Cassie's Mom Testifies She Wired Diddy $20K During Daughter's Kid Cudi Relationship

Regina Ventura, Cassie's mother, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday to testify in Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in NYC ... and she revealed some shocking details about her daughter's relationship with the incarcerated defendant.

On the stand, Regina confirmed her daughter dated Sean "Diddy" Combs after the singer had signed with Bad Boy Records -- she recalls meeting Diddy in 2006, and says her daughter and Diddy started dating, then moved to Los Angeles.

Prosecution asked Regina to read a December 2011 message to her from her daughter. Regina related Cassie informed her Diddy had threatened to release a sex tape and intended to go after Cassie and Mr. Mescudi -- AKA Kid Cudi, who Cassie began seeing during a break in her relationship with Diddy.

Regina said Diddy demanded $20,000 from her and her husband, in order to recoup money he'd invested in Cassie's career ... she said she and her husband took out a home-equity loan to cover the amount. Asked why she had taken out the loan, Regina answered, "For the safety of my daughter."

Regina said Diddy's bookkeeper sent her information with wire-transfer instructions ... Regina went to a credit union and wired the money to the Bad Boy Records account. She testified that about five days later, the money reappeared in her account -- with no further communication from Diddy or the company.

Regina confirmed photos shown in court in a binder were those she had taken of her daughter's bruises from Diddy.

Regina also told the jury about a time when she visited her daughter in L.A. ... there was an argument between Cassie and Diddy, and she says Diddy stole Cassie's phone -- things got heated on the street, and he gave back the phone -- and then took off in Cassie's Jaguar.