot wax on your body? Cassie's answer remained
the same Shawn's.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
That is pointing to name Romani the head of the organization.
If Sean Holmes is only convicted of a rape. That's
going to be a cake walk for him. He'll get that,
He'll get at least two thirds of his time knocked off.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
He'll be out in five years.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Okay, the fans want the prize of racketeering and sex
trafficking listen.
Speaker 8 (21:46):
Cassie mentioned staff would set up Comb's hotel rooms for freakoffs,
prepping rooms with baby oil lighting, and other requests, specifically
in security guards, Roger Bond's uncle, Polly Fahim Malik, and
d Rock being sent to track her down or ordered
to take her belongings. Cassie also says bad Boy exec
Tony Fletcher handled her finances for several years and Christina
(22:10):
Korum discussed many personal details with her.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Tom Smith is joining me.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Former NYPD detective thirty years in narcotics robbery gang, also
with the FBI NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force. He is
the co host of Gold Shiels podcast. Tom, thank you
for being with us.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Okay, did you.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Hear all those people that are helping Shawn Combs affect
the freak coughs from buying baby oil lighting, prepping the rooms,
security guards, Roger Bond's uncle, Polly Fareim Malik, d Rock
sent to track down Cassie Ventura, take her belongings if
(22:52):
she doesn't show up to a freak cough. You've got
someone handling her finances for Shawn Combs, and you have
the hits person, Christina Korum, who denies any involvement, also
in the mix. All right, that's what we call Tom
Smith co conspirators explain.
Speaker 11 (23:11):
Yes, And you're exactly right. And when you begin any investigation,
especially this one, Nancy, who's the boss? That is what
every detective and every prosecutor is going to look at
when you're dealing with a rico case. Who is dictating,
who does what, Who's orchestrating it, Who's coordinating these sex
trafficking acts that are going on, the freaks off and everything.
(23:32):
That's what is important here, and that's what's going to
come out in a trial. It's just a build up.
It's like building a house the couple of first days
of the other foundation, and then it's going to go
and all this is going to be laid out in
court about Sean Comb's coordinating every single thing that happened
with these people, with these acts.
Speaker 10 (23:52):
Prosecutor Emily Johnson briefly pauses Cassie's narrative testimony to make
a point. Whose decision was it to have freak offs,
Whose decision was it to involve baby oil, Whose decision
was it to use male sex workers? Whose decision was
it to pour hot wax on your body? Gussie's answers
remained the same Shawn's.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
We are live at the Federal Courthouse in Manhattan, Shaan
Comb's aka Puffy aka Puff aka puff Daddy aka Love
aka Diddy, and the list goes on on trial in
the multi count federal indictment, including some of the most
serious charges that can be leveled by the federal government,
including racketeering, rico rco transportation to engage in prostitution, to
(24:42):
count sex trafficking. We are learning from Cassie Ventura's testimony
throughout the day that comes would become volatile angry when
she would be drugged.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
In order to perform the freak offs.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Joining us live Sidney Sumner, so they explain what Cassie
had to say about why she would get numbed on
drugs Nancy.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
Cassy said that she could not get through those freakoffs
without being on some kind of drug so that she
didn't have to fully understand what was happening around her.
Cassie said she used the drugs to associate. Now we
know that Cone hated this, evidenced by text messages in
between the couple. Loones told her that he wanted to
(25:29):
do freak offs without the tetanine. Cassy said that was
almost her drug of choice almost every time, because she
said it was the most dissociative of the things that
she took, but she also mentioned things like marijuana, mushrooms,
and more. Opioids were another big choice. Ventura says she
was almost addicted to opioids because of how frequently she
(25:51):
used them to get through these freakoffs. But we see
text messages between them with Comb's berating Cassie for using
drugs during the breakoffs. He said, they don't count if
she doesn't remember them.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Oh my stars, so the free counts. The freak coffs
don't count if she doesn't remember them. Sidney Sumner, didn't
we hear Cassie earlier today state that she had so
many urinary tract infections from the freak coughs that she
had to get super powerful antibiotics because the regular antibiotics
(26:27):
for UTIs no longer worked for her.
Speaker 5 (26:29):
Yes, we heard that from Cassie as well. She said
that the UTIs were frequent and she was forced to
perform in the freak offs anyway. She said it was
incredibly painful and just continued to make the UTI the
infection even worse. She says that the usual antibiotic prescribed
for UTI patients stopped working for her. She became resistant
(26:53):
to that antibiotic and had to be moved onto stronger
and stronger drugs.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
The testimony gut wrenching and emotional, and at one point
earlier today, Ventura is shown a series of photos. Now,
as odious as the photos may be, the point of
the photos is to show legally that this is a
criminal enterprise. It's not just Sean Comb's raping or sodomizing
(27:22):
or directing someone else to rape or sodomize Cassie Ventura.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
There are other people involved.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Why is that significant that is required to prove a
RICO case? To Lauren Colin, I understand you're not happy
with all the baby oil testimony, but what more can
you tell me about Cassie Ventura's testimony on the stand.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Before you answer that question, I want you to hear this.
Speaker 8 (27:48):
She was tasked with finding escorts for the freak offs,
but Combs always demanded to approve them. She typically handed
the escorts their cash, but the money came from Colmbs.
The cash and delivered by staff members. Combs always double checked,
but Cassie had verified the escorts weren't undercover cops, and
that's when it hit her that the situation was not legal.
Speaker 12 (28:09):
Mail escorts she procured online participated in frea co coffs
in several states. The company travel agents arrange flights and transportation.
Cassie says she would tell the travel agent she needed
to arrange a new employees transportation to avoid too many questions.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Calling the sex workers new employees to avoid the appearance
of impropriety. Obviously illegal to transport sex workers across state
lines for the purposes of prostitution. These people were paid
to have sex paid by Sean Combs.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
The key words in her.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Testimony online, which is wire transactions, which is federal offense
of its illegal, participated in FREA coffs in multiple states.
Cassie Ventura became concerned that what was happening was ill legal.
Back to you, Lauren Colin, now that you've heard that,
(29:04):
I want to point out that the different escorts were
in the photos that Cassie was shown today, what we.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Saw from Cassie on the stand was so emotional and
also so eye opening. Cassie was shown multiple photos of
different esports that she and Diddy allegedly used in their freakoffs,
and Cassie had to identify them by name and then
speak about how these escorts traveled with she and Ditty
(29:37):
for freakoffs to different.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Locations, different locations, hiring escorts from other state, even booking travel,
Is that right, Lauren commin Now?
Speaker 3 (29:48):
She went through who arranged what travel and she actually
mentioned that at one point a travel agent booked the
travel of an esport and they told the travel agent
that this escort was an employee of Didi, so they
wouldn't ask questions.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
To Nima Romani.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
The buzzwords that are going to be reiterated to the
jury and closing arguments across state lines online, paying them,
you're orchestrating a criminal enterprise, because see that's what Giara
Ghos has been screaming from the get go. Yes he's
a bad boyfriend, Yes he may have coerced Cassie Ventira
(30:32):
into sex, translation rape, but that does not make a
sex trafficking case.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Okay, another chance to Nima Romani.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
What are they doing with Cassie's testimony here?
Speaker 6 (30:46):
Well, when it comes to Rico, we're talking about a
criminal enterprise, and that has to be a loose association
of two or more people. Doesn't have to be the mob,
doesn't have to be the cartel, doesn't have to be
a street game.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
We saw it in the r Kelly case.
Speaker 6 (31:00):
It is entourage is enough, and then you need those
two or more reco predicated acts assault. Right, it's not
a federal offense, but it's a reco predicated act.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Can I please, can I plase state that in simple words?
Speaker 1 (31:15):
You said predicate acts?
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Okay, it can't just be people paling around, Okay.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
There has to be an overt act.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
There has to be a crime associated with the friendship
the criminal enterprise. In this case, the predicate act would
be rape or sodomy or paying sex workers. Right, So
there's your crime, and then you have to have the
association that is.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Furthering the crime. Does that make sense to name.
Speaker 6 (31:45):
Of of course, you need to pattern a racketeering activity,
but all that is is two crimes within a ten
year period. That's all you need for RICO.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
And like you said, Nancy, some of these are state.
Speaker 7 (31:56):
Crimes, but they can become federal crimes if there's an
inter state component, so the prostitution across state lines, if
there's money involved, that's the commerce clause of the Constitution.
So you need a federal hook to make some of
these crimes federal crimes. We're obviously in federal court, so
when it's the sex trafficking, the prostitution, the RICO, there
(32:18):
has to be that federal element.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
And that's what we're talking about all this.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
So while a lot of this testimony is graphic and disturbing,
For instance, Lauren Collin was just accurately reporting that earlier today,
Cassie Ventiro has shown pictures.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Of male escorts.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Right, we learned from her testimony, and Sidney Sumner correct
me if I'm wrong. We learned from her testimony that
she would be asked to go online find the male escorts.
Then she would have to show the photos to Sean Combs.
He would actually approve which men were transported to the location.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Is that right, Sidney Sumner?
Speaker 5 (32:58):
Absolutely, Nancy, that's correct, And.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Nima Romani, I keep reiterating this for a reason.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Let me see Nima, nima, the state.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
If they just get a rape conviction, that's a conviction,
a titular conviction at best, a nominal conviction. They're going
for the prize they want Shawn comes behind.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Bars for life.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
The only way that's going to happen is if they
get a conviction on sex trafficking or rico, racketeering, criminal enterprise.
They're going for the prize here, and if Cassie is
to be believed, and I think she is, they've done it.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
I believe it.
Speaker 6 (33:41):
And prostitution, You're right, Nancy, this would be a loss
for the government, a pretty tremendous one. The RICO and
sex trafficking, those have the serious penalties.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Rico is a potential life sentence.
Speaker 6 (33:51):
Sex trafficking with forced Nancy, that's a fifteen year mandatory minimum.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Sentence up to life.
Speaker 6 (33:58):
That's why you see them focus on those counts and
not so much the prostitution. That's just the throw it.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Crime stories.
Speaker 8 (34:12):
With Nancy Grace, his eyes went black and the person
that she loved was no longer there. Cassie says afterwards
she was still very numb from the drugs but felt
dirty and confused. Cassie didn't want to make Combs angry
by telling him she didn't like it. The freak offts
quickly became a weekly event, with the actual escapade lasting
(34:36):
roughly two to three days with no sleep.
Speaker 10 (34:38):
And the recovery taking just as long. She quickly determined
she no longer wanted to participate in the freak offs,
especially with how regular they became. But I didn't know
how to refuse Colmbs quote. It got to the point
where I just didn't feel like I had much of
a choice. Didn't really know what no could be or
what no could turn into. Bina says she didn't know
(35:00):
if Combs would be violent or followed through on threads
to release the recordings of the encounters.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
So far, he's just sounding like a pimp.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
But when you analyze the testimony, there is sex trafficking.
A sex trafficking case, enner Rico case being made.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
Out joining me now.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Rachel Fisher is with US anti trafficking expert featured in
the twenty twenty two documentary Surviving Sex Trafficking. She is
a forensic nurse a sex assault nurse examiner. You can
find her at Legal Art inconsult dot Org. Rachel, I
was working up to you. You heard about the beatings,
(35:42):
you heard about the urinary tract infections, the being forced
to perform during her period. But also we learn Rachel,
that Cassie testified I think it was right after the
lunch break today, but Cassie testified that when she would
and pick her phone up, Comes would call over and
(36:03):
over and over again. If she still didn't pick up,
he would send he has hinch people to get her.
He would take away her possessions as punishment, like her car.
He would take away her phone, her laptop, and her
jewelry until he.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
Thought she should get them back.
Speaker 13 (36:22):
Okay, explain this is a very common tactic that traffickers
use with their victims in that element of control that
force frauden coercion, courasion being making something fair seeming that
isn't and using that fear of reputational harm, manipulation, not
being able to have access to the phone to call
(36:42):
the outside world, using an enforcer another person to be
able to hold her accountable. So that's again engaging another
person to hold her to it, and then the engaging
in commercial sex acts. So the prostitution word has been said,
but forcing someone to engage in commercial sex acts as
part of that in trafficking and the performing labor for
(37:05):
sexual gratification, or perform sex acts for his gratification, her
not being able to have a choice in it because
she could be hurt by either him or his staff
acting in that enterprise. So there was that constant fear,
and we see that all the time, is if I
don't do this, or if I don't follow his commands,
(37:26):
there will be repercussions. As she's talked about all the
things that have happened and they're going to happen again,
And that's that fear that they constantly live under.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
And you know, Rachel Fasher, a lot has been May
we heard Lauren Collin talking about why do we keep
hearing about baby oil? She was directed, you have to
be quote glistening, and all of the sex workers, everybody
involved in the video Free Cops had to be literally
glowing in baby oil. It had to be reapplied over
and over and over to the point that the hotel
(37:58):
rooms would be damned and Combs would have to pay
to get the hotel rooms professionally cleaned and repaired. After
free coughs but we also learned Rachel Fisher, I'd like
to hear your opinion on this, because this is so serious.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
That if she did not comply.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Yes, he had given her two different places to live.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
One was in New York and La.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
She moved there because he wanted her to be close
to him, but if she displeased him in anyway, he
would take the keys and physically kick her out.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
And you heard earlier.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
Being kicked out at the con Film Festival with no shoes,
left to wander the streets with no shoes, no id, no.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Credit cards, no anything. Explain that interpret that for us.
Speaker 13 (38:49):
That's that power and control dynamic. That's president domestic violence
that we see also in the sex trafficking realm, is
they use that power and control over their victims to
have them engage in commercial sex acts. That's where we
get that trafficking overlap with domestic violence. And you see
the passport being withheld, not able to have a place
to live, the basic needs. Those are vulnerabilities that they
(39:10):
target and so they exploit. Just as he did to her.
He exploited those vulnerabilities and used them as that coersion
of if you don't do this, these are the repercussions.
So that's controlling a person through withholding food, basic necessities,
not allowing them to talk to family, using physical harm
or restraint against her as the victims.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
So there was a lot of that present throughout.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Sydney Sumner with US Crime Stories, Investigative reporter Cassie Ventira
later in the day read a series of texts What
was the significance fancy?
Speaker 5 (39:44):
This stood out to me particularly to just show Combe's
cowardice and control over Cathy when she escaped that hotel
room on March fifth, twenty sixteen, because she had a
movie premiere and she was so worried that Combs would
make her face damaged ahead of her movie premiere that
(40:07):
she finally decided, you know what, No, I'm not going
back in that room. I'm calling security, find leaving. So
she manages to escape that hotel room, and Combs sends
her text messages over and over begging her to come
back because he claims the cops are showing up. He's surrounded. Please,
(40:29):
I've got six kids. Don't do this to me. Don't
take me down for this. I just I couldn't imagine
what was going through her mind reading those text messages
after she already denied the security guard's offer to call police.
Later that day, a friend didn't consult her before calling police,
(40:51):
and when an officer showed up at her door, she
refused to cooperate. She was never planning on sending Sean
Combs down, but she wanted to look presentable for her
movie premiere and he's begging her to come back, asking
her to consider his children after he beat her Sydney.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
When we look at the hotel video from the Intercontinental,
there have been a lot of reports of why she's
trying to leave. What is her testimony? And this was
slowed down and played frame by frame for the jury.
Why was she leaving the hotel room?
Speaker 5 (41:28):
So Cassie says that against her better judgment, she agreed
to a freak off on March fifth, at Combe's request,
despite the fact that she had her first big movie
premiere coming up March seventh. The Perfect Match that she
started was premiering and she was walking the red carpet
(41:48):
and she didn't want to compromise her appearance. She was
worried that during this freak off she would get hit
or punched or kicked, and she would have bruises on
her face for her premiere. Against her better judgment, she
agreed to this freak off, and just a few minutes in,
Combs did exactly what she feared. He hit her in
the face. She had a bruise forming over her eye,
(42:11):
and she said, no, what, No, I'm not doing this.
I can't risk this anymore. I have to be able
to go to my premiere in two days. So she
grabs her belongings while Comb's is in the shower and
sneaks out of the room. We watch as she puts
her shoes on. She didn't even put shoes on before
she left the hotel room because she was trying to
get out without alerting Combs. And that's when he touches
(42:35):
her in the hallway trying to go down the elevator,
tries to drag her back into the room, and she
sticks to her guns and she calls security. So that's
what Cassy says happened. We haven't seen anything about what
the defense is claiming.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
That video from our friends at CNN. Doctor Bethany Marshall,
what Mark Gerrigoes told me. His daughter Tenny is one
of the lead councils on Comes's defense Yeah, that wasn't
a freak off at all happening in that room.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
There was an.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
Argument where Cassie became angry because Comb's got a text
from another woman and that's why she was leaving.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
But that's not what she says, you know, and you
know when you know Gara goes.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
He's so affable and likable, but he has a job,
and his job is to get Comb's.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
Off or whoever his client is at the moment.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
Those there's highly divergent versions about why she was trying
to get away.
Speaker 9 (43:27):
You know, I think what was really happening Nancy is
that she had this premiere coming up, and if he
locked her into one of these freak offs, then he
could maim.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Hurt her, restrain her, control her. He was trying to put.
Speaker 9 (43:43):
Her in an impaired positions so she couldn't get to
the premiere.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
This is classic. This is sex trafficking.
Speaker 9 (43:51):
One one separate the victim from anybody who could support them,
or anybody they could report the crime to.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
We wait as just to sunfolds and remember an American hero,
Trooper Frankie Williams, New Jersey State Police just thirty one,
struck and killed in the line of duty. Leaves behind
wife Kimberly, parents Victoria and Robert, American hero trooper Frankie Williams,
Nancy Gray signing off goodbye friend,
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
You need to glisten what you need to glisten?
Speaker 1 (00:13):
According to Sean Crimes, what does that mean?
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Pregnant mom Cassie Ventirol on the stand under oath, reliving
humiliating sex acts she was forced.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
To perform with strangers on video.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
It's all about Ditty's foul fetish. I'm Nancy Grace. This
is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being
with us. We are live at the courthouse going straight
out to Lauren Conlin, investigative reporter host of Pop Crime TV.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Lauren, thank you for being with us. What's happening in
court today?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
We are learning about what a vile human Diddy is.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
As if we didn't already know.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Cassie is still on the stand, and we are actually
seeing never before seen photographs of black eyes fatless. We
actually saw a photo of her eyebrow after she told
us that when she was sleeping one night, Diddy came
in and just attacked her and her friends and threw
her against a bed, the corner of a bed where
(01:14):
she split her eyebrow open. And that's not all, Nancy.
We are learning that Cassie experienced mouthswords during these freakoffs,
many utiys, and she sat up there on the stand
and told us that she was expected to go through
with these freakoffs while she had these beaut eyes. I mean,
is it is heartbreaking and just painful to listen to.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
What does she say? How does she respond? What is
her demeanor?
Speaker 3 (01:40):
I mean she says over and over here Nancy, how
young she was, and how regretful she is, and what
she could have said at the time, but she was
so young that she didn't know how to verbalize it.
She did break down on the stand a few times.
Day two, Day three, we aren't seeing her as emotional.
(02:02):
She appears to be very strong, but again she is saying,
over and over, I wish I never did this. I
wish I did things differently. She's incredibly strong. I mean,
think about it. She is up there, eight months pregnant,
with two toddlers at home, having to relive the most
humiliating and terrifying time of her life. And Nancy, I mean,
(02:25):
what Cassie van Tura went through. I want justice for Cassie.
Here I will say it. I want justice for Cassie.
She is truly heroic, and I mean she is you
can tell she's a little uncomfortable, of course physically and
of course emotionally, but she's not holding back.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
I mean.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
There was another instance that she spoke about where she
appeared to take too much GHB. She described going into
a g hole. This is before a freak off, and
she described waking up nude in the shower with Diddy
and another escort hovering over her, freaking out. She kind
(03:02):
of comes to and I'm thinking, Okay, they're going to
take her to a hospital at this point.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Nope. Jeddy says, you're ready for the freak off.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Wow, okay, So a lot to take here in Lauren
Colin has been in the court of the entire day
and is telling us what the jury is hearing from
the witness stand. You stated that Cassie Ventira described earlier
today being in a g hole that's from GHB, gemma
hyjoxy buteray, which is a date rape drug, completely passed
(03:30):
out and as soon as she comes to naked in
a shower, Sean com says, okay, let's go. She also
described being forced to perform in free coughs when she
was on her period and she didn't want to, but
she did. She also described Lauren Conlin, where she would
basically have to drug herself to get through yet another freak.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Cough Lauren Conlin.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yes, yes, I mean she really seemed to live a
very existence for eleven years of her life, and I
think many of us watching here all feel the same way.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
I mean, justice for Cassie Nancy.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
She also described a time in con where she was
at the Con Film Festival and she was staying on
a boat with Sean Holmes and he got upset with
her that morning. He kicks her off a boat without
her shoes, without her passport, anything. She has to walk
over to the staff hotel and she doesn't see him
(04:29):
until learn it later that evening, and then we're shown
a picture of her on the red carpet looking glam
at the Con Film Festival. She described that she has
some bruises covered up with makeup, and she sits through
this premiere with Sean where he is squeezing her leg
as hard as he can while she's wearing this beat
a dress. She gets on a plane, she tries not
(04:51):
to sit next to him.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
He switches seats.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
With somebody in order to sit with her, and then
during that slight Nancy, he proceeds to torment her by
showing her freak off videos and threatening her. Okay, and
there are other people around, and then they land in
New York City and then they go to dinner and
she says after that, I was expected to do a
(05:14):
freak off and my stomach is I mean, my stomach
is turning.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
We are live at the courthouse and now also joining
as Sydney Sumner crimeonline dot Com investigative reporter. The evidence
has been pouring from the witness stand all day. There
were thoughts so that we would get to cassievterior cross examination.
Her direct examination is a bomb in that courtroom, Sydney Sumner.
(05:42):
What else is happening in the courtroom?
Speaker 5 (05:43):
Well, Nancy. In addition to what Lauren told us, we've
also heard about an instance of abuse in twenty thirteen,
when Combs attacked Cassie in her own apartment while her
friends were there. Her friends moved to protect her, jumped
on Comb's back, but at one point Comb's through passy
into the side of her bed, causing a gash in
(06:06):
her eyebrow. Combs how to security guards take Kathy to
go get the wound closed by a plastic surgeon. And
she sent him a photo of that injury afterwards, saying,
here's the picture so you can remember what you did
to me. And Comb's response was, you don't know when
(06:27):
to stop. You have pushed it too far and continue
to push bad.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Isn't it true?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Sydney Sumner that after that incident, the friendship between Cassie
Ventura and the friend dwindled away because of Seawan Coins.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
Yes, Cassy talks about how isolating this romantic relationship with
Colb's was because all of her friends couldn't stand to
watch her stay with him and watch the continued physical
abuse psychological abuse against someone they care. She wouldn't leave
him because she loved him so much, and her friends
just they couldn't stay around and.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Watch baby oil, Baby oil? Will we never hear the
end of baby oil? In the courtroom is being pervasive
today as well, Lauren Colin.
Speaker 4 (07:17):
It's getting crazy.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I mean, the talk of baby oil, and I'm not
even trying to be funny.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
The talk of baby oil got.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
To a point where they had to have a sidebar,
Thank goodness. Tenny Garrigos objected because at one point Emily
Johnson doing a great job as the prosecutor. She's questioning
Cassie and she probably questioned her for about ten minutes
about baby oil, and it got to the point where
Cassie had to tell us that she hum pms Sean
(07:46):
Colmes made her get into a blow up pool of
baby oil and astroglide with all of her clothes on,
and then we had to hear about how many bottles
of baby oil they went through during a freak off,
which by the way, was ten, and she described they
were the big size bottles.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I mean, there's so much more.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
I didn't bring my notepad out, but I mean a
lot of us are wondering, what does this have to
do with anything? Are they just trying to corroborate the
freak offs when other witnesses come on the stand and
talk about this baby oil and astroglide. It's really really strange.
But I am I'm wondering when we are going to
(08:26):
hear more about his criminal enterprise, about the sex trafficking,
the transportation across state lines, because right now Cassie is
giving really really tragic testimony and I feel awful for her.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
This is horrible, but it definitely is.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
It's seeming to me so far again, so far, it's
just seeming like it is a lot of domestic violence,
a lot of assaults and awfulness.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
I mean, he treated.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Her horribly, horribly, horribly.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
He's a vile man.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
I'm just trying to figure out when we're going to
start really getting into these charges. I mean, right now,
I'm in the overflow room, and people in the overflow
room are kind of like, what's what's going on?
Speaker 4 (09:09):
What are we what are we listening to?
Speaker 3 (09:11):
And yeah, I mean at another point, she asked, Cassie,
you know, why did you continue to participate in these
freak offs or why did you say yes to a
freak off?
Speaker 4 (09:20):
And Cassie actually, under.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Her breath, was like, good question, but she broke down
crying on the stands and it was awful.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
It was so awful.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
She you know, she just talked about how much she
loved Sean Colmes and how you know, she did these
freak offs so she could be with him, and that
is just really sad.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Well, I appreciate your perspective, but let's go to trial
lawyer Nima Romani joining us out of LA former federal
prosecutor turned trial lawyer, president of West Coast Trial lawyers
and author of Harvard to hashtag nima what a layperson sees.
(10:03):
They don't understand necessarily that what is happening right now
is proving sex trafficking and rico. Normally we see which
are the most serious charges that comes is facing rico,
which is racketeering. We normally see that apply to the mob, right,
(10:24):
a criminal enterprise like they have a vast criminal enterprise
involving stolen goods, prostitution, counterfeit, money laundering, even murder, and
there are many.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
I mean, we've all.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Seen Sopranos, right, that was a criminal enterprise for more
than one person, multiple people work to advance. Let's just
pretend Tony Sopranos criminal enterprise, right, He was the boss,
it was his enterprise, and all those people worked for him.
So what we're hearing, I know we've said in a
(10:58):
million times baby oil really baby oil to be used
in an illegal act, which is flying in escorts male
and female from other cities, buzzword flying, interstate commerce, using texts,
using online to find the escorts, wired transmission.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
See where I'm going with this.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Who went to get the baby oil, who paid for it?
Who paid the sex workers? Who set up the scene
for illegal freak offs. All of thats prostitution equals moving
people across state lines for purposes of prostitution. That is
a criminal enterprise. That's the point that jury may not.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Be getting it yet.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
But when Emily Johnson explains what the law is and says,
this is transporting across state lines. This person worked for
Seawan Combs. This person paid the sex workers, this person.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Bought the baby old.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
I mean, what did Shaun Holmes get a blow up
pool himself and blow it up, impouring heated baby oil?
Hgl n O. He pays somebody to do that? Hints
criminal enterprise.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
You explain it.
Speaker 6 (12:19):
Nancy, You're absolutely right. And as prosecutors, former prosecutors, we
know these are the elements of the crime. Let's just
go through them. Sex trafficking. You need that force, fraud
or coercion, the force right beating Cassie, throwing her against
the bed, that gash. We're gonna have independent witnesses, the
plastic surgeon, members of his security team. They are going
to testify to that the coersion givings drugs.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I just heard you say, plastic surgeon.
Speaker 6 (12:43):
What the plastic surgeon that Cassie went to see to
fix the gash in her eye. There's gonna be medical records, Nancy,
independent evidence to support her allegations. That's what you want
if you're the government. Let's talk about the coorden.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
When you hear Lauren Colin talking name of Ramani, when
you hear her talk to you like I'm sick baby oil,
We're all looking at each other thinking, where are we
really going to hear the evidence about sex trafficking. You
are hearing it right now, Break it down, Nima.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
This is it. This is sex trafficking.
Speaker 6 (13:14):
You give someone drugs so much that they throw up,
and they're forced to perform sex over a matter of days,
sometimes up to four days.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
That is coercion.
Speaker 7 (13:25):
Lauren, and I love Lauren.
Speaker 6 (13:26):
You urinate in someone's mouth, that is coercion. You force
someone to have sex on her period when she's bleeding
all over the bed sheet, that is coercion. It's not
just about the baby oil. It's not just about the vomit.
It's not just about the urine and the blood. No
human being could consent to this. The defensive argument is consent.
(13:51):
This is what the government is proving.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
And like you so wait a minute, wait a minute,
Nama Romani. When you say and I don't want to
go too, have come for on the law here.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
But when you say sex with Cassie Ventira without her consent,
that's rape. But I'm not proving a rape case right now.
I'm talking about the state proving reco a criminal conspiracy,
a criminal enterprise and what the jury.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Is hearing right now. As a matter of fact, Sidney.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Sumner, it's so upsetting what they're seeing these videos that
they've had to put up privacy monitors in the last
hours in court so everybody doesn't see the videos that
the jury is seeing.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
Isn't that true, Sydney.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
That is true, Nancy. We expect the prosecutors to play
some of these freak off tapes for the jury in
the next hours. They already tried to play them, but
there were some technical difficulties, so they decided to try
and work on those and continue with a different line
of questioning. So videos we're going to come up and
(15:01):
court very very soon. We see that reporters are scrambling
to actually get a seat in the courtroom instead of
the overflow rooms so they can watch the jury as
these videos are played.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
The goal trying to use the Bible, the Holy Bible,
as a prop There was only.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
One God in Diddy's world, and that.
Speaker 5 (15:23):
Was even Satan quoted scripture in the Bible, and at
the end of the day, he was still the devil.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Cassievententira, still on the witness stand. At the end of
the day, the testimony and video so upsetting that privacy
monitors have been put up to shield cameras and journalists
everyone out of the audience from seeing what the jury
is seeing. Okay, joining me at the courthouse is Lauren Conlin,
(15:55):
also with us on the trial from the get go,
Sidney Sumner, Nima. What I'm trying to tell you is
that while Lauren Conlin points out that everybody in the
overflow room, while the journalists are saying, well, when are
we going to be done with baby oil? When are
we going to talk about sex trafficking, We're talking about
sex trafficking right now. Cassie Ventira doesn't have to say
(16:19):
people were sex trafficked, there was a conspiracy. This is
a reco case. We don't expect that. We expect the
prosecutor to take the evidence from the witness stand, explain
the law to the jury and explain why what they're
hearing if they believe Cassie Ventira equals sex trafficking and
(16:42):
racketeering charges.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Okay, listen to this.
Speaker 8 (16:44):
Cassie says Combs wanted her glistening at all times and
had her reapply heated baby oil as often as every
five minutes, and during one performance, even made her get
into a kiddie.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Pool of baby oil.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
Afterwards, staff member were charged with cleaning up but with
baby oil and bodily fluids all over the floors, walls,
and door handles. Cole's was frequently charged for damages to
hotel rooms, negotiations handled by Combe's assistance.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Okay, you know I want to fight with Nimo Romani
right now about six trafficking, but I can't ignore that
Doctor Bethany Marshall joining us.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Are now psychoanalysts.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
I don't know what you're smiling about, Romani, but that's
a whole other can of worms. Doctor Marshall a psychoanalyst
out of LA, author of deal Breaker. You can see
her now on Peacock and find her at doctor Bethany
Marshall dot com. Dr Bethany just forcing Cassie Ventira to
engage in freak offfs during her period, forcing her out
(17:45):
of a shower where she's having cold water sprayed on
her after going down a g hole from GHB.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
And saying, Okay, you're ready, get back in there.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
It's like putting a boxer who's bleeding from the face
and all two big black eyes cut open and.
Speaker 1 (17:59):
Put back in the ring.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
Now we hear about a kiddie pool, a blown up
kittie pool full of warm baby oil.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
That Cassiyeventier had to get into.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
What woman on this jury is going to think any
of that is consensual.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
It's not consensual, Nancy.
Speaker 9 (18:16):
And what you're pointing out is correct is that this
is not simply just a domestic violence case.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
Two people who are.
Speaker 9 (18:22):
Romantically connected, yet there maybe one partner gets jealous or possessive.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
He is sex trafficking her. He takes away her shoes, takes.
Speaker 9 (18:32):
Away her purse, uses threats and intimidation to have control
over her. This is absolutely sex trafficking. In terms of
that baby oil, I think it's fascinating. If he can
only achieve arousal and ejaculate when looking at somebody with
baby oil on, then that technically would fit under the
category of a perversion, but I think he has multiple perversions.
(18:54):
What I really think is going on is that somehow
baby oil has become a associated with experiences of arousal,
which made me wonder, like, what were his early experiences
in life? I mean, how long has he been using
baby oil? Was baby ole used as a part of
a masturbatory ritual starting when he.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
Was really young?
Speaker 9 (19:16):
Did his mother use baby oil when he was an
infant and somehow that got eroticized or sexualized? I mean,
this is so fascinating to me as a clinician because
there's all kinds of meanings underneath this.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
You know, I'm glad you're the shrink and not me,
because I'm not really fascinated by a woman on her
period being forced to engage in a freak off with
a group of sex partners, male escorts that have been
flown in from out of state. I'm not really fascinating
with that, But I do I do want justice.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
This is like.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
A cornucopia. It's a Freudian freak show. I don't even
know what all of this means. And you know what,
doctor Bethany, no offense to you, but I don't care
what it means psychologically, I care if I or the
prosecutor can prove the case. And what Cassie Venturi's testimony
(20:14):
proves sex trafficking and rico. That's racketeering charges usually reserved
for the mob.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
Okay, so how are they going to prove it? Listen?
Speaker 10 (20:27):
Prosecutor Emily Johnson briefly pauses Cassie's narrative testimony to make
a point. Whose decision was it to have freak offs?
Whose decision was it to involve baby oil? Whose decision
was it to use male sex workers? Whose decision was
it to pour hot wax on your body? Cassie's answer
remained the same Shawn's.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Crime stories with Nancy Grace.
Speaker 10 (21:00):
Prosecutor Emily Johnson briefly pauses Cassie's narrative testimony to make
a point. Whose decision was it to have freakoffs? Whose
decision was it to involve baby oil? Whose decision was
it to use male sex workers? Whose decision was it
to pour hot wax on your body? Cassie's answer remained
the same Shawn's.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
That is pointing to name Romani the head of the organization.
If Sean Holmes is only convicted of a rape. That's
going to be a cake walk for him. He'll get that,
He'll get at least two thirds of his time knocked off.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
He'll be out in five years.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Okay, the fans want the prize of racketeering and sex
trafficking listen.
Speaker 8 (21:46):
Cassie mentioned staff would set up Comb's hotel rooms for freakoffs,
prepping rooms with baby oil lighting, and other requests, specifically
in security guards, Roger Bond's uncle, Polly Fahim Malik, and
d Rock being sent to track her down or ordered
to take her belongings. Cassie also says bad Boy exec
Tony Fletcher handled her finances for several years and Christina
(22:10):
Korum discussed many personal details with her.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Tom Smith is joining me.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Former NYPD detective thirty years in narcotics robbery gang, also
with the FBI NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force. He is
the co host of Gold Shiels podcast. Tom, thank you
for being with us.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
Okay, did you.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Hear all those people that are helping Shawn Combs affect
the freak coughs from buying baby oil lighting, prepping the rooms,
security guards, Roger Bond's uncle, Polly Fareim Malik, d Rock
sent to track down Cassie Ventura, take her belongings if
(22:52):
she doesn't show up to a freak cough. You've got
someone handling her finances for Shawn Combs, and you have
the hits person, Christina Korum, who denies any involvement, also
in the mix. All right, that's what we call Tom
Smith co conspirators explain.
Speaker 11 (23:11):
Yes, And you're exactly right. And when you begin any investigation,
especially this one, Nancy, who's the boss? That is what
every detective and every prosecutor is going to look at
when you're dealing with a rico case. Who is dictating,
who does what, Who's orchestrating it, Who's coordinating these sex
trafficking acts that are going on, the freaks off and everything.
(23:32):
That's what is important here, and that's what's going to
come out in a trial. It's just a build up.
It's like building a house the couple of first days
of the other foundation, and then it's going to go
and all this is going to be laid out in
court about Sean Comb's coordinating every single thing that happened
with these people, with these acts.
Speaker 10 (23:52):
Prosecutor Emily Johnson briefly pauses Cassie's narrative testimony to make
a point. Whose decision was it to have freak offs,
Whose decision was it to involve baby oil, Whose decision
was it to use male sex workers? Whose decision was
it to pour hot wax on your body? Gussie's answers
remained the same Shawn's.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
We are live at the Federal Courthouse in Manhattan, Shaan
Comb's aka Puffy aka Puff aka puff Daddy aka Love
aka Diddy, and the list goes on on trial in
the multi count federal indictment, including some of the most
serious charges that can be leveled by the federal government,
including racketeering, rico rco transportation to engage in prostitution, to
(24:42):
count sex trafficking. We are learning from Cassie Ventura's testimony
throughout the day that comes would become volatile angry when
she would be drugged.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
In order to perform the freak offs.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Joining us live Sidney Sumner, so they explain what Cassie
had to say about why she would get numbed on
drugs Nancy.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
Cassy said that she could not get through those freakoffs
without being on some kind of drug so that she
didn't have to fully understand what was happening around her.
Cassie said she used the drugs to associate. Now we
know that Cone hated this, evidenced by text messages in
between the couple. Loones told her that he wanted to
(25:29):
do freak offs without the tetanine. Cassy said that was
almost her drug of choice almost every time, because she
said it was the most dissociative of the things that
she took, but she also mentioned things like marijuana, mushrooms,
and more. Opioids were another big choice. Ventura says she
was almost addicted to opioids because of how frequently she
(25:51):
used them to get through these freakoffs. But we see
text messages between them with Comb's berating Cassie for using
drugs during the breakoffs. He said, they don't count if
she doesn't remember them.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Oh my stars, so the free counts. The freak coffs
don't count if she doesn't remember them. Sidney Sumner, didn't
we hear Cassie earlier today state that she had so
many urinary tract infections from the freak coughs that she
had to get super powerful antibiotics because the regular antibiotics
(26:27):
for UTIs no longer worked for her.
Speaker 5 (26:29):
Yes, we heard that from Cassie as well. She said
that the UTIs were frequent and she was forced to
perform in the freak offs anyway. She said it was
incredibly painful and just continued to make the UTI the
infection even worse. She says that the usual antibiotic prescribed
for UTI patients stopped working for her. She became resistant
(26:53):
to that antibiotic and had to be moved onto stronger
and stronger drugs.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
The testimony gut wrenching and emotional, and at one point
earlier today, Ventura is shown a series of photos. Now,
as odious as the photos may be, the point of
the photos is to show legally that this is a
criminal enterprise. It's not just Sean Comb's raping or sodomizing
(27:22):
or directing someone else to rape or sodomize Cassie Ventura.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
There are other people involved.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Why is that significant that is required to prove a
RICO case? To Lauren Colin, I understand you're not happy
with all the baby oil testimony, but what more can
you tell me about Cassie Ventura's testimony on the stand.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Before you answer that question, I want you to hear this.
Speaker 8 (27:48):
She was tasked with finding escorts for the freak offs,
but Combs always demanded to approve them. She typically handed
the escorts their cash, but the money came from Colmbs.
The cash and delivered by staff members. Combs always double checked,
but Cassie had verified the escorts weren't undercover cops, and
that's when it hit her that the situation was not legal.
Speaker 12 (28:09):
Mail escorts she procured online participated in frea co coffs
in several states. The company travel agents arrange flights and transportation.
Cassie says she would tell the travel agent she needed
to arrange a new employees transportation to avoid too many questions.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Calling the sex workers new employees to avoid the appearance
of impropriety. Obviously illegal to transport sex workers across state
lines for the purposes of prostitution. These people were paid
to have sex paid by Sean Combs.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
The key words in her.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Testimony online, which is wire transactions, which is federal offense
of its illegal, participated in FREA coffs in multiple states.
Cassie Ventura became concerned that what was happening was ill legal.
Back to you, Lauren Colin, now that you've heard that,
(29:04):
I want to point out that the different escorts were
in the photos that Cassie was shown today, what we.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Saw from Cassie on the stand was so emotional and
also so eye opening. Cassie was shown multiple photos of
different esports that she and Diddy allegedly used in their freakoffs,
and Cassie had to identify them by name and then
speak about how these escorts traveled with she and Ditty
(29:37):
for freakoffs to different.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Locations, different locations, hiring escorts from other state, even booking travel,
Is that right, Lauren commin Now?
Speaker 3 (29:48):
She went through who arranged what travel and she actually
mentioned that at one point a travel agent booked the
travel of an esport and they told the travel agent
that this escort was an employee of Didi, so they
wouldn't ask questions.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
To Nima Romani.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
The buzzwords that are going to be reiterated to the
jury and closing arguments across state lines online, paying them,
you're orchestrating a criminal enterprise, because see that's what Giara
Ghos has been screaming from the get go. Yes he's
a bad boyfriend, Yes he may have coerced Cassie Ventira
(30:32):
into sex, translation rape, but that does not make a
sex trafficking case.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Okay, another chance to Nima Romani.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
What are they doing with Cassie's testimony here?
Speaker 6 (30:46):
Well, when it comes to Rico, we're talking about a
criminal enterprise, and that has to be a loose association
of two or more people. Doesn't have to be the mob,
doesn't have to be the cartel, doesn't have to be
a street game.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
We saw it in the r Kelly case.
Speaker 6 (31:00):
It is entourage is enough, and then you need those
two or more reco predicated acts assault. Right, it's not
a federal offense, but it's a reco predicated act.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Can I please, can I plase state that in simple words?
Speaker 1 (31:15):
You said predicate acts?
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Okay, it can't just be people paling around, Okay.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
There has to be an overt act.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
There has to be a crime associated with the friendship
the criminal enterprise. In this case, the predicate act would
be rape or sodomy or paying sex workers. Right, So
there's your crime, and then you have to have the
association that is.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Furthering the crime. Does that make sense to name.
Speaker 6 (31:45):
Of of course, you need to pattern a racketeering activity,
but all that is is two crimes within a ten
year period. That's all you need for RICO.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
And like you said, Nancy, some of these are state.
Speaker 7 (31:56):
Crimes, but they can become federal crimes if there's an
inter state component, so the prostitution across state lines, if
there's money involved, that's the commerce clause of the Constitution.
So you need a federal hook to make some of
these crimes federal crimes. We're obviously in federal court, so
when it's the sex trafficking, the prostitution, the RICO, there
(32:18):
has to be that federal element.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
And that's what we're talking about all this.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
So while a lot of this testimony is graphic and disturbing,
For instance, Lauren Collin was just accurately reporting that earlier today,
Cassie Ventiro has shown pictures.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Of male escorts.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Right, we learned from her testimony, and Sidney Sumner correct
me if I'm wrong. We learned from her testimony that
she would be asked to go online find the male escorts.
Then she would have to show the photos to Sean Combs.
He would actually approve which men were transported to the location.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Is that right, Sidney Sumner?
Speaker 5 (32:58):
Absolutely, Nancy, that's correct, And.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Nima Romani, I keep reiterating this for a reason.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Let me see Nima, nima, the state.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
If they just get a rape conviction, that's a conviction,
a titular conviction at best, a nominal conviction. They're going
for the prize they want Shawn comes behind.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Bars for life.
Speaker 2 (33:20):
The only way that's going to happen is if they
get a conviction on sex trafficking or rico, racketeering, criminal enterprise.
They're going for the prize here, and if Cassie is
to be believed, and I think she is, they've done it.
Speaker 1 (33:40):
I believe it.
Speaker 6 (33:41):
And prostitution, You're right, Nancy, this would be a loss
for the government, a pretty tremendous one. The RICO and
sex trafficking, those have the serious penalties.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Rico is a potential life sentence.
Speaker 6 (33:51):
Sex trafficking with forced Nancy, that's a fifteen year mandatory minimum.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Sentence up to life.
Speaker 6 (33:58):
That's why you see them focus on those counts and
not so much the prostitution. That's just the throw it.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Crime stories.
Speaker 8 (34:12):
With Nancy Grace, his eyes went black and the person
that she loved was no longer there. Cassie says afterwards
she was still very numb from the drugs but felt
dirty and confused. Cassie didn't want to make Combs angry
by telling him she didn't like it. The freak offts
quickly became a weekly event, with the actual escapade lasting
(34:36):
roughly two to three days with no sleep.
Speaker 10 (34:38):
And the recovery taking just as long. She quickly determined
she no longer wanted to participate in the freak offs,
especially with how regular they became. But I didn't know
how to refuse Colmbs quote. It got to the point
where I just didn't feel like I had much of
a choice. Didn't really know what no could be or
what no could turn into. Bina says she didn't know
(35:00):
if Combs would be violent or followed through on threads
to release the recordings of the encounters.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
So far, he's just sounding like a pimp.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
But when you analyze the testimony, there is sex trafficking.
A sex trafficking case, enner Rico case being made.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
Out joining me now.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Rachel Fisher is with US anti trafficking expert featured in
the twenty twenty two documentary Surviving Sex Trafficking. She is
a forensic nurse a sex assault nurse examiner. You can
find her at Legal Art inconsult dot Org. Rachel, I
was working up to you. You heard about the beatings,
(35:42):
you heard about the urinary tract infections, the being forced
to perform during her period. But also we learn Rachel,
that Cassie testified I think it was right after the
lunch break today, but Cassie testified that when she would
and pick her phone up, Comes would call over and
(36:03):
over and over again. If she still didn't pick up,
he would send he has hinch people to get her.
He would take away her possessions as punishment, like her car.
He would take away her phone, her laptop, and her
jewelry until he.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
Thought she should get them back.
Speaker 13 (36:22):
Okay, explain this is a very common tactic that traffickers
use with their victims in that element of control that
force frauden coercion, courasion being making something fair seeming that
isn't and using that fear of reputational harm, manipulation, not
being able to have access to the phone to call
(36:42):
the outside world, using an enforcer another person to be
able to hold her accountable. So that's again engaging another
person to hold her to it, and then the engaging
in commercial sex acts. So the prostitution word has been said,
but forcing someone to engage in commercial sex acts as
part of that in trafficking and the performing labor for
(37:05):
sexual gratification, or perform sex acts for his gratification, her
not being able to have a choice in it because
she could be hurt by either him or his staff
acting in that enterprise. So there was that constant fear,
and we see that all the time, is if I
don't do this, or if I don't follow his commands,
(37:26):
there will be repercussions. As she's talked about all the
things that have happened and they're going to happen again,
And that's that fear that they constantly live under.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
And you know, Rachel Fasher, a lot has been May
we heard Lauren Collin talking about why do we keep
hearing about baby oil? She was directed, you have to
be quote glistening, and all of the sex workers, everybody
involved in the video Free Cops had to be literally
glowing in baby oil. It had to be reapplied over
and over and over to the point that the hotel
(37:58):
rooms would be damned and Combs would have to pay
to get the hotel rooms professionally cleaned and repaired. After
free coughs but we also learned Rachel Fisher, I'd like
to hear your opinion on this, because this is so serious.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
That if she did not comply.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Yes, he had given her two different places to live.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
One was in New York and La.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
She moved there because he wanted her to be close
to him, but if she displeased him in anyway, he
would take the keys and physically kick her out.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
And you heard earlier.
Speaker 2 (38:33):
Being kicked out at the con Film Festival with no shoes,
left to wander the streets with no shoes, no id, no.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Credit cards, no anything. Explain that interpret that for us.
Speaker 13 (38:49):
That's that power and control dynamic. That's president domestic violence
that we see also in the sex trafficking realm, is
they use that power and control over their victims to
have them engage in commercial sex acts. That's where we
get that trafficking overlap with domestic violence. And you see
the passport being withheld, not able to have a place
to live, the basic needs. Those are vulnerabilities that they
(39:10):
target and so they exploit. Just as he did to her.
He exploited those vulnerabilities and used them as that coersion
of if you don't do this, these are the repercussions.
So that's controlling a person through withholding food, basic necessities,
not allowing them to talk to family, using physical harm
or restraint against her as the victims.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
So there was a lot of that present throughout.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Sydney Sumner with US Crime Stories, Investigative reporter Cassie Ventira
later in the day read a series of texts What
was the significance fancy?
Speaker 5 (39:44):
This stood out to me particularly to just show Combe's
cowardice and control over Cathy when she escaped that hotel
room on March fifth, twenty sixteen, because she had a
movie premiere and she was so worried that Combs would
make her face damaged ahead of her movie premiere that
(40:07):
she finally decided, you know what, No, I'm not going
back in that room. I'm calling security, find leaving. So
she manages to escape that hotel room, and Combs sends
her text messages over and over begging her to come
back because he claims the cops are showing up. He's surrounded. Please,
(40:29):
I've got six kids. Don't do this to me. Don't
take me down for this. I just I couldn't imagine
what was going through her mind reading those text messages
after she already denied the security guard's offer to call police.
Later that day, a friend didn't consult her before calling police,
(40:51):
and when an officer showed up at her door, she
refused to cooperate. She was never planning on sending Sean
Combs down, but she wanted to look presentable for her
movie premiere and he's begging her to come back, asking
her to consider his children after he beat her Sydney.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
When we look at the hotel video from the Intercontinental,
there have been a lot of reports of why she's
trying to leave. What is her testimony? And this was
slowed down and played frame by frame for the jury.
Why was she leaving the hotel room?
Speaker 5 (41:28):
So Cassie says that against her better judgment, she agreed
to a freak off on March fifth, at Combe's request,
despite the fact that she had her first big movie
premiere coming up March seventh. The Perfect Match that she
started was premiering and she was walking the red carpet
(41:48):
and she didn't want to compromise her appearance. She was
worried that during this freak off she would get hit
or punched or kicked, and she would have bruises on
her face for her premiere. Against her better judgment, she
agreed to this freak off, and just a few minutes in,
Combs did exactly what she feared. He hit her in
the face. She had a bruise forming over her eye,
(42:11):
and she said, no, what, No, I'm not doing this.
I can't risk this anymore. I have to be able
to go to my premiere in two days. So she
grabs her belongings while Comb's is in the shower and
sneaks out of the room. We watch as she puts
her shoes on. She didn't even put shoes on before
she left the hotel room because she was trying to
get out without alerting Combs. And that's when he touches
(42:35):
her in the hallway trying to go down the elevator,
tries to drag her back into the room, and she
sticks to her guns and she calls security. So that's
what Cassy says happened. We haven't seen anything about what
the defense is claiming.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
That video from our friends at CNN. Doctor Bethany Marshall,
what Mark Gerrigoes told me. His daughter Tenny is one
of the lead councils on Comes's defense Yeah, that wasn't
a freak off at all happening in that room.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
There was an.
Speaker 2 (43:01):
Argument where Cassie became angry because Comb's got a text
from another woman and that's why she was leaving.
Speaker 1 (43:09):
But that's not what she says, you know, and you
know when you know Gara goes.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
He's so affable and likable, but he has a job,
and his job is to get Comb's.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
Off or whoever his client is at the moment.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
Those there's highly divergent versions about why she was trying
to get away.
Speaker 9 (43:27):
You know, I think what was really happening Nancy is
that she had this premiere coming up, and if he
locked her into one of these freak offs, then he
could maim.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Hurt her, restrain her, control her. He was trying to put.
Speaker 9 (43:43):
Her in an impaired positions so she couldn't get to
the premiere.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
This is classic. This is sex trafficking.
Speaker 9 (43:51):
One one separate the victim from anybody who could support them,
or anybody they could report the crime to.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
We wait as just to sunfolds and remember an American hero,
Trooper Frankie Williams, New Jersey State Police just thirty one,
struck and killed in the line of duty. Leaves behind
wife Kimberly, parents Victoria and Robert, American hero trooper Frankie Williams,
Nancy Gray signing off goodbye friend,
Host
Nancy Grace
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