In explosive testimony Tuesday, May 20, Regina Ventura, the mother of singer and model Cassie Ventura, told a federal court that in 2011, Sean “Diddy” Combs threatened to release explicit videos of her daughter and demanded $20,000 to keep them private.
The allegation marks another harrowing moment in the mounting legal scrutiny facing the hip-hop mogul.
According to CBS News, Regina Ventura was on the witness stand for less than 30 minutes but delivered emotional testimony detailing an email she received from Cassie in December 2011.
In it, her daughter wrote that Combs was threatening to release two sex tapes, potentially as early as Christmas Day, and possibly another soon after.
“The threats that have been made towards me by Sean Puffy Combs are that he is going to release two explicit tapes of me,” Cassie wrote in the message, according to her mother’s testimony. Cassie also mentioned, according to the testimony, that Scott Mescudi, better known as rapper Kid Cudi, who she was dating at the time, was being targeted in the threats as well.
Regina Ventura said the content of the email made her physically ill.
She recounted how she and her husband were so alarmed by Combs’ alleged extortion that they took out a $20,000 home equity loan to pay him—money they deposited into a checking account and then transferred to Combs.
However, four to five days later, the money was returned to them.
CBS News’ Jericka Duncan noted that the prosecution appeared to be laying the groundwork for a larger narrative: that Cassie was under Combs’ control, and that even her family feared for her safety.
“It shows that not only did Cassie Ventura have fear and was concerned and experienced a threat… but her family was so concerned for their daughter’s safety that they were willing to take out a home equity loan and send that money to Sean Combs,” Duncan reported.
When it came time for the defense to cross-examine Regina Ventura, they declined, simply stating, “We have no questions.”
Regina Ventura’s testimony shows the increasing legal pressure Combs faces amid a widening federal investigation and multiple civil lawsuits.
He has denied all allegations of abuse and criminal wrongdoing.
Cassie Ventura previously filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in late 2023, which was swiftly settled.
However, that lawsuit triggered a wave of new claims from other alleged victims, and sparked renewed interest from federal authorities.
The testimony of Regina Ventura may prove pivotal in demonstrating not only the alleged intimidation Cassie experienced, but also the tangible steps her family took in response to the threats, painting a picture of fear, coercion, and power imbalance that federal prosecutors are now seeking to expose in court.
