Rapper Child Cudi is about to testify Thursday on the New York intercourse trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs after one of many music mogul’s ex-aides finishes telling the jury in regards to the threatening world he remembers encountering when he labored for Combs.
Cudi’s activate the witness stand will come instantly after George Kaplan, a former private assistant to Combs, finishes his testimony. A prosecutor stated testimony by Cudi, whose authorized identify is Scott Mescudi, was not anticipated to be prolonged.
R&B singer Cassie testified final week that Combs threatened to explode Cudi’s automobile and harm him after he realized she was courting the rapper and actor.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not responsible to intercourse trafficking and racketeering prices lodged towards him after he was arrested in September at a Manhattan resort.
The prison federal probe of Combs started in November 2023, a day after Cassie sued him in Manhattan federal courtroom, alleging years of sexual and bodily abuse. The lawsuit was settled by Combs for $20 million the next day.
In 4 days of testimony final week, Cassie, whose authorized identify is Casandra Ventura, stated Combs subjected her to abuse by way of many of the almost 11 years she was with him from 2007 by way of 2018.
She stated she developed a relationship with Cudi in late 2011 that she ended inside weeks after Combs realized about it when he checked out her cellphone throughout a drug-laced “freak-off” sexual efficiency, one among lots of she stated she endured over time.
Cassie’s mom, Regina Ventura, testified on Tuesday that she acquired an e mail from her daughter shortly earlier than the vacations in 2011 saying Combs was going to launch intercourse tapes of her and organize for Cassie and Cudi to be bodily harmed.
She stated Combs then contacted her instantly and demanded $20,000 for the cash he’d spent on Cassie. Regina Ventura stated she drained a house fairness account to ship the cash, however Combs returned it days later.
Cudi is to observe Kaplan to the witness stand after the non-public assistant to Combs from 2013 to 2015 finishes telling about what he skilled throughout 80- to 100-hour work weeks.
He testified Wednesday that he bought a style of what the job can be like in his first week when Combs despatched him to a grocery retailer to get a gallon container of water and berated him when he returned with two half-gallon containers as an alternative.
“He told me I did not bring him what he asked for. He was angry. He was very close to my face,” Kaplan stated.
He stated his job was threatened month-to-month by Combs. Cassie was requested, when she testified, if any Combs worker ever stop after witnessing Combs’ abuse. She stated Kaplan did.
