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(NewsNation) — One of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former assistants gave graphic testimony under court-ordered anonymity Thursday. The ex-assistant alleged the musician sexually assaulted her and violently abused Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura.
Using the pseudonym “Mia,” she said fear and a possible nondisclosure agreement kept her silent.
Former federal prosecutor Maria Cruz Melendez, who helped convict rapper R. Kelly on RICO charges, joined NewsNation’s “Banfield” as the new testimony rocked Combs’ highly publicized trial.
RICO, or the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, allows prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against multiple people or groups who commit related crimes over time for financial profit.
Mia was ‘inside of enterprise,’ can help pursue RICO charges: Former prosecutor
Regarding Combs’ case, Melendez said, “It’s tough to ask the question of whether or not the government has proven RICO, particularly so early on.”
However, Mia was “inside of the enterprise,” which could help the prosecution pursue RICO charges.
“In that situation, I think she provides powerful evidence that can be used by the government to show that an enterprise existed and that the enterprise was used to engage in the conduct that’s been alleged,” Melendez said.
One of Combs’ charges is racketeering conspiracy. He has not been charged with a full RICO charge.
“What the government needs to show is that Sean Combs agreed with at least one other person to engage in racketeering, so they don’t have to prove specific racketeering acts in the way that you would need to if you had charged substantive racketeering,” Melendez said.
Diddy vs. R. Kelly cases: How similar are they?
Melendez said the Combs and R. Kelly cases have parallels.
Both involve a high-profile defendant who allegedly committed abuse within their businesses and close circles. And both had legitimate businesses, or “enterprises,” used for alleged illegitimate purposes, which constitutes racketeering.
FILE – In this Sept. 17, 2019 file photo, R. Kelly appears during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File) 
FILE – R. Kelly leaves the Daley Center after a hearing in his child support case, May 8, 2019, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton, File) 
FILE – Musician R. Kelly leaves the Leighton Criminal Court building in Chicago on June 6, 2019. Kelly’s federal trial starts Monday in Chicago. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky, File) 
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 12: Diddy poses in the press room with his Global Icon Award at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images) 
Sean “Diddy” Combs, right, blows kisses to people in the audience during his sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan federal court May 19 in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP) 
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 20: Sean “Diddy” Combs attends Sean “Diddy” Combs Fulfills $1 Million Pledge To Howard University At Howard Homecoming – Yardfest at Howard University on October 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images for Sean “Diddy” Combs) 
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 26: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs (R) accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Coke from Kanye West onstage during the 2022 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
“Some of the testimony that happened this week demonstrates the ways in which he used individuals at his disposal in order to maintain control over individuals like Cassie Ventura,” Melendez said.
R. Kelly was convicted for 30 years on racketeering, sex trafficking and other charges. In February, that sentence was upheld by a federal appeals court. Kelly had claimed that federal prosecutors failed to prove he led a racketeering scheme.
“Enabled by a constellation of managers, assistants, and other staff for over twenty-five years,” Kelly used his fame to lure girls and young women into his grasp, Circuit Judge Denny Chin wrote.
Combs’ trial will enter its fourth week on Monday. He also faces sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution charges.