Diddy‘s former longtime partner Cassie Ventura has remained silent after he was indicted over multiple shocking charges.
The 38-year-old R&B singer (stage name Cassie) was with the Bad Boy mogul – born Sean Combs – for over a decade from 2007 to 2018.
Now Diddy has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution, according to a federal indictment unsealed in New York on Tuesday.
Combs had been arrested late on Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami.
Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Cassie, said in a statement on Tuesday that ‘neither Ms Ventura nor I have any comment’.
The 38-year-old R&B singer (stage name Cassie) was with the Bad Boy mogul – born Sean Combs – for over a decade from 2007 to 2018; the former couple are seen in March 2016
The video, obtained by CNN , shows the rapper shirtless with a towel wrapped around his waist, chasing Cassie down the hall at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City before grabbing and kicking her
Diddy is seen dragging Cassie back to their hotel room after collecting her bags
This is the former InterContinental hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, where Diddy allegedly attacked then girlfriend Cassie Ventura
Though Cassie refused to comment on Tuesday, back in May she broke her silence regarding the shocking clip.
The singer urged people to ‘open your heart to believe victims the first time’ after she was accused by Sean and others of lying about the abuse.
Cassie wrote in her statement: ‘Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet. The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning.
‘Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.
‘Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in.
‘I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone.
‘This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me. Thank you. Love Always.’
After the video aired, Combs apologized, saying, ‘I was disgusted when I did it.’
Though Cassie refused to comment on Tuesday, back in May she broke her silence regarding the shocking clip as the singer urged people to ‘open your heart to believe victims the first time’ after she was accused by Sean and others of lying about the abuse
Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse. He has denied many of those allegations, and his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo (pictured), said outside the court that Combs would plead not guilty and that he would ‘fight like hell’ to try to get his client released from custody
However, Combs and his attorneys denied similar allegations made by others in a string of lawsuits.
‘We appreciate your understanding and if that changes, we will certainly let you know,’ he added.
A woman said Combs raped her two decades ago when she was 17. A music producer sued, saying Combs forced him to have sex with prostitutes. Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs subjected her to ‘terrifying sexual encounters,’ starting when she was a college student in 1994.
The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie and Ms Lampros did.
Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has gotten out of legal trouble before.
In 2001, he was acquitted of charges related to a Manhattan nightclub shooting two years earlier that injured three people. His then-protege, Shyne, was convicted of assault and other charges and served around eight years in prison.