Sean Combs threatened to release explicit videos of Casandra “Cassie” Ventura online and use them to get her parents fired from their jobs, according to Ventura’s friend, celebrity stylist Deonte Nash.
Nash, who spent 10 years working for Combs, provided this testimony at Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial on May 28th, according to Rolling Stone. According to Nash, the threat came after Combs confronted Ventura at her apartment in 2013 or 2014, grabbing her by the hair and shirt before demanding she leave.
During his testimony, Nash claimed Combs also got physical with him, “popping me in the back of the head cause I don’t have hair, and grabbing me by the shirt.” After Nash and Ventura drove away, Combs allegedly called and made them pull over, approaching the car to threaten releasing explicit videos of Ventura “on schedule,” starting with sending them to her parents’ workplaces.
Nash testified that Ventura was crying after the incident and later told him she didn’t want to have sex with other men but did so “because Puff wanted her to.”
Despite the serious nature of his testimony, Nash maintained a light tone in court, appearing dressed in all white and occasionally offering quippy responses. When shown an old photo and asked if it was accurate, Nash replied, “No,” and when asked if it was a glamour shot, said, “Yes, I look amazing.” He even returned from a break wearing a new jacket, remarking, “It is freezing in here, how do y’all do this all day?”
Nash testified that he regularly heard Combs verbally abuse Ventura, threaten to “beat her ass,” and call her names including “baby girl, CC, bitch, slut, hoe.” When asked how frequently Combs called Ventura “bitch,” Nash replied, “Often. That was his fave.”
According to Nash, he witnessed Combs physically attack Ventura “in a rage” in 2013 while Nash was helping her pack for a trip. Nash claimed Combs grabbed Ventura’s hair and began kicking and hitting her, with Nash and another employee trying to intervene by jumping on Combs’ back, only to be thrown off. Nash testified that Combs stopped when he saw blood, then said, “Look what y’all made me do.”
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Nash also described an alleged 2015 incident where he saw Combs slap Ventura across the face outside a music studio before saying, “Get this bitch out of here.” Over the course of their friendship, Nash testified to seeing bruises on Ventura’s legs, arms, and neck “quite often.”
Beyond the physical abuse, Nash testified about Combs’ alleged control over Ventura’s life, particularly her music career. While signed to Bad Boy, Ventura released just one solo album in 2006 and a 2013 mixtape. Nash estimated that just “10 percent” of the music Ventura made ever saw the light of day, claiming Combs frequently threatened not to release her work.
The stylist also testified about Combs’ control over Ventura’s appearance, recounting an incident at a 2014 Vanity Fair party where Combs allegedly confronted Nash over Ventura’s hairstyle, grabbing him by his jacket and lifting him into the air.
Despite his testimony, Nash was frank about his feelings towards Combs, stating, “I don’t hate him. I mean, I don’t, it’s just not in me.” While Nash has remained close with Ventura, he said he sometimes spoke with Combs over text or phone, describing their exchanges as “loving.”
