Cassie pens letter to judge; Diddy denied new trial before sentencing

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(NewsNation) — Cassie Ventura said she fears her ex, Sean “Diddy” Combs, will come after her and her family if he’s let out of jail after sentencing Friday.

Ventura and her parents sent separate letters to Judge Arun Subramanian, calling for a lengthy sentence for Diddy at his hearing Oct. 3.

Ventura wrote that while she has come to trust no one, she has “hope for justice and accountability.”

Combs has been held in a New York jail for the last 13 months after his arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. A jury convicted him in July on two counts of prostitution and he was found not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking.

The charges he was found guilty of — two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act — carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison per count.

Combs tried to get his conviction thrown out, but a judge denied his motions for acquittal and a new trial Tuesday, cementing his Friday sentencing date.

Cassie Ventura’s allegations against Combs

Ventura took the stand at Combs’ trial, describing alleged abuse by Combs during their 11-year relationship.

In her letter, Ventura repeated allegations that she was groomed by Combs, “plied with drugs and alcohol so he could control me like a puppet” and sex acts became her “full-time job.”

“Combs used violence, threats, substances, and control over my career to trap me in over a decade of abuse,” she wrote in her letter.

“He controlled every part of my livelihood and threatened to destroy my reputation by leaking sex tapes, a threat he repeated often. His power over me eroded my independence and sense of self until I felt I had no choice but to submit,” she continued.

“When he believed I had wronged him or was not sufficiently responsive, he also threatened people around me and those close to me, including my family. I regularly worried that displeasing him meant putting my family and friends’ safety at risk.”

Cassie Ventura fears for her safety

Opening the letter, Ventura wrote to Judge Subramanian that she had “been in a cycle of thought and then over thought writing this letter to you.”

“If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is that victims and survivors will never be safe,” she wrote.

Ventura said she moved her family out of New York amid fears of retribution for testifying against Combs.

“My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family is my reality,” she wrote.

“As much progress as I have made in recovering from his abuse, I remain very much afraid of what he is capable of and the malice he undoubtedly harbors towards me for having the bravery to tell the truth.”

Ventura said she has taken steps to confront the “horrific memories” of her past through rehab and therapy.

“While what he did to me is always present, I am slowly learning how to live my life free of the fear and horrors I endured, and in doing so am fully devoted to my husband and my children,” she said.

Cassie Ventura’s parents appeal to judge

Ventura’s parents wrote a letter of their own to the judge ahead of sentencing, noting they were writing as “extremely concerned parents regarding the upcoming sentencing.”

With the prosecution pushing for 11 years imprisonment, Regina and Rodrick Ventura, alleged their daughter lived a “horrific nightmare” for that same period while being in a “domestic violence relationship.”

“To sentence lightly in this case that involved such vicious abuses of our daughters’ body, safety and dignity is to dismiss her very existence,” the parents wrote. “To sentence lightly would also send a dangerous message.

“A sentence that is handed down in months instead of years, sends a message that such repulsive behavior can happen without meaningful consequence. In closing, we, her parents, urge you to deliver a sentence that appropriately reflects the severity and depravity of the abuse, the breach of trust, and the suffering that our daughter experienced.”

Victims’ lawyer on sentencing hopes

Arick Fudali, an attorney at The Bloom Firm that represents Combs accusers, told NewsNation, “It is tough to predict what the judge will do as he has broad discretion in both what he considers and how he rules.”

“My hope is, however, that although the sentence will only be for the prostitution charges for which guilty verdicts were delivered, the Judge will consider the evidence of violence by Mr. Combs that was admitted to by his defense team and presented over and over during the trial,” Fudali said.

“I also hope that his accusers will feel some semblance of justice and closure as a result of whatever sentence is handed down. “

Crime

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