A male sex worker who had freak-offs with Diddy and Cassie and ended up with a sexually transmitted disease is facing stiff opposition from the government in his quest to be labeled a victim of the ex-couple.
Federal prosecutors say Clayton Howard, a self-described male sex worker who once testified before a grand jury about Diddy’s notorious “freak offs,” isn’t legally a victim of anyone.
In a December 23 filing to Judge Arun Subramanian, prosecutors argued Howard does not qualify as a victim under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, even though he was counted as one under sentencing guidelines in Diddy’s criminal case.
The Justice Department is pushing back hard, saying the freak-off participant was not “directly and proximately harmed” by Diddy’s crimes and, by his own admission, was a paid escort who willingly joined those events.
“Howard advertised commercial sex services,” the filing said, noting he has “self-published a book” and “made multiple media appearances” describing his experiences.
Howard’s relationship with the government began in December 2023, when he contacted a friend of Cassie Ventura, claiming to have information about her civil suit against Diddy.
During interviews, Howard admitted he was a commercial sex worker who took part in Diddy and Cassie’s freak-offs between 2010 and 2017 and described witnessing violence by Diddy against Cassie during those encounters.
Prosecutors said Howard participated in at least six interviews before he testified to a federal grand jury in March 2025.
But just before the trial, his lawyer told the government that testifying again would hurt Howard’s mental health. By May 2025, Howard had switched attorneys, and neither side called him as a witness at Diddy’s trial.
After Diddy was convicted of two Mann Act offenses in July 2025, the court counted Howard and other male escorts who traveled interstate for Freak Offs as victims for sentencing purposes—but not under the federal crime victims statute.
Once the verdict came down, Howard started pressing the Justice Department for documents proving his victim status. He also sought help applying to the Backpage Remission Program, which compensates verified trafficking victims.
Prosecutors say that Diddy was never charged with trafficking Howard, and that Howard’s claims of sexual exploitation were aimed chiefly at Cassie Ventura, who was legally recognized as a victim, not a perpetrator of a crime.
In recent public statements and filings, Howard has accused federal prosecutors, including Maurene Comey, of using his story to secure a conviction against Diddy and then “ignoring him” once the case ended.
He says the government denied him rights under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act and blocked him from testifying about Cassie’s alleged role.
In his separate civil lawsuit against Diddy and Cassie, filed in June 2025, Howard claims he was sexually trafficked, assaulted and infected with herpes after being manipulated into unprotected sex and drug use at the couple’s private gatherings.
He’s seeking $20 million in damages.
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