R&B singer Cassie set to testify in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sex trafficking trial

NEW YORK AP The R B singer Cassie could testify as soon as Tuesday in Sean Diddy Combs sex trafficking trial as the Bad Boy Records founder faces charges that he orchestrated a deviant empire of exploitation that forced women into drugged-up sex parties called freak-offs Testimony in the trial began Monday Prosecutors reported jurors that for years Combs used his status as a powerful executive to coerce women into abusive sexual encounters and became violent if they refused Lawyers for three-time Grammy winner argue that though he could be violent Combs never veered into sex trafficking and racketeering telling jurors the sexual acts were consensual Combs has pleaded not guilty Cassie whose legal name is Casandra Ventura has been at the center of Combs stunning downfall She sued him in alleging years of abuse A surveillance video made masses last year proved Combs beating her at a Los Angeles hotel in CNN aired the video last year leading Combs to apologize The video which was played for jurors shows Combs wearing only a white towel punching kicking and dragging Cassie in a hotel hallway Israel Florez a former assurance officer at the hotel testified Monday that he came across Combs while responding to a call about a woman in distress and discovered Combs sitting in a chair with a devilish stare Florez noted Combs offered him a stack of money and stated Don t tell nobody Florez declared he refused the cash and advised Combs I don t want your money Just go back into your room Assistant U S Attorney Emily Johnson noted Combs beat Cassie often and with little provocation and threatened to ruin her music career by releasing videos of her engaging in sexual acts with male escorts during encounters he arranged Johnson declared Combs sexually exploited and beat other women including a woman identified only as Jane who Combs is accused of attacking after she confronted him about the freak-offs Cassie s lawsuit against Combs was settled within hours but it was followed by dozens of similar legal insists and touched off a criminal scrutiny An attorney for Combs Teny Geragos stated the jury Combs accusers were after his money adding that jurors might think he s a jerk and might not condone his kinky sex but that he s not charged with being a jerk The Associated Press doesn t generally identify people who say they are casualties of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly as Cassie has done Combs has been jailed in Brooklyn since his arrest in September If convicted he could get at least years and up to life in prison