Pop singer Dawn Richard was due back on the witness stand this week in the federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, where she’s been making waves with harrowing accounts of what she allegedly witnessed during her time in his inner circle. Last week, Richard told a jury that she saw Combs physically and emotionally abuse his then-girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, for years — and she didn’t hold back in describing one especially disturbing incident.
She recalled a 2009 evening at Combs’ Los Angeles home, where she says he beat Ventura and dragged her upstairs by the hair. What followed was the sound of glass shattering and screams echoing through the house. According to Richard, the next day, Combs gathered everyone who saw the assault into a studio, handed out flowers, and issued a chilling warning — if they spoke up, their careers would be over.
Combs, 55, is currently on trial facing serious charges: five felony counts including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals for prostitution. He’s pleaded not guilty and has been held in a Brooklyn jail since September. If convicted, he could be looking at 15 years to life behind bars.
Much of the trial’s focus so far has been on testimony from Ventura, the R&B singer known as Cassie, who last week described in painful detail how Combs allegedly coerced her into drug-fuelled sex parties — events he called “Freak Offs.” Over four days, she painted a picture of a relationship full of manipulation, threats, and shocking abuse, reported CNN.
In a particularly emotional moment, Ventura shared that Combs raped her in August 2018 at her home, after they’d already broken up. “I just remember crying and saying no but it was very fast,” she told the court, her voice trailing off. Ventura, now heavily pregnant with her third child, has since concluded her testimony.
Combs’ legal team tried to challenge Ventura’s rape allegation by showing jurors texts suggesting they had consensual sex a month later. But that didn’t stop the weight of her testimony from landing hard.
The high-profile case, playing out in Manhattan federal court, has pulled back the curtain on one of the music industry’s biggest names. Combs, who once helped launch stars like Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., and Usher, is facing allegations that are shaking his empire to its core.
Richard has also filed her own civil suit, claiming Combs subjected her to groping, assault, and an abusive working environment, and said she witnessed him brutally attack Ventura more than once.