Cassie Was ‘Hopeful’ For Justice Ahead Of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Arrest (Exclusive)

As Sean “Diddy” Combs deals with the fallout from his arrest, singer Cassie is standing strong with the support of her family, a source said, nearly a year after her lawsuit opened the floodgates of sexual abuse allegations against her music mogul ex.

Combs, 54, was arrested on Monday, Sept. 16, and charged in a three-count indictment with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. The arrest came after Cassie (née Casandra Ventura) accused the star of rape, sex trafficking, and domestic violence in a November 2023 lawsuit that was ultimately settled the following day.

Shortly after Ventura, 38, filed a lawsuit, other accusers followed suit, and Combs, who has denied all allegations against him, currently faces at least four other sexual abuse lawsuits.

“The amount of courage it took for Cassie to speak out and be one of the first to speak out cannot be overstated,” a Ventura source tells PEOPLE exclusively. “It was terrifying in a very real way. There are so many people who have protected Diddy for so long and it’s not an overstatement to say her life was in danger because of all of this.”

When the “Me & You” singer settled her lawsuit against Combs, she said at the time that the former couple had “decided to amicably resolve this matter” on terms that gave her “some degree of control.” But in May, surveillance footage released by CNN showed the hip-hop star grabbing, pushing and kicking Cassie during a 2016 altercation. The footage matched allegations the singer made in her lawsuit, and Combs later apologized, saying, “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”

According to the source, the past year has been a difficult one for Ventura, who has turned to her husband Alex Fine for support. The couple married in 2019 and share daughters Frankie, 4, and Sunny, 3.

“It’s been really, really hard for her, and Alex, but he’s been the biggest support,” the insider adds. “She had every confidence that justice would be done.”

Ventura and Combs were in a relationship for 10 years, and when she filed a lawsuit in November, she said she was “finally ready to tell my story” after spending “years in silence and darkness.” After the release of the footage showing her being physically abused by Combs, she said in a statement that “the outpouring of love has created a place where my younger self can settle down and feel safe now.”

“But this is just the beginning,” she wrote. “Domestic violence is THE problem. It has broken me down into someone I never thought I would be. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always heal from the past.”

“This healing journey is never ending, but this support means the world to me,” she also said. “Thank you.”

An indictment against Combs made public on Tuesday, September 17, alleged that beginning in 2008, the star “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others, and led a conspiracy that engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice, among other crimes,” according to a press release from Homeland Security Investigations – New York.

“Today, we shatter any false sense of impunity by exposing the defendant’s alleged pattern of manipulation, exploitation, and outright abuse,” William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge of HSI New York, said in a statement. “Make no mistake: We are here today only because of the unwavering strength of victims and witnesses who have already endured unspeakable hardships. I commend them for their courage and urge anyone who believes they are a victim of sex trafficking to contact HSI by email at [email protected] or via our mobile tip line at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP.”

Combs’ racketeering charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, as does his charge of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. Transportation for the purpose of prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.