Homeland Security Investigations agent testifies in Diddy's sex trafficking trial
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Kid Cudi testified Thursday, alleging Diddy broke into his home and saying he believed the rapper set his car on fire after learning of his relationship with Cassie Ventura.
Coverage for this event has ended.
Josh Croft, a computer forensics expert with Homeland Security Investigations, testified to authorities recovering laptops belonging to Cassie Ventura, Sean "Diddy" Combs' ex-girlfriend.
Croft told Emily Johnson with the U.S. Attorney's Office that one Macbook Pro laptop from 2010 or 2011 was reset to "factory default," but he was able to remove the hard drive and extract data that had not been wiped by the factory reset.
The log-in screen for user "Frank Black" appeared on the laptop, in addition to another login for a guest user.
Another laptop powered on, but had a "clicking" noise, he said. The hard drive had to be removed to extract date. Croft said he was unsuccessful at recovering all data, but got the majority.
He testified that the laptop had dents and bending indicating it had been pumped or dropped.
The jury in Diddy's trial heard from a handful of witnesses on Thursday, including rapper Kid Cudi . The six-time Grammy nominated rapper testified about Diddy allegedly breaking into his home. Kid Cudi also said he believed the disgraced music mogul was involved in a car-fire that left his Porsche damaged beyond repair. According to Kid Cudi, both incidents occurred after Diddy found out about his relationship with Combs’ on-and-off again girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Cassie's former makeup artist also testified about an alleged physical altercation that occurred during Grammys weekend in 2010. Mylah Morales told the jury she feared for her life witnessing the heated moment at a hotel. The makeup artist claimed she did not call the police and never spoke about the incident until she participated in interviews with the press years later.
Testimony will continue Monday with Diddy's longtime executive assistant Capricorn Clark.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Frederic Demmour took the stand in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial Thursday afternoon.
Demmour, who was subpoenaed to testify, worked as the general manager at L’Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills.
While on the stand, the prosecution introduced exhibits showing older reservations starting in 2008 for guest names Ryan Lopez and Sean Combs. Demmour explained that sometimes they would merge profiles together.
Another exhibit entered showed the activity log for the Ryan Lopez profile. The activity log showed the name change on the profile. The profile was originally created under Sean Combs in December of 2006. The name was again changed in 2009 from Sean Combs to Jackie Star.
Demmour then walked the prosecution through name changes to the profile from Combs to Star to Frank White to Frank Black, telling the jury there were multiple changes from September of 2001 through January 2012.
A note about prior stays from the profile reflected some concerns. On Jan 10, 2010 in a room reserved under Jackie Star, housekeeping allegedly found candle wax on the carpet and nightstand.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Mylah Morales told jurors in the Sean "Diddy" Combs federal sex crimes trial that she's previously spoken about an alleged incident involving the disgraced music mogul.
Morales, who worked with Cassie Ventura for more than a decade as her makeup artist, testified to giving interviews about an alleged violent outburst from Diddy. She said she wasn't paid to give the interview.
Morales claimed she was once paid $1,000 for photos with Diddy's late ex, Kim Porter.
The makeup artist was cross-examined by Diddy's lawyer, Anna Estevao, who asked how many interviews she had given in the past. Morales couldn't remember, and claimed she spoke to CNN before, and was part of a Diddy documentary. She said she wasn't paid for the interviews, and Cassie did not ask her to do them.
She couldn't recall if Dateline reached out, and didn't look at those emails anymore.
Estevao asked if the government had reached out for permission to do interviews, to which Morales couldn't recall. The lawyer then showed her something on the stand to refresh her memory, and Morales said she did ask to do Dateline.
Until the interviews, Morales claimed she had never spoken about the incident again, and Diddy nor his employees ever approached her. She claimed a documentary reimbursed her $250 for therapy.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Cassie Ventura’s former makeup artist testified that she consulted a lawyer after witnessing Sean “Diddy” Combs’ alleged outburst towards the singer.
According to Mylah Morales, Diddy and Cassie got into a physical altercation during Grammys weekend in 2010. Morales had fallen asleep on the couch in the hotel and woke up to a “commotion.” The makeup artist testified that she heard "yelling and screaming” coming from the hotel bedroom where Cassie and Diddy were. Cassie allegedly had a "swollen eye and a busted lip and knots on her head."
Morales claimed afterwards she consulted her doctor friend, who examined Cassie to make sure she didn’t have a concussion.
A hairstylist friend also came over and they called another friend, this time a lawyer, and allegedly spoke with him about what occurred.
Morales confirmed she provided emotional support to Cassie at this time and if she needed more she would have given it. The makeup artist testified that she would have driven her to the hospital, would have called the police, would have done whatever Cassie needed in that moment.
However, they never called the police.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Makeup artist Mylah Morales took the stand Thursday and testified about an alleged incident where Sean "Diddy" Combs became violent with Cassie Ventura.
Morales told the court she regularly began doing Cassie's makeup in 2007, and last worked with the singer in 2021.
Following a photo shoot and dinner, Morales went back to Cassie's hotel and testified she fell asleep on the couch. She claimed to wake up to "a little bit of a commotion."
Cassie allegedly went into the bedroom, and Diddy entered the room angry asking, "Where the f--- is she?" before walking into the bedroom and shutting the door.
Morales testified to hearing "yelling and screaming." She said she was frantic and didn't know what to do. Suddenly, Diddy "stormed out of the hotel room," she claimed.
She said she didn't see visible injuries on Diddy, but Cassie allegedly had a "swollen eye and a busted lip and knots on her head." Morales said Cassie was distraught. The makeup artist then took Cassie to her home for a few days.
One of Mylah's friends was a doctor and allegedly encouraged Cassie to go to the ER, but Cassie didn't want to go. "We were very afraid," Morales said.
She continued that she was "afraid of Sean ... well of course, I feared for my life." She testified that she did not contact the police out of fear.
Fox News Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Cassie Ventura’s former make-up artist testified that she first saw injuries on the singer’s face in 2010.
Mylah Morales told the jury she saw Cassie had injuries on her face one time in 2010 during Grammy weekend. She claimed there had been a party at Prince’s home. Morales claimed she noticed the injury late at night or early morning.
Morales testified that she met Cassie on a photoshoot when the “Me & U” singer was 16. She had started regularly doing makeup for Cassie in 2007 when the singer-songwriter was signed to Bad Boy. Morales claimed she last worked with Cassie in 2021. According to Morales, the two were close.
Morales learned about Cassie dating Combs in 2007 or 2008.
She explained she did Cassie’s makeup for music videos, photo shoots, editorial and would do makeup at the location of the event.
“Sean always made sure the look is perfect, so we had to report back to him with pictures…” Morales testified.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
The U.S. Attorney's Office submitted evidence Thursday of Kid Cudi's Porsche following a car fire.
Cudi, whose full name is Scott Mescudi, claimed his vehicle was hit with a Molotov cocktail while parked at his home in Los Angeles in January 2012. He claimed Sean "Diddy" Combs was involved in the incident.
On the night Cudi's vehicle was hit with a Molotov cocktail, the "Pursuit of Happiness" rapper testified Thursday that he got a call from his dog’s babysitter, who was at his home.
He said no one else was present. At the time, Kid Cudi was at his ex-girlfriend's sister’s house.
After hearing about the car fire, Kid Cudi testified that he immediately went home.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Kid Cudi testified in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial on Thursday.
The six-time Grammy nominated rapper told the jury about Diddy allegedly breaking into his home. Kid Cudi also said he believed the disgraced music mogul was involved in a car-fire that left his Porsche damaged beyond repair. According to Kid Cudi, both incidents occurred after Diddy found out about his relationship with Combs’ on-and-off again girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
The alleged arson and alleged break-in help make the prosecution’s case on Diddy’s racketeering charges, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Fox News Digital.
“This is arson and a RICO predicate act,” he explained. “Combs also threatened Ventura and Kid Cudi and extorted $20k from Regina Ventura, which is another RICO act.”
“This evidence proves racketeering without sex trafficking, so the government can still secure a conviction on the RICO conspiracy even if the jury believes the ‘freak offs’ were consensual,” the West Coast Trial Lawyers founder said.
Cassie's mom, Regina Ventura, testified to feeling "physically sick" when Diddy threatened to release sex tapes of Cassie in 2011. Diddy allegedly demanded $20,000 from the family, which forced Regina to take out a home equity loan to pay the Bad Boy Records founder.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Kid Cudi testified Thursday in the federal trial for Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Cudi, 41, was pictured leaving the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse wearing blue jeans and a black leather motorcycle jacket over a white T-shirt.
The "Pursuit of Happiness" rapper smoked a cigarette while arriving at the courthouse earlier in the morning.
Cudi testified that he believed Diddy was involved in the car fire that damaged his Porsche beyond repair in January 2012.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Kid Cudi testified that he had safety concerns at the time he broke up with Cassie because he knew Sean “Diddy” Combs "was violent."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson asked Kid Cudi what abuse Cassie told Kid Cudi about. The rapper said Cassie told him that Combs would hit and kick her.
According to Kid Cudi, Diddy had described Cassie as carefree. However, Kid Cudi said Cassie was not carefree when she called him the morning of the break-in.
During the re-direct by prosecution, Kid Cudi claimed Diddy’s executive assistant Capricorn Clark was forced physically into the car to go to his home with Combs.
The “Pursuit of Happiness” rapper also testified that he was angry about the break-in. But after thinking about it, Kid Cudi said he realized he was unsure if Diddy had any weapons.
Kid Cudi again described Cassie as “shook” the day of the break-in because of Diddy finding out about her relationship with Cudi.
He explained “the drama was getting out of hand” when he and Cassie broke up. He also had safety concerns at the time "because [he] knew Sean Combs was violent.”
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Kid Cudi testified Thursday during the Sean "Diddy" Combs federal trial that law enforcement officials were involved following an incident where Cudi's car caught fire.
Cudi, whose full name is Scott Mescudi, claimed his vehicle was hit with a Molotov cocktail while parked at his home in Los Angeles in January 2012.
Diddy's lawyer, Brian Steel, questioned Cudi on the stand, and asked if police took DNA samples and fingerprints after the incident.
Cudi, 41, claimed he stayed in touch with authorities, but was not aware if any DNA or fingerprints were recovered. Steel mentioned results from a fingerprint test matched a female. The prosecution objected, and Judge Arun Subramanian sustained.
When an objection is sustained in court, it means the judge agrees that the question or answer is not permissible.
When asked if the "Day 'n' Nite" musician recalled anyone affiliated with Diddy being around his property, Cudi said he didn't have that information.
On the night Cudi's vehicle was hit with a Molotov cocktail, the "Pursuit of Happiness" rapper testified Thursday that he got a call from his dog’s babysitter, who was at his home. He said no one else was present.
At the time, Kid Cudi was at his ex-girlfriend's sister’s house. After hearing about the car fire, Kid Cudi testified that he immediately went home.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Kid Cudi testified that Sean “Diddy” Combs allegedly breaking into his home crossed a line.
During cross-examination, Diddy’s defense lawyer, Brian Steel, asked if there was any damage to Kid Cudi’s home during the break-in. Kid Cudi said no. Kid Cudi admitted he left the door unlocked, so there was no forced entry.
Kid Cudi agreed that Combs was calm when they spoke both times after the break-in. There was no mention of a firearm in Kid Cudi’s testimony.
However, Kid Cudi testified that the break-in crossed a line.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Sean “Diddy” Combs denied his involvement in the car fire that damaged Kid Cudi’s Porsche.
Kid Cudi testified Thursday that he and Diddy did finally meet up after the alleged break-in and car fire. The rapper described the meeting for the prosecution. He said one wall was all windows and Diddy was staring out the window with his arms behind his back “like a Marvel supervillain." According to Kid Cudi, Cassie was not present for the meeting. They discussed the whole story about how Kid Cudi and Cassie started to date. He said Diddy pointed out that “we were homies.” Kid Cudi told him that Cassie had said she and Combs were broken up.
Kid Cudi said Diddy was “very calm” which he found “off-putting” and “weird.” He said Combs offered him water twice.
Cassie did eventually arrive at the meeting. Cassie allegedly told Kid Cudi that she and Combs were in love.
The meeting ended with Kid Cudi and Diddy shaking hands. Kid Cudi asked what was going to happen about the car. He claimed Combs responded calmly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Kid Cudi said he then took his hand away. Diddy denied setting the car on fire. Combs allegedly asked, “I thought we were cool.”
Kid Cudi testified that he saw Diddy a few years later at the SoHo House and the rapper apologized saying, “Man I just want to apologize…for all that bulls---.” Kid Cudi said he found peace with the situation after the apology and that it was the last thing he was expecting.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Kid Cudi testified that he believed Sean “Diddy” Combs was involved in the car fire that damaged his Porsche beyond repair.
According to the rapper, he last saw Cassie Ventura at SoHo House a few days after the fire.
Kid Cudi testified that he had reached out to Diddy and told him they needed to meet up and talk. According to Cudi, everything was “getting out of hand.”
Kid Cudi confirmed he reached out to Diddy because he believed the rapper was involved in the car fire. There was an objection from the defense, which was sustained.
When an objection is sustained in court, it means the judge agrees that the question or answer is not permissible.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Kid Cudi claimed his car was hit with a Molotov cocktail roughly one month after Sean “Diddy” Combs allegedly broke into his home.
In January, 2012, Kid Cudi’s car caught fire. The rapper testified Thursday that he got a call from his dog’s babysitter, who was at his home. He said no one else was present. At the time, Kid Cudi was at his ex-girlfriend's sister’s house. After hearing about the car fire, Kid Cudi testified that he immediately went home.
The jury was shown photos of Kid Cudi’s Porsche . He said it looked like the top of the Porsche was cut open and the Molotov cocktail had been dropped in.
The jury was also shown photos of the damage the Molotov cocktail did on the Porsche. Kid Cudi testified that the door to the driver’s side showed smoke damage. The bottle for the Molotov cocktail was on the ground, near the Porsche.
Kid Cudi confirmed he spoke with law enforcement and filed a report.
However, his car was not able to be repaired. Kid Cudi said his reaction to the incident was “what the f---.”
Kid Cudi testified he understood the damage to his car was intentional.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Kid Cudi testified that he called the police after Sean “Diddy” Combs allegedly broke into his home in December of 2011.
Diddy had just found out that Kid Cudi was dating Cassie Ventura, the rapper claimed Thursday. After being alerted that Combs was at his home by his executive assistant Capricorn Clark, Kid Cudi left Cassie at the Sunset Marquis.
When he arrived home, Kid Cudi said no one was in the home. Some gifts he had purchased for his family were opened and the dog was locked in the bathroom, the rapper said on the stand. He explained his dog was allowed to roam free.
Kid Cudi had his dog for three years at the time. He claimed that after the break in, the dog was “very jittery” and “kind of on edge all the time.”
After assessing his home, Kid Cudi testified that he then got back into the car and called Combs again. He cannot remember his exact words, but claimed he was asking Combs where he was. Diddy allegedly told Kid Cudi he was “on [his] way.” Kid Cudi claimed he thought to himself, I don’t know who he has with him or what his intentions were… He recalled Diddy having a calm tone.
After the call, Kid Cudi said he thought about the reality of the situation, and decided to call the police. After calling the police, Kid Cudi returned home, spoke to the police, and made a report about the break-in. He explained he saw Cassie later and described her as “stressed.”
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
During Kid Cudi’s testimony, a 2011 break-in at the rapper’s home was brought up.
Kid Cudi testified that early in the morning he received a call from Cassie to say Diddy had found out about their relationship. At the time, Kid Cudi and Cassie had been seeing each other during a break in the singer’s relationship with Combs.
Cassie allegedly called to say Diddy had found out about their relationship. Kid Cudi testified she sounded “nervous” and “scared” on the phone and he went to pick her up. According to Kid Cudi, he was confused because he didn’t think Cassie was still dealing with Combs at the time. He told the jury when he picked Cassie up, she was “very stressed, nervous, scared, didn’t know what Sean Combs would do.”
After picking Cassie up, they allegedly went to the Sunset Marquis, because it was “someplace safe” and “off the radar.”
At the Sunset, Kid Cudi spoke with Capricorn Clark on speakerphone. Kid Cudi testified that Capricorn sounded “very scared” and seemed to be crying. He said Capricorn, who worked for Diddy, told him that Combs was at Cudi’s house and she was forced to go with him. Capricorn allegedly waited in the car. Kid Cudi testified he drove home after the call.
On the drive to his house, Kid Cudi said he called Diddy. Combs answered. Kid Cudi claimed he said, “muthaf----, you in my house?” Combs allegedly responded that he just wanted to talk. Cudi told him he was on his way home. Kid Cudi says Combs’ tone was calm.
Cudi claimed when he arrived home, he found his security cameras weren't working and were positioned as if someone had moved them out of the way.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Kid Cudi took the stand Thursday in the federal trial for sex crimes against Sean "Diddy" Combs, after he was first mentioned by Cassie Ventura during her testimony last week.
While on the stand, Cassie claimed she and Kid Cudi began a relationship while she and Diddy were on a break, saying the relationship hurt Diddy because he was the one that put the two of them in a studio together.
She also alleged Diddy was offended by her decision to start a relationship with Cudi because of his status in the music industry.
Cassie also testified that following her breakup from Cudi in 2011, she visited Diddy in Arizona, where he threatened to blow up the "Day n' Nite" singer's car while he was out of the country.
According to her testimony, Cassie left one of Diddy's alleged "freak offs " when he found messages between her and Cudi discussing what toiletries she should leave at his house.
She claimed Diddy later became violent with her due to the relationship, allegedly kicking Cassie in the back, resulting in a bruise there and on other parts of her body.
Fox News Digital's Tracy Wright and Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
George Kaplan, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former assistant, had great respect for the rapper.
During Thursday’s testimony, Kaplan described his relationship with Diddy as “complicated.”
Diddy’s defense lawyer showed the jury a message from Kaplan to Combs from November of 2018, shortly after Kim Porter’s death. Kaplan explained he sent the message because he “was heartbroken for him.”
Kaplan also confirmed that he invited Combs to his wedding.
The ex-assistant agreed he has great respect for Diddy, but claimed what the rapper did offended him. “It shook me,” he said during cross-examination. He then described the relationship as “complicated.”
During re-direct, Kaplan clarified the violence from the 2015 Las Vegas plane incident and the apple-throwing incident was what “shook” him.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former assistant praised the rapper while on the stand despite testifying that he quit because he wasn’t comfortable fixing certain situations for Diddy.
George Kaplan told Diddy’s defense lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, that working for Combs was a complicated time in his life.
He described Diddy as “a God among men” and claimed the disgraced music mogul “didn’t just push me to my deepest depths. He introduced me to depths I didn’t know I had.”
Kaplan claimed when he chose to leave his job at Combs Enterprise, his friends told him, “this is my Harvard and I’m blowing it.”
The former personal assistant agreed working at Combs Enterprise was “a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former personal assistant claimed he also witnessed the rapper become violent towards his girlfriend Gina.
Gina, who has not testified in Diddy’s trial, began dating the rapper around April 2014, Cassie Ventura previously told the jury.
While on the stand Thursday, George Kaplan recalled an incident where Combs allegedly threw apples at Gina in his Miami home. According to Kaplan, Diddy was very angry and was throwing green apples at Gina. Kaplan claimed the rapper was throwing them “hard.” He testified that Gina was trying to shield herself from harm. Kaplan explained he did not intervene because he was a young kid trying to make it in the entertainment industry and thought for a second that this behavior was normal.
Kaplan testified that he gave three months notice to leave Combs Enterprise in September of 2015, a month after the apple-throwing incident with Gina.
During cross-examination, Kaplan claimed he could not remember if any of the apples hit Gina.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Kid Cudi arrived at court Thursday at around 9:18am ET for his highly-anticipated testimony in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial.
The Grammy Award-winning artist, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi , was first mentioned in the trial during Cassie Ventura’s testimony. The two dated briefly in 2011, during a break in her relationship with Diddy.
During her testimony, Cassie claimed Diddy allegedly threatened to blow up Cudi’s car during her relationship with him, once he found out they were dating.
Cudi broke out onto the music scene with the release of his song, “Day ‘n Nite,” in 2007. He later released his debut album, “Man on the Moon: The End of Day,” in 2009, which included the song as his lead single. The rapper has received six Grammy nominations throughout his career, going on to win two in 2012, for his collaboration with Kanye West, Rihanna and Fergie on the song, “All of the Lights.”
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
George Kaplan, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former assistant, testified he quit working with the rapper because he didn't feel comfortable fixing certain situations.
Kaplan said he once saw Cassie Ventura with bruises on her face. He claimed the second incident happened at Diddy’s home after the alleged physical altercation on the plane to Las Vegas in 2015.
The “Last Night” singer allegedly called Kaplan via the intercom in the home. Kaplan said he went through the bedroom to the rapper, who was in the bathroom. The former personal assistant testified that Cassie was on the bed with her head in her hands. According to Kaplan, he saw Cassie with injuries on her face. Diddy allegedly asked Kaplan to go pick up over-the-counter lotion remedies to reduce swelling. Kaplan testified that he went to CVS and picked them up.
Diddy’s ex-assistant explained he left his job as Combs’ assistant in Dec 2015. He told the jury he “was not comfortable, aligned with the physical behavior…” he had seen, referring to the plane incident and the bedroom incident. Kaplan testified he wasn’t comfortable fixing those situations.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former assistant's immunity deal won’t protect him from prosecution if he lies.
George Kaplan confirmed on the stand Thursday that he received a subpoena and has an immunity order.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey emphasized that the immunity order protects him from any crimes he committed in the past, but will not protect him if he lies on the stand in Diddy’s trial.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former personal assistant testified Thursday that he witnessed the rapper become physically violent with his now ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Kaplan took the stand as the first witness of the day and spoke about Diddy’s romantic relationships while the two worked together.
Kaplan named Diddy’s long-term partner and mother of his four kids, Kim Porter, along with Cassie and a woman named Gina. Porter, who died in 2018, was a “very important” person in Diddy’s life, Kaplan testified. He described Cassie and Gina as Combs’ girlfriends.
Kaplan explained he did not see Cassie often, but claimed he did witness Diddy being physically violent with her. According to the former personal assistant, the incident occurred in the second half of 2015 on Combs’ jet where other people were present while flying to Vegas.
Kaplan explained there was a partition that Diddy and Cassie were sitting behind. Kaplan said he heard glass break. “There was a glass crash, shatter,” he testified. Kaplan said he looked over his right shoulder and saw Diddy standing over Cassie. The singer was allegedly on her back with her legs up, as if trying to create space. Combs had a glass in his hand over Cassie, Kaplan said. “There was a tremendous commotion scuffle…Cassie screamed ‘isn’t anybody seeing this?’” according to Kaplan.
Kaplan noted Combs was angry. The ex-assistant said he looked away, then heard further glass crashing and chaos. No one responded to Cassie, according to Kaplan. Security allegedly didn’t do anything. Kaplan testified he didn’t intervene, telling the jury, “I was 23 years old…just wanted a job in entertainment…” Kaplan said he didn’t want to compromise his position. He also testified that he did not call the police because it would not have aligned with what he wanted to accomplish professionally.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former employee took the stand Wednesday.
“One of Combs’ other assistants, George Kaplan, was compelled to testify after the judge granted him immunity and forced him to testify,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani explained. “Kaplan said that he would pick up drugs for Combs and set up the hotel rooms with baby oil and Astroglide for the freak offs. He would also clean up the drugs and hotel rooms after the freak offs. This was important to establish the criminal enterprise for the racketeering charges.”
Kaplan claimed he would tidy up hotel rooms to protect Diddy, to protect his public image. He said hotels would sell photos or videos to newspapers to try and embarrass celebrities and he wanted to avoid that.
The ex-assistant also testified to providing food, clothes, or on few occasions, drugs, to Diddy during hotel stays. He described a medicine bag that allegedly contained a number of different drugs, including Advil, Tylenol, Ketamine and Wellbutrin.
The former employee claimed he once had to pick up MDMA for Diddy. It was the first time he was aware of Combs using MDMA, a stimulant and hallucinogen more commonly known as ecstasy or molly.
Fox News' Maria Paronich and Fox News Digital's Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
Sean “Diddy” Combs chatted with his defense team Thursday as he prepared to hear continued testimony from his former employee.
For Thursday’s court appearance, Diddy wore a light gray sweater.
George Kaplan, a former assistant of the disgraced music mogul, took the stand Wednesday. The ex-assistant was subpoenaed by the prosecution to testify and originally invoked his 5th amendment right not to incriminate himself.
The prosecution told Kaplan that if he is granted immunity, he will be forced to answer questions during Diddy’s trial. Judge Arun Subramanian signed the immunity order and Kaplan took the stand again later in the day.
He testified about buying drugs for Diddy and tidying up hotel rooms after the music mogul had guests in order to protect his image.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former assistant, George Kaplan, took the stand on Wednesday, in the federal trial against the rapper for sex crimes.
During his testimony, Kaplan claimed he began working for Combs Enterprises in 2014 and had many responsibilities, including carrying bags which contained phones, medicine, computers, iPads and food.
His responsibilities changed as Diddy grew to trust him, saying he would go on to work anywhere from 80-100 hours per week and was paid approximately $125,000 per year.
He testified that the disgraced rapper would threaten his job once a month, the first time being when he purchased the wrong size water bottle.
According to his testimony, part of his job was to set up hotel rooms for Diddy, usually with only a few hours notice, which were booked under the name Frank Black.
He testified to stocking the hotel rooms with clothes, a speaker, candles, baby oil and Astroglide, which he paid for with his company credit card. He also testified to what he would see in the hotel rooms, claiming he would see energy drinks and once saw a crystalized powder on the bathroom counter.
His job also allegedly included cleaning up the hotel rooms after Diddy was done using them, as he told the jury he wanted to avoid the hotel selling photos or videos of the room to newspapers and that he was trying to protect Diddy's public image.
"I made it as close as I could to look like it was the way that it was found when he came in," he testified.
He explained that Diddy would have “guests,” a female partner at the hotels and would stay anywhere between 12 hours and a few days.
Another aspect of his job was allegedly to pick up drugs for the rapper. He claimed to once having to pick up MDMA for Diddy, and when in Miami was given a number to call and cash, saying a “guy came” when he called and he then paid for the drugs.
Kaplan then provided another example, alleging that while staying in the Bel-Air Hotel with Diddy, he was asked to call someone to "pick something up," and upon meeting up with the person and paying him with Diddy’s money, was handed a bag to give to the rapper.
Diddy’s former assistant received immunity after the judge signed an order earlier Wednesday.
Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz, Tracy Wright and Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Dawn Hughes testified in court Wednesday about why abuse victims stay in violent relationships.
The psychology expert, who had previously testified against R. Kelly and Johnny Depp, explained she was only there to provide “blind testimony” and had not evaluated Sean “Diddy” Combs or his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
Cassie testified last week about the alleged abuse she experienced at the hands of her ex.
“She answered one of the biggest questions in the case: Why did Ventura stay in such a coercive and violent relationship if she didn’t consent to the freak offs?” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani explained.
“Hughes talked about trauma bonding and why victims stay in abusive relationships,” he added. “Abusers use power and control to make their victims feel trapped. She also talked about the ways victims cope, how abuse affects their memory, and why they don’t seek help or tell anyone about the abuse for years. This was consistent with Ventura’s account of Combs manipulating and controlling every aspect of her life.”
Former HSI agent Gerard Gannon testified in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial this week.
Gannon helped plan the raid on Diddy’s Miami home. According to Gannon, agents and police used an armored vehicle and a boat, saying it was typical practice.
When the special response team arrived at the rapper’s home on Star Island, they drove through the gate. Gannon testified when the vehicle pushed though, the gate broke.
Gannon testified in court Tuesday that he was personally in all the rooms of Diddy's Star Island mansion except the basement.
During the search on Diddy's home on March 25, 2024, authorities allegedly seized various "freak off" supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.
Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
Homeland Security Investigations special agent Gerard Gannon testified in the federal trial against Sean “Diddy” Combs on Wednesday.
Diddy’s homes in both Miami and Los Angeles were raided by Homeland Security on March 25, 2024, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News Digital at the time that the raids were connected to a federal human trafficking investigation.
According to Gannon's testimony, HSI was aware Diddy would not be at his Miami home when they executed their search warrant, but that there were six individuals on the property at the time of the raid. He testified that “there was one individual who wasn’t too happy” and failed to cooperate while being searched.
Among the items found during the raids of Diddy’s Star Island home was a black Gucci bag found on top of a dresser, which Gannon claims had a bag of assorted pills, assumed to be narcotics, and white powder.
Photos of the bag, which included blue, pink, white and yellow pills were shown to the jury. The photo also shows a rolled up $100 bill, which tested positive for cocaine and ketamine.
Gannon claims they also found 13 pairs of high heels and other shoes, including boots, one of which had three cellphones inside.
They also found 25 bottles of baby oil and 31 bottles of Astroglide as well as a box with “Puffy” engraved on it, which contained a bag with a clear pill and crystal rock-like substance.
Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz and Fox News' Maria Paronich contributed to this report.
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