The alleged arson of Kid Cudi’s car first described in singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura’s lawsuit against Sean Combs last year – and seemingly alluded to in the criminal indictment of Combs announced last week – has been corroborated by a Los Angeles City Fire Department report obtained by Rolling Stone.
The newly unearthed report says Kid Cudi, born Scott Mescudi, was the owner of a Porsche that was set on fire by an “incendiary device” on January 9, 2012 at a Los Angeles address connected to Mescudi through public records. The report says the fire was reported at 10:53 a.m., with the damage estimated at $10,000. The cause of the ignition was listed as “intentional.”
The report makes no mention of any suspects in the alleged arson that purportedly was carried out in broad daylight. An official with the fire department in 2012 confirms to Rolling Stone that the fire was called in and a woman at the home spoke with the fire department. The official recalls inspecting the fire-damaged luxury vehicle and said it was not engulfed upon their arrival.
In her lawsuit filed last November, Ventura alleged that when she tried to move on from Combs and had a brief romantic relationship with Mescudi in 2011, Combs found out and told her that he planned to blow up Mescudi’s car in his driveway. In a statement to The New York Times in November, Cudi confirmed Ventura’s account, saying his car indeed exploded. “This is all true,” he said.
“There is no allegation that Mr. Combs was involved in these actions or directed anyone else to take them,” Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, tells Rolling Stone in a statement. “It’s clear the government doesn’t know who set fire to the vehicle or how it relates to Mr Combs, who denies any involvement.”
Last week, prosecutors seemingly gave new details of the alleged arson without naming Mescudi in their indictment or court filings opposing Combs’ release on bail. In a letter to the court filed Sept. 17, they alleged that co-conspirators acting on behalf of Combs set fire to an unidentified person’s vehicle by “slicing open the car’s convertible top and dropping a Molotov cocktail inside” in early January 2012. They said “multiple witnesses” would testify about Combs allegedly “bragging about his role in destroying Individual-1’s car.”
Attempts to reach Mescudi through his representatives were not immediately successful Friday. The celebrated artist and actor has not commented on the alleged arson beyond his statement to The Times last year.
The fire report did not specify the make and model of the Porsche, but Cudi is known for his love of the Porsche brand. He vlogged about driving his “brand new” 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S in a video posted on YouTube and released his song “Porsche Topless,” an upbeat summer anthem, as the first single off his ninth solo album Insano.
Combs, 54, has pleaded not guilty to the racketeering and sex trafficking charges in the indictment unsealed last week in the Southern District of New York. As he remains in custody awaiting trial, Combs also is facing multiple civil lawsuits related to claims of sexual misconduct. In a new lawsuit filed Friday, a Jane Doe alleges Combs would ply her with alcohol and substances until she passed out, and that she would wake up with injuries and no recollection of what happened. She claims Combs drugged her as recently as July.
