A video displaying embattled music legend Sean “Diddy” Combs violently attacking his then-girlfriend in a Los Angeles resort in 2016 is probably going so as to add extra urgency to a federal sex-trafficking investigation into the star.
The video exhibits Combs chasing, kicking, dragging and hurling a glass vase at Cassie, a singer whose actual title is Casandra Ventura. It was obtained Friday by CNN and corroborates elements of a civil lawsuit Ventura filed towards Combs final yr, which was settled a day after it was filed in U.S. District Courtroom for the Southern District of New York.
The video isn’t associated to the federal probe, however it’s drawing extra consideration to the continuing investigation.
Legislation enforcement sources advised The Occasions that Combs is the topic of a sweeping inquiry into sex-trafficking allegations that resulted in a federal raid in March at his estates in Los Angeles and Miami. Combs has not been charged with any crime and has denied any wrongdoing.
Allegations towards Combs have piled up in recent times. 4 girls have accused him of rape, assault and other abuses, courting again three many years. One of many allegations concerned a minor.
A legislation enforcement agent carries a bag of proof on the entrance to a property belonging to rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs
(Rebecca Blackwell/AP)
Credibility points
Los Angeles protection lawyer Lou Shapiro stated the video provides to the jeopardy Combs is dealing with.
“This video paints him in an terrible gentle. If the folks had been giving him the advantage of doubt, that’s over,” he stated.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, agreed.
“There is no such thing as a authorized or ethical justification for what Diddy did. He violently attacked a defenseless girl,” Rahmani stated, including that the “video doesn’t lie.”
When Ventura filed her lawsuit, Combs’ lawyer strongly denied any wrongdoing by his shopper, saying the declare was “riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’ popularity and looking for a payday.”
The video, each Shapiro and Rahmani stated, presents main credibility challenges for Combs. “The issue right here is he denied hitting [Ventura] after which on this video he’s even kicking her when she is down,” Shapiro stated.
“Diddy’s sharp denials early on are going to harm him because the investigation progresses,” added Meghan Blanco, an Orange County protection lawyer who has expertise with federal sex-offense instances.
A consultant for Combs didn’t instantly reply to The Occasions’ request for touch upon the video.
Ventura’s lawyer, nonetheless, stated the video exhibits his shopper was telling the reality.
“The gut-wrenching video has solely additional confirmed the disturbing and predatory conduct of Mr. Combs,” Douglas H. Wigdor stated in a press release. “Phrases can’t categorical the braveness and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has proven in coming ahead to convey this to gentle.”
What the video exhibits
The recording, dated March 5, 2016, exhibits Ventura in a hoodie and carrying a duffel bag, strolling in a resort hallway towards an elevator. Combs could be seen working down the identical hallway, shirtless and holding a towel round his waist.
Safety footage captured from one other angle exhibits him grabbing Ventura’s head and throwing her on the bottom, the place he kicks her a number of occasions. He can be seen selecting up her baggage and making an attempt to tug her again to the primary hallway.
The footage additionally exhibits Ventura utilizing a resort telephone by the elevators, in addition to Combs going again to his resort room after which individually seemingly shoving Ventura right into a nook. He’s additionally seen throwing a vase in her course.
In a statement Friday, the Los Angeles County district lawyer’s workplace stated it was conscious of the video, and referred to as the photographs “extraordinarily disturbing and troublesome to observe.”
“If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, sadly we might be unable to cost because the conduct would have occurred past the timeline the place a criminal offense of assault could be prosecuted,” the assertion stated. “As of right now, legislation enforcement has not introduced a case associated to the assault depicted within the video towards Mr. Combs.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs arrives on the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on Might 15, 2022.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision / Related Press)
Ventura’s lawsuit
Ventura’s November lawsuit detailed the incident, which occurred on the InterContinental resort in Century Metropolis. After Combs fell asleep, Ventura tried to go away the room, the lawsuit stated, however he awoke and “started screaming” at her.
“He adopted her into the hallway of the resort whereas yelling at her,” the grievance stated. “He grabbed at her, after which took glass vases within the hallway and threw them at her, inflicting glass to crash round them as she ran to the elevator to flee.”
The 2023 grievance stated Ventura, who was courting Combs on the time, was “caught on this vicious cycle of abuse” and took a cab to her house after the alleged assault however returned to the resort looking for to apologize to him for working away. The resort’s safety workers inspired her to return residence, the lawsuit stated, and knowledgeable her that they had seen footage of “Mr. Combs beating [her] and throwing glass at her within the resort hallway.”
Authorities stroll on a road close to a property belonging to Sean “Diddy” Combs’
(Eric Thayer / Related Press)
Intercourse-trafficking probe
Little is thought concerning the federal probe, together with the identities of any alleged victims. Folks with data of the investigation stated federal investigators are looking for telecommunications and flight information associated to Combs. Again in March, investigators looking Combs’ Holmby Hills residence emptied safes, dismantled electronics and left papers strewn in some rooms, sources advised The Occasions.
The U.S. Division of Homeland Safety investigates most sex-trafficking operations for the federal authorities. Authorized specialists say one cause the company may very well be concerned on this case is as a result of the ladies concerned within the allegations towards Combs is likely to be from different nations.
A supply accustomed to Homeland Safety’s legal inquiry stated investigators have interviewed a few of the folks tied to the sex-trafficking allegations within the lawsuits towards Combs.
Combs’ legal professionals have strongly criticized the federal probe, calling the searches of his properties “militarized” and a “witch hunt.”
“This unprecedented ambush — paired with a sophisticated, coordinated media presence — results in a untimely rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing greater than a witch hunt primarily based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” lawyer Aaron Dyer stated in March.
