“The tone” of the s-x parties evolved over time, according to a former escort who was allegedly hired by Sean “Diddy” Combs for “more than a dozen” of the music mogul’s “freak offs” with Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura.
“I just would say overall, the tone was a little darker towards the last times I’d seen them,” Shawn Dearing claims in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. “I got to see the dark side of things,” the model, 37, adds.
During those last “freak offs,” Ventura’s mindset was, “I’m here, I have to perform.” Let’s get this done,” Dearing says. “It was more of a ‘doing this to please him’ type of spirit overall,” he notes. “I can tell when the energy was different.” Ventura, 38, “was playing her role,” Dearing claims. “It was evil … and she was under that.”
Dearing continues, “In my opinion, in that situation, she didn’t know if this was a beast she could control or not anymore. So she was along for the ride, because she had to, because who knows? Who knows where this beast is going, and there’s no way to tame it.”
When Ventura testified about the “freak offs” at Combs’ s-x trafficking trial on Friday, May 16, she started crying. The singer of “Me & U” said that Combs used physical force and threats of blackmail to force her to take part in what federal prosecutors have called “elaborate and produced s-x performances.”
DIDDY TRIAL UPDATE‼️
Cassie was drugged and dragged by her hair into the bedroom and slapped by Diddy, as she screamed “I’m sorry” over and over for being on the computer, instead of continuing to have sex with a male escort for money.
Today’s second witness, Daniel Phillip,… pic.twitter.com/SvxRFEeff0
— RealAF Patriot (@RealAF_Patriot) May 12, 2025
After telling the court on Wednesday, May 14, that she did not want to do “freak offs,” she stated on the witness stand, “I had to do them.” According to Dearing, he was initially engaged by Combs through the website Cowboys4Angels in late 2014 or early 2015, and he was unaware of the client’s name at the time.
He says he was scheduled for “more than a dozen” meetings with Combs and Ventura, usually at a condo off Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles that he thinks belonged to Ventura or a bungalow at The Beverly Hills Hotel. Dearing claims that Combs made another attempt to hire him after he left escorting in 2017 and returned to his native Hawaii. He died.
A woman claims Cassie “isn’t innocent,” stating that as long as she was receiving money, she was willing to participate in Diddy’s “Freak Offs” and stayed with him for 10 years.😳
— Rain Drops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) May 15, 2025
“I just kind of had to do a lot of personal soul searching, in a sense,” he explains. “I stepped away from that, realizing it was darker. Because honestly, I do care about these ladies. So I had to step away.” Dearing adds, “I never thought that [escorting] was part of my life plan.”
Dearing claims that he has only come forward to give Ventura’s story “some credence” since the prosecution presented his identity and photo in court. The sixth week of Combs’ trial is underway. He is accused of transportation to engage in prostitution, racketeering, and s-x trafficking. He has entered a not guilty plea to every accusation.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
