NEW YORK — Rapper Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi testified on May 22 in the federal sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. The testimony took place in Manhattan federal court, where Mescudi appeared as a witness for the prosecution.
Mescudi, 41, told the jury about his brief romantic relationship with R&B singer Casandra Ventura, known professionally as Cassie. Ventura previously testified that Combs forced her to take part in drug-fueled sex parties, referred to as “freak offs,” during their 11-year on-and-off relationship.
Combs, 55, faces charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals for prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. His defense team has admitted that Combs has a past involving drug use and domestic violence but insists that all sexual activities were consensual.
During her testimony on May 14, Ventura, 38, described an incident from 2011 in which Combs allegedly kicked her in the back after learning she was dating Mescudi. She also said Combs threatened to release explicit videos of her and have both her and Mescudi harmed.
The jury was shown photographs of bruises on Ventura’s body, reportedly taken by her mother after the alleged assault.
Ventura testified that she ended her relationship with Mescudi soon after the incident and returned to Combs. She claimed that Combs later threatened that Mescudi’s car would be blown up. In a civil lawsuit filed in November 2023, Ventura accused Combs of actually carrying out the car bombing. Though Combs denied the accusation, he paid Ventura a US$20 million settlement shortly after she filed the suit.
Combs, also known by the stage names Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is the founder of Bad Boy Records. He played a major role in launching the careers of artists such as Notorious B.I.G. and Usher, and helped bring hip-hop into the mainstream during the 1990s and early 2000s, eventually becoming a billionaire.
He has been held in federal custody in Brooklyn since his arrest in September 2024.
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