Who is Cassie, the singer testifying against Sean ‘Diddy' Combs?
The music mogul is charged with leveraging his status to coerce women – including Cassie – into abusive sexual encounters and using violence if they refused. He has pleaded not guilty. Cassie sued Combs in 2023 alleging years of rape and abuse. The suit was settled within hours, but was followed by dozens of similar legal claims and touched off a criminal investigation. Here's what you need to know about the 38-year-old star witness.
A talented performer
A singer, actor, dancer and model, Cassie's professional ambitions began in adolescence, when she was signed by the top-tier talent and modelling agency Wilhelmina. Her music career launched shortly thereafter, when she left her home state of Connecticut for New York, where she signed with manager Tony Mottola and first met Combs.
Cassie is perhaps best known for the 2006 hit single Me & U, which secured the No.1 spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 all genres chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song was the lead single of her only studio album, released by Combs' Bad Boy Records, and was self-titled. She left the label in 2019.
As an actor, she appeared in several television and film projects, including Fox's Empire, The Perfect Match and Spenser Confidential. She made her acting debut in 2008 in Step Up 2: The Streets and contributed the song Is It You to its soundtrack.
She also appeared in several music videos, including Wiz Khalifa's Roll Up and Mario's Just A Friend 2002.
Although she never released her long-teased sophomore album, at one point tentatively titled Electro Love, she did drop a few tracks: the R&B-pop Official Girl with Lil Wayne, Must Be Love with Combs, and Let's Get Crazy with Akon. And in 2012, Nicki Minaj tapped her for a feature on The Boys from Minaj's reissued album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded — The Re-Up.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
9 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Call to deny Diddy's request for acquittal or new trial
Federal prosecutors are urging a federal judge to quickly reject Sean "Diddy" Combs' request that he throw out a jury verdict or order a new trial after a jury convicted the music maven of two prostitution-related charges. Prosecutors said in papers filed on Wednesday that Combs masterminded elaborate sexual events for two ex-girlfriends between 2008 and 2024 that involved hiring male sex workers who sometimes were required to cross multiple state lines to take part. A jury in July exonerated the Bad Boy Records founder of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that carried the potential penalty of a mandatory 15 years in prison up to life behind bars. But it convicted him of two lesser Mann Act charges that prohibit interstate commerce related to prostitution. The Mann Act charges each carry a potential penalty of 10 years behind bars. Combs has been denied bail despite his lawyers' arguments that their client should face little to no additional jail time for the convictions. Combs has been in a federal jail in Brooklyn since his September arrest at a Manhattan hotel. Sentencing is scheduled for October 3. Prosecutors wrote that Combs' lawyers were mistaken when they contended in a submission to the judge in late July that the Mann Act was unduly vague and violated his due process and First Amendment rights. "Evidence of the defendant's guilt on the Mann Act counts was overwhelming," prosecutors wrote. They noted the multi-day, drug-fuelled sexual marathons that Combs demanded of his girlfriends involved hiring male sex workers and facilitating their travel across multiple states for what became known as "freak-offs" or "hotel nights". "At trial, there was ample evidence to support the jury's convictions," prosecutors said. Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, an R&B artist who dated Combs from 2008 to 2018, testified during the trial that Combs sometimes demanded the sexual meet-ups with male escorts every week, often leaving her too exhausted to work on her music career. She said she took part in hundreds of "freak-offs". A woman who testified under the pseudonym "Jane" said she participated in "hotel nights" when she dated Combs from 2021 to last September and the events sometimes lasted days and required her to have sex with male sex workers, even when she was not well. Both women testified that Combs had threatened to release videos he made of the encounters as a way of controlling their behaviour. In their submission, Combs' lawyers argued that none of the elements usually used for Mann Act convictions, including profiting from sex work or coercion, existed. "It is undisputed that he had no commercial motive and that all involved were adults," the lawyers said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Federal prosecutors are urging a federal judge to quickly reject Sean "Diddy" Combs' request that he throw out a jury verdict or order a new trial after a jury convicted the music maven of two prostitution-related charges. Prosecutors said in papers filed on Wednesday that Combs masterminded elaborate sexual events for two ex-girlfriends between 2008 and 2024 that involved hiring male sex workers who sometimes were required to cross multiple state lines to take part. A jury in July exonerated the Bad Boy Records founder of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that carried the potential penalty of a mandatory 15 years in prison up to life behind bars. But it convicted him of two lesser Mann Act charges that prohibit interstate commerce related to prostitution. The Mann Act charges each carry a potential penalty of 10 years behind bars. Combs has been denied bail despite his lawyers' arguments that their client should face little to no additional jail time for the convictions. Combs has been in a federal jail in Brooklyn since his September arrest at a Manhattan hotel. Sentencing is scheduled for October 3. Prosecutors wrote that Combs' lawyers were mistaken when they contended in a submission to the judge in late July that the Mann Act was unduly vague and violated his due process and First Amendment rights. "Evidence of the defendant's guilt on the Mann Act counts was overwhelming," prosecutors wrote. They noted the multi-day, drug-fuelled sexual marathons that Combs demanded of his girlfriends involved hiring male sex workers and facilitating their travel across multiple states for what became known as "freak-offs" or "hotel nights". "At trial, there was ample evidence to support the jury's convictions," prosecutors said. Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, an R&B artist who dated Combs from 2008 to 2018, testified during the trial that Combs sometimes demanded the sexual meet-ups with male escorts every week, often leaving her too exhausted to work on her music career. She said she took part in hundreds of "freak-offs". A woman who testified under the pseudonym "Jane" said she participated in "hotel nights" when she dated Combs from 2021 to last September and the events sometimes lasted days and required her to have sex with male sex workers, even when she was not well. Both women testified that Combs had threatened to release videos he made of the encounters as a way of controlling their behaviour. In their submission, Combs' lawyers argued that none of the elements usually used for Mann Act convictions, including profiting from sex work or coercion, existed. "It is undisputed that he had no commercial motive and that all involved were adults," the lawyers said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Federal prosecutors are urging a federal judge to quickly reject Sean "Diddy" Combs' request that he throw out a jury verdict or order a new trial after a jury convicted the music maven of two prostitution-related charges. Prosecutors said in papers filed on Wednesday that Combs masterminded elaborate sexual events for two ex-girlfriends between 2008 and 2024 that involved hiring male sex workers who sometimes were required to cross multiple state lines to take part. A jury in July exonerated the Bad Boy Records founder of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that carried the potential penalty of a mandatory 15 years in prison up to life behind bars. But it convicted him of two lesser Mann Act charges that prohibit interstate commerce related to prostitution. The Mann Act charges each carry a potential penalty of 10 years behind bars. Combs has been denied bail despite his lawyers' arguments that their client should face little to no additional jail time for the convictions. Combs has been in a federal jail in Brooklyn since his September arrest at a Manhattan hotel. Sentencing is scheduled for October 3. Prosecutors wrote that Combs' lawyers were mistaken when they contended in a submission to the judge in late July that the Mann Act was unduly vague and violated his due process and First Amendment rights. "Evidence of the defendant's guilt on the Mann Act counts was overwhelming," prosecutors wrote. They noted the multi-day, drug-fuelled sexual marathons that Combs demanded of his girlfriends involved hiring male sex workers and facilitating their travel across multiple states for what became known as "freak-offs" or "hotel nights". "At trial, there was ample evidence to support the jury's convictions," prosecutors said. Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, an R&B artist who dated Combs from 2008 to 2018, testified during the trial that Combs sometimes demanded the sexual meet-ups with male escorts every week, often leaving her too exhausted to work on her music career. She said she took part in hundreds of "freak-offs". A woman who testified under the pseudonym "Jane" said she participated in "hotel nights" when she dated Combs from 2021 to last September and the events sometimes lasted days and required her to have sex with male sex workers, even when she was not well. Both women testified that Combs had threatened to release videos he made of the encounters as a way of controlling their behaviour. In their submission, Combs' lawyers argued that none of the elements usually used for Mann Act convictions, including profiting from sex work or coercion, existed. "It is undisputed that he had no commercial motive and that all involved were adults," the lawyers said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Federal prosecutors are urging a federal judge to quickly reject Sean "Diddy" Combs' request that he throw out a jury verdict or order a new trial after a jury convicted the music maven of two prostitution-related charges. Prosecutors said in papers filed on Wednesday that Combs masterminded elaborate sexual events for two ex-girlfriends between 2008 and 2024 that involved hiring male sex workers who sometimes were required to cross multiple state lines to take part. A jury in July exonerated the Bad Boy Records founder of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that carried the potential penalty of a mandatory 15 years in prison up to life behind bars. But it convicted him of two lesser Mann Act charges that prohibit interstate commerce related to prostitution. The Mann Act charges each carry a potential penalty of 10 years behind bars. Combs has been denied bail despite his lawyers' arguments that their client should face little to no additional jail time for the convictions. Combs has been in a federal jail in Brooklyn since his September arrest at a Manhattan hotel. Sentencing is scheduled for October 3. Prosecutors wrote that Combs' lawyers were mistaken when they contended in a submission to the judge in late July that the Mann Act was unduly vague and violated his due process and First Amendment rights. "Evidence of the defendant's guilt on the Mann Act counts was overwhelming," prosecutors wrote. They noted the multi-day, drug-fuelled sexual marathons that Combs demanded of his girlfriends involved hiring male sex workers and facilitating their travel across multiple states for what became known as "freak-offs" or "hotel nights". "At trial, there was ample evidence to support the jury's convictions," prosecutors said. Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, an R&B artist who dated Combs from 2008 to 2018, testified during the trial that Combs sometimes demanded the sexual meet-ups with male escorts every week, often leaving her too exhausted to work on her music career. She said she took part in hundreds of "freak-offs". A woman who testified under the pseudonym "Jane" said she participated in "hotel nights" when she dated Combs from 2021 to last September and the events sometimes lasted days and required her to have sex with male sex workers, even when she was not well. Both women testified that Combs had threatened to release videos he made of the encounters as a way of controlling their behaviour. In their submission, Combs' lawyers argued that none of the elements usually used for Mann Act convictions, including profiting from sex work or coercion, existed. "It is undisputed that he had no commercial motive and that all involved were adults," the lawyers said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
Call to deny Diddy's request for acquittal or new trial
Federal prosecutors are urging a federal judge to quickly reject Sean "Diddy" Combs' request that he throw out a jury verdict or order a new trial after a jury convicted the music maven of two prostitution-related charges. Prosecutors said in papers filed on Wednesday that Combs masterminded elaborate sexual events for two ex-girlfriends between 2008 and 2024 that involved hiring male sex workers who sometimes were required to cross multiple state lines to take part. A jury in July exonerated the Bad Boy Records founder of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that carried the potential penalty of a mandatory 15 years in prison up to life behind bars. But it convicted him of two lesser Mann Act charges that prohibit interstate commerce related to prostitution. The Mann Act charges each carry a potential penalty of 10 years behind bars. Combs has been denied bail despite his lawyers' arguments that their client should face little to no additional jail time for the convictions. Combs has been in a federal jail in Brooklyn since his September arrest at a Manhattan hotel. Sentencing is scheduled for October 3. Prosecutors wrote that Combs' lawyers were mistaken when they contended in a submission to the judge in late July that the Mann Act was unduly vague and violated his due process and First Amendment rights. "Evidence of the defendant's guilt on the Mann Act counts was overwhelming," prosecutors wrote. They noted the multi-day, drug-fuelled sexual marathons that Combs demanded of his girlfriends involved hiring male sex workers and facilitating their travel across multiple states for what became known as "freak-offs" or "hotel nights". Prosecutors said he then used video recordings he made of the sexual events to threaten and coerce the girlfriends to continue taking part in the sometimes weekly or monthly sexual meetings. "At trial, there was ample evidence to support the jury's convictions," prosecutors said. Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, an R&B artist who dated Combs from 2008 to 2018, testified during the trial that Combs sometimes demanded the sexual meet-ups with male escorts every week, often leaving her too exhausted to work on her music career. She said she took part in hundreds of "freak-offs". A woman who testified under the pseudonym "Jane" said she participated in "hotel nights" when she dated Combs from 2021 to last September and the events sometimes lasted days and required her to have sex with male sex workers, even when she was not well. Both women testified that Combs had threatened to release videos he made of the encounters as a way of controlling their behaviour. In their submission, Combs' lawyers argued that none of the elements usually used for Mann Act convictions, including profiting from sex work or coercion, existed. "It is undisputed that he had no commercial motive and that all involved were adults," the lawyers said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Jussie Smollett felt 'emasculated' after making hate crime allegations
Jussie Smollett felt "extremely emasculated" after his hate crime scandal. The Empire star has alleged he was the victim of a hate crime in 2019, but got sentenced to 150 days in jail in March 2022 after being found guilty of lying about being a victim of a racist and homophobic attack and making a false police report. His convictions were overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court after his legal team lodged an appeal. The 43-year-old actor felt like he was being "eulogised" online in the immediate aftermath of his original allegations. In Netflix's upcoming documentary The Truth About Jussie Smollett?, he said: "I felt like I had died, and I was alive to see — and what people were saying was so kind, but it was too much for me. "It made me very uncomfortable. It made me extremely embarrassed. It made me feel extremely emasculated." Smollett has always maintained his innocence, insisting "there was no hoax" and that he was the target of a hate crime. In a lengthy statement explaining why he decided to settle, Smollett penned: 'Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, City Officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set an assault against myself. "This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear. These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. "Today, it should be clear.... They have received neither. The decision to settle the civil lawsuit was not the most difficult one to make. "After repeatedly refusing to pay the City, I was presented with an opportunity to make a charitable donation in exchange for the case being dismissed." Smollett donated $50,000 to Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts (BBF), which is focused on helping nurture "self expression, creativity and exploration of the arts for Chicago youth". He continued: 'Though I was exonerated by the Illinois Supreme Court in a unanimous decision and the civil case will now be dismissed, I'm aware that it will not change everyone's mind about me or the attack I experienced. "However, despite arduous and expensive attempts to punish me, I am innocent in the eyes of God and our criminal justice system. What I have to do now is move forward. 'I will continue creating my art, fighting passionately for causes I hold dear and defending my integrity and family name with the truth.'
