NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The first week of the Federal Sex Trafficking Trial against Sean “Diddy” Combs concluded with former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura taking the stand. For 4 days, she was grilled concerning her past relationship with Combs, but the bigger issue after her testimony was whether she was more than a victim.
Combs is being charged with Sex Trafficking, Racketeering Conspiracy, and Transportation to Engage in Prostitution. A huge deal, and after listening to Ventura’s testimony, some pretty wild things went on during their time together. But as the questioning continued, many began to wonder just how involved Ventura was in all this.
Think about it this way. Ventura went on record saying that Combs wanted male escorts so he and Cassie could engage with them in sexual relations. She also stated that she would be the one, at times, to search for and set up the meetings. If this is indeed true, is Cassie more than a victim? If Sean Combs is on trial for sex trafficking, what about Cassie, who has gone under oath and stated he was not the only one setting the freak off’s up?
Wouldn’t that make her an accomplice to the sex trafficking? The questions swirling around social media are whether Cassie Ventura has an immunity deal in place? Following some research, it doesn’t appear that she does. So why hasn’t she been charged with the same charges that Mr. Combs is being charged with?
The other buzz surrounding this case is the violent abuse that Ms. Ventura suffered at the hands of Mr. Combs. The argument being made is that she was doing this out of fear. Cassie stated that she arranged them because she was forced to do so, and if she didn’t, she would be beaten.
Just recently, Cassie Ventura received a payment of $20M from Mr. Combs regarding a civil case. But does that absolve her from the federal charges that he’s facing? No one can ignore the facts or the tasteless jokes being said regarding this case, and the truth is, we shouldn’t. Domestic violence is real. What the world saw Mr. Combs do to Cassie in that Hotel hallway was awful.
The prosecution is making the argument that Mr. Combs, due to his wealth and power, was able to run that racket for almost 20 years. He drugged and abused women and made them do things that many can’t even imagine. But was he acting alone?
The prosecution and those of us in the real world read what was released to the world from Cassie’s mouth, and while we understood some of it, other parts of her testimony raised more questions.
She feared him. That much was obvious. She wanted to make him happy. That was also obvious. However, according to her own testimony, she also enjoyed those freak-offs. It’s as if she were two people. A former federal prosecutor said that a jury has to believe that she’s credible. However, the defense did paint a picture of Ms. Ventura where it appeared as if she was a part of all this. It’s been a strange week. And that’s where it can get scary for Ventura. If the jury does not believe her, then the Government can form a case against her.
People are giving her a pass due to the domestic violence she endured over the years, and rightfully so. However, we can’t keep saying she was stuck or afraid to leave when in fact, she did leave and had other relationships with men, and yet, she kept returning.
Due to her own words and text messages, Cassie admitted that she was often jealous of Mr. Combs and his other relationships. As stated earlier, she was out, gone, free, but kept returning to a man who kept her drugged, in unwanted sexual acts, and often physically abused her.
I’m not with any man or woman putting their hands on anyone else in a domestic abuse situation. But I’m grown enough to understand we make decisions that affect us. Maybe in the beginning, she felt trapped, but she was free. She did manage to escape all that, and somehow she was so scared that she returned to the abuse because…
Truth be told, no matter what happened here, the fact that he did use physical and mental abuse, in my eyes, he should be buried under the cell. But I also have to look at both sides of the coin. When you agree to take the stand, you open yourself up for what’s to come. And that’s exactly what Cassie did. In the public’s eyes, Diddy is guilty as hell. But what’s done in the dark comes to the light. Cassie spoke, and that story has some holes in it.
If not just by her verbal words in the court, there were also emails and text messages to help tell this story. Normally, when a person is on trial for a crime and the authorities learns others are involved , a deal is made for someone to turn. Right now, it appears that Cassie turned, but there is no record of a deal. So, how is she not being charged for the same crime that he is?
It’s clear that he’s the mastermind of it all, but that still doesn’t erase her actions from the act. Maybe, when this is all said and done, they will come after her. Or, when it’s all said and done, we will learn that a deal was in place the entire time.
