Cassie Ventura is expected to testify under her own name at her ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal trial in May.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky filed a motion on Friday revealing that Victim-1 of Combs’ indictment “is prepared to testify under her own name.” Rolling Stone reported in January that Ventura is Victim-1, and was “the central target of the purported ‘criminal enterprise’ that allegedly used violence, threats, and manipulation to fulfill Combs’ ‘sexual gratification.’”
In addition to Ventura’s testimony, the government expects Victim-2, Victim-3 and Victim-4 to testify anonymously. Prosecutors requested that the court seal any exhibits that reveal the identity of the other victims, noting that the case has already received an “exceptional amount of media coverage” and that proceeding anonymously will prevent “the harassment from the media” and “undue embarrassment.”
Representatives for Combs and Ventura did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
Ventura initially filed a shocking lawsuit against ex-boyfriend Combs in Nov. 2023, accusing him of rape and abuse over a decade. The suit was settled the next day, but set off a wave of lawsuits that have since amounted to over 60 cases. Though Ventura has not spoken publicly about the suit, a video released by CNN showed Combs allegedly assaulting Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016.
Combs was arrested in Sept. 2024 and charged with three counts of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors filed two superseding indictments, including one last week that added two charges of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He is currently incarcerated in New York City in anticipation of his trial, which begins May 5.
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