Santa Monica Doctors Come Under Scrutiny in Sean "Diddy" Combs Federal Trial in NYC
He colluded, federal prosecutors say, with another doctor Mark Chavez, 54, of San Diego. Chavez pleaded guilty to federal charges and is now cooperating with investigators in the case. "These celebrities always have a pharmacist in the pocket. They are not doing street drugs, they are taking advantage of dirty doctors," Tom Pasquarello, a longtime Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent in Charge who has run field offices all over the world before his retirement, told Los Angeles. "We have seen this over and over again. Michael Jackson, Matthew Perry. Everybody has a doctor on the sideline who can write scripts for painkillers, anxiety disorders, whatever, for the right price." When reached at Lifespan, there was no one available for comment, a clerk told Los Angeles. Combs' trial finished its seventh day of testimony on Tuesday. Jurors will have to decide if his actions against Cassie Ventura, his longtime girlfriend, and another woman expected to testify amounted to sex trafficking. 'You may know of his love of baby oil,' Teny Geragos, Combs' attorney, said in her opening statement last week. 'Is that a federal crime? No.' [Mark Geragos, Teny's father, is a co-owner of Engine Vision Media, the parent company of Los Angeles magazine.]Prosecutors have worked to establish that Combs used his power and physical abuse to control Ventura, who stayed because she was afraid he would use videos of "freak offs" to destroy her career. Throughout their 11-year relationship, Combs allegedly 'physically abused' and 'sexually exploited' Ventura, forcing her to take drugs and have sex with male escorts as Combs masturbated and videotaped, said Assistant United States Attorney Emily Johnson in her opening statements. 'He had the power to ruin her life," Johnson told the jury.
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Jennifer Aniston Mourned Matthew Perry for a 'Long Time' Before His Death
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USA Today
2 hours ago
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Los Angeles Times
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- Los Angeles Times
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