Much of what Cassie Ventura testified to this week was graphic, from the sex acts with male escorts to the violence, including the fights with Sean "Diddy" Combs that left her covered in bruises, she said, if she attempted to refuse a "freak off."

But as explicit as the line of questioning was from the prosecution, it was necessary, some legal experts say, because it helped to lay a foundation for the federal government's case in the weeks to come.