By Jack Queen
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Pop singer Dawn Richard was set to return to the witness stand in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial on Monday, after telling a jury last week that she saw the hip-hop mogul physically and emotionally abuse his then-girlfriend for years.
Richard, a former member of the pop group Danity Kane, described an incident at Combs’ Los Angeles home in 2009 when she said Combs beat his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura and dragged her upstairs by the hair. Richard then said she heard breaking glass and screaming.
Richard testified Combs called her and others who witnessed the alleged assault into the studio the next day, gave them flowers and said their careers would be harmed if they reported the incident.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has been held since September in a Brooklyn jail when not in court. If convicted on all counts, he could face 15 years to life in prison.
The 38-year-old Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known as Cassie, said over four days of testimony last week that Combs coerced and blackmailed her into taking part in days of drug-fueled sex parties he called “Freak Offs,” which are at the heart of the prosecution’s case.
Ventura, the prosecution’s star witness, said she suffered years of physical and emotional abuse during their tumultuous relationship.
Ventura, who is in a late stage of pregnancy with her third child and completed her testimony last week, told jurors Combs raped her in August 2018 at her home after they broke up.
“I just remember crying and saying no but it was very fast,” she said last week, as her voice trailed off.
A lawyer representing Combs on Friday sought to undercut Ventura’s rape claim, showing jurors text messages indicating Ventura had consensual sex with Combs a month after the alleged rape.
The trial in Manhattan federal court, which has drawn intense media coverage because of Combs’ wealth and towering influence in the music industry, could last up to two months.
Combs, previously known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, founded Bad Boy Records, and is credited with helping turn artists like Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars in the 1990s and 2000s.
Part of the criminal case stems from Ventura’s November 2023 civil lawsuit against Combs. She testified that he agreed after 24 hours to settle for $20 million.
Richard has filed a civil lawsuit against Combs alleging he subjected her to inhumane working conditions, including groping and assaulting her. The lawsuit says Richard saw Combs brutally beat Ventura on many occasions.
(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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