When did Ventura start participating in the “freak offs”?

According to NBC News, the 38-year-old visibly pregnant Ventura testified for several hours on the second day of the trial, providing harrowing details of what she experienced during her relationship with the disgraced hip-hop mogul. She met Combs in 2005 when she was 19, and he signed her to Bad Boy Records with a 10-album deal, releasing her self-titled debut album in 2006.

Ventura said she recorded “hundreds” of songs over the years, but they were never released. While her music career stalled, she eventually released her only mixtape, RockaByeBaby, in 2013.

The former R&B singer said Combs allegedly controlled nearly every aspect of her life, including orchestrating drug-fueled sexual encounters with male escorts during the so-called “freak off” sessions. Ventura said she often helped arrange the encounters and that it “became a job” for her. She first participated in them in 2008, when she was 22, and they continued during her relationship with Combs until they split in 2018.

‘You don’t want to disappoint them’

While she did not want to engage in the encounters, Ventura said she “just didn’t feel like I had much of a choice.” The sex acts occurred in multiple locations, including Combs’ homes, her homes and hotels around the world. They allegedly found male escorts on Craigslist and paid them between $1,500 and $6,000, per NBC News.

“I also felt a sense of responsibility with him sharing something like that with me,” Ventura said, according to NBC News. “I was confused, nervous, but also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy.”

There were moments during the testimony where Ventura was emotional, including the time when prosecutor Emily Johnson asked what she enjoyed when being with Combs. She said the time they would spend alone together after the “freak offs,” NBC News reported.

“When you really care about somebody and you’re in love with them,” Ventura said after wiping away tears, according to NBC News, “you don’t want to disappoint them.”

Ventura detailed the physical abuse she experienced from Combs

During her testimony, Ventura also disclosed Combs’ violent behavior, saying he physically assaulted her on multiple occasions.

“He would knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp my head if I was down,” she said, according to NPR.

She also detailed how controlling the now 55-year-old was, monitoring everything from “the way I looked, what I was working on that day, who I spoke to.” According to Ventura, Combs would call her incessantly — or have one of his employees call her — and would sometimes go out to look for her.

The first day of the trial started on Monday, with the jury hearing opening statements and testimony from the first two government witnesses. Ventura was initially named ‘Victim-1,’ but according to an April motion filed by prosecutors, she would have to use her name to testify. Three other witnesses filed to provide testimony anonymously, per NPR and Blavity. Prosecutors said they wanted to protect the victims’ identities.

What is Combs charged with?

Combs was first arrested and charged in September with several counts of sex trafficking and racketeering, which included activities such as forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice, Blavity reported.

Since then, the Harlem native has been accused of forcing people to engage in the “freak offs,” as well as an extensive list of men and women who claimed he sexually assaulted them.

Ventura first filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in November 2023, but the case was dismissed the following day.

According to reports, Ventura is expected to testify Wednesday morning and will likely continue the rest of the week.