Sean Combs sex trafficking trial updates: Cassie's testimony ends after days of describing abuse

Cassie Ventura took the witness stand Tuesday to testify against her ex-boyfriend, Sean Combs, at his racketeering and sex trafficking trial.

"The government calls Cassandra Ventura," prosecutor Emily Johnson said.

Ventura, 38, entered court in a tight-fitting brown dress that showed off her pregnancy.

Federal prosecutors said Combs used lies, drugs, threats, and violence to force and coerce Ventura into sexual encounters with male prostitutes.

This is the first time Ventura and Combs are seeing one another in person since their 2018 split.

Defense attorney Teny Geragos said Ventura broke off her relationship with Combs after she heard him call Kim Porter his soulmate at Porter's funeral.

"When Combs publicly said Kim Porter was his soulmate to all the people around him who were there, for the first time maybe ever, Cassie realized all the things she would not be," Geragos said.

Alex Fine, husband of Cassie Ventura, arrived at Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.

A judge ruled that Fine can be in the courtroom for most - but not all - of his wife's testimony.

Judge Arun Subramanian, acting on a defense request, said Fine must leave the courtroom when questioning turns to Cassie's allegation that Combs raped her in 2018.

That's because Combs' lawyers say they may call Fine as a witness later in the trial in an attempt to discredit Cassie's allegation.

Prosecutors argued that Fine is part of the emotional support system for Cassie, who's pregnant and should be in the courtroom when she testifies.

Combs' trial resumed Tuesday with the hip-hop mogul's lawyer questioning Daniel Phillip, a male stripper who says he was paid to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched.

Defense lawyer Xavier Donaldson pointed to Phillip's past statements to federal prosecutors as he attempted to show inconsistencies in his recollection of events. Donaldson finished his cross-examination after suggesting Phillip had developed a crush on Cassie and wanted to isolate her from Combs so he could be with her romantically. Phillip denied that but admitted: "I was attracted to her. If she ever gave me the chance to date her, I absolutely would have."

Once Donaldson was finished, a prosecutor asked Phillip more questions, underscoring the witness' earlier testimony that it was Combs who directed his sexual activity with Cassie.

Sean Combs entered court Tuesday wearing the same, or similar, white collared shirt, light-colored pullover and khaki pants. He waved to his family in the second row.

A federal prosecutor prepared the court for what's to come when Cassie Ventura is expected to take the witness stand later today.

"There are videos," the prosecutor, Emily Johnson, said.

Johnson promised jurors in her opening statement Monday that they would "see videos of some of the freak-offs, the videos the defendant used to blackmail Cassie and to blackmail 'Jane,'" the latter referring to an anonymous alleged second victim.

On those videos, Johnson told jurors they would hear Combs providing direction to Cassie and "Jane," and the women complying.

Daniel Phillip, an escort who testified Monday that he was paid as much as $6,000 each time he had sex with Ventura while Combs sat in the corner masturbating, returned to the witness stand Tuesday to resume cross-examination.

On cross-examination, Monday defense attorney Xavier Donaldson sought to downplay Combs' role in the first alleged sexual encounter at the Gramercy Park Hotel.