Diddy paid hotel security officer for video, jury told
Sean "Diddy" Combs paid a hotel security officer to hand over surveillance footage that showed the hip-hop mogul violently attacking his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura in a hallway, the officer has testified at Combs' sex trafficking trial.
Eddy Garcia, who had worked at an Intercontinental hotel, told jurors that Combs contacted him shortly after the incident and asked for the footage.
Combs said he would "take care" of Garcia if he gave him the video, Garcia said.
"He was concerned that this video would get out and that it would ruin his career," said Garcia, who was granted immunity from prosecution to testify.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say Combs over two decades coerced women, including Ventura, to take part in drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers known as "Freak Offs".
The trial is in its fourth week.
Jurors had previously been shown a March 2016 surveillance video from the hallway of the Intercontinental hotel in Los Angeles where Combs, wearing only a towel, threw Ventura to the ground, kicked her and dragged her away.
Ventura said the incident occurred after Combs had given her a black eye during a "Freak Off".
Garcia said he relayed Combs' message about the video to his boss, who told him he would give Combs the video in exchange for $US50,000 ($A77,400).
The next day, Garcia testified he saw his boss enter the room that hosted servers for the surveillance cameras.
He said the boss gave him a USB drive, which he gave to Combs, who later returned with a brown bag and a money counter.
Garcia said Combs ran cash from the bag through the counter, which displayed $US100,000, returned the money to the bag, and handed the bag to him.
Combs' lawyers have acknowledged he was at times abusive in domestic relationships but argue that women who took part in "Freak Offs" did so consensually.
Prosecutors say bribery is among the racketeering acts that Combs or his employees undertook in order to facilitate "Freak Offs" and prevent word of his abuse from getting out.
Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts.
Prosecutors have said they may finish presenting their case next week, allowing the defence to put on its case.
Sean "Diddy" Combs paid a hotel security officer to hand over surveillance footage that showed the hip-hop mogul violently attacking his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura in a hallway, the officer has testified at Combs' sex trafficking trial.
Eddy Garcia, who had worked at an Intercontinental hotel, told jurors that Combs contacted him shortly after the incident and asked for the footage.
Combs said he would "take care" of Garcia if he gave him the video, Garcia said.
"He was concerned that this video would get out and that it would ruin his career," said Garcia, who was granted immunity from prosecution to testify.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say Combs over two decades coerced women, including Ventura, to take part in drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers known as "Freak Offs".
The trial is in its fourth week.
Jurors had previously been shown a March 2016 surveillance video from the hallway of the Intercontinental hotel in Los Angeles where Combs, wearing only a towel, threw Ventura to the ground, kicked her and dragged her away.
Ventura said the incident occurred after Combs had given her a black eye during a "Freak Off".
Garcia said he relayed Combs' message about the video to his boss, who told him he would give Combs the video in exchange for $US50,000 ($A77,400).
The next day, Garcia testified he saw his boss enter the room that hosted servers for the surveillance cameras.
He said the boss gave him a USB drive, which he gave to Combs, who later returned with a brown bag and a money counter.
Garcia said Combs ran cash from the bag through the counter, which displayed $US100,000, returned the money to the bag, and handed the bag to him.
Combs' lawyers have acknowledged he was at times abusive in domestic relationships but argue that women who took part in "Freak Offs" did so consensually.
Prosecutors say bribery is among the racketeering acts that Combs or his employees undertook in order to facilitate "Freak Offs" and prevent word of his abuse from getting out.
Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts.
Prosecutors have said they may finish presenting their case next week, allowing the defence to put on its case.
Sean "Diddy" Combs paid a hotel security officer to hand over surveillance footage that showed the hip-hop mogul violently attacking his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura in a hallway, the officer has testified at Combs' sex trafficking trial.
Eddy Garcia, who had worked at an Intercontinental hotel, told jurors that Combs contacted him shortly after the incident and asked for the footage.
Combs said he would "take care" of Garcia if he gave him the video, Garcia said.
"He was concerned that this video would get out and that it would ruin his career," said Garcia, who was granted immunity from prosecution to testify.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say Combs over two decades coerced women, including Ventura, to take part in drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers known as "Freak Offs".
The trial is in its fourth week.
Jurors had previously been shown a March 2016 surveillance video from the hallway of the Intercontinental hotel in Los Angeles where Combs, wearing only a towel, threw Ventura to the ground, kicked her and dragged her away.
Ventura said the incident occurred after Combs had given her a black eye during a "Freak Off".
Garcia said he relayed Combs' message about the video to his boss, who told him he would give Combs the video in exchange for $US50,000 ($A77,400).
The next day, Garcia testified he saw his boss enter the room that hosted servers for the surveillance cameras.
He said the boss gave him a USB drive, which he gave to Combs, who later returned with a brown bag and a money counter.
Garcia said Combs ran cash from the bag through the counter, which displayed $US100,000, returned the money to the bag, and handed the bag to him.
Combs' lawyers have acknowledged he was at times abusive in domestic relationships but argue that women who took part in "Freak Offs" did so consensually.
Prosecutors say bribery is among the racketeering acts that Combs or his employees undertook in order to facilitate "Freak Offs" and prevent word of his abuse from getting out.
Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts.
Prosecutors have said they may finish presenting their case next week, allowing the defence to put on its case.
Sean "Diddy" Combs paid a hotel security officer to hand over surveillance footage that showed the hip-hop mogul violently attacking his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura in a hallway, the officer has testified at Combs' sex trafficking trial.
Eddy Garcia, who had worked at an Intercontinental hotel, told jurors that Combs contacted him shortly after the incident and asked for the footage.
Combs said he would "take care" of Garcia if he gave him the video, Garcia said.
"He was concerned that this video would get out and that it would ruin his career," said Garcia, who was granted immunity from prosecution to testify.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say Combs over two decades coerced women, including Ventura, to take part in drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers known as "Freak Offs".
The trial is in its fourth week.
Jurors had previously been shown a March 2016 surveillance video from the hallway of the Intercontinental hotel in Los Angeles where Combs, wearing only a towel, threw Ventura to the ground, kicked her and dragged her away.
Ventura said the incident occurred after Combs had given her a black eye during a "Freak Off".
Garcia said he relayed Combs' message about the video to his boss, who told him he would give Combs the video in exchange for $US50,000 ($A77,400).
The next day, Garcia testified he saw his boss enter the room that hosted servers for the surveillance cameras.
He said the boss gave him a USB drive, which he gave to Combs, who later returned with a brown bag and a money counter.
Garcia said Combs ran cash from the bag through the counter, which displayed $US100,000, returned the money to the bag, and handed the bag to him.
Combs' lawyers have acknowledged he was at times abusive in domestic relationships but argue that women who took part in "Freak Offs" did so consensually.
Prosecutors say bribery is among the racketeering acts that Combs or his employees undertook in order to facilitate "Freak Offs" and prevent word of his abuse from getting out.
Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts.
Prosecutors have said they may finish presenting their case next week, allowing the defence to put on its case.
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"There should be no efforts whatsoever to have any interactions with this jury," Subramanian said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Sean "Diddy" Combs dismissed requests by one of his former girlfriends to stop having sex with other men at his behest, and threatened to stop paying her rent, the woman has testified at the hip-hop mogul's sex trafficking trial. Testifying on Thursday under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy, the woman said she was Combs' girlfriend between 2021 and 2024. She is the third woman who prosecutors say was sexually abused by Combs to take the stand at his trial in Manhattan federal court, which is in its fourth week. Combs has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Jane, a model and social media influencer, said she felt "exhilarated" the first time she had sex with a male escort in front of Combs in May 2021, about five months into their relationship. But she said she thought it would be a one-time occurrence. Instead, she said she had sex with other men in front of Combs about 90 per cent of the time she saw him. When she eventually told him she did not want to have sex with other men anymore, Combs - whose net worth Forbes estimated at above $US1 billion ($A1.5 billion) in 2022 - threatened to stop paying her rent, Jane said. "He just was dismissive or wanted to move on from the subject," Jane said. Jane said she and Combs would call the events with other men "debauchery" or "hotel nights". Her description of the events resembled what another former girlfriend of Combs', Casandra Ventura, referred to as "Freak Offs". Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known professionally as Cassie, said she participated in "Freak Offs" with Combs and male sex workers for nearly a decade - at first to please him, and later because he blackmailed her with videos of the encounters. Earlier on Thursday, Combs' lawyer Nicole Westmoreland accused another witness, Ventura's friend Bryana Bongolan, of falsely testifying that Combs dangled her over Ventura's 17th-storey Los Angeles balcony in September 2016. Westmoreland suggested Combs was on the East Coast at the time of the alleged attack. "You came in here and you lied to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury, didn't you?" Westmoreland asked. "I can't agree with you," Bongolan replied. Under further questioning from prosecutor Madison Smyser, Bongolan said she did not know the exact date of the incident but said she had no doubt it took place. Prosecutors later displayed a text message Ventura sent an associate on September 30, 2016, stating that Combs' had dangled Bongolan's feet over the balcony. Outside the jury's presence following Bongolan's testimony, US District Judge Arun Subramanian said he had observed Combs "nodding vigorously" in the jury's direction during Westmoreland's questioning, and threatened to kick him out of the courtroom if he did that again. "There should be no efforts whatsoever to have any interactions with this jury," Subramanian said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Sean "Diddy" Combs dismissed requests by one of his former girlfriends to stop having sex with other men at his behest, and threatened to stop paying her rent, the woman has testified at the hip-hop mogul's sex trafficking trial. Testifying on Thursday under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy, the woman said she was Combs' girlfriend between 2021 and 2024. She is the third woman who prosecutors say was sexually abused by Combs to take the stand at his trial in Manhattan federal court, which is in its fourth week. Combs has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Jane, a model and social media influencer, said she felt "exhilarated" the first time she had sex with a male escort in front of Combs in May 2021, about five months into their relationship. But she said she thought it would be a one-time occurrence. Instead, she said she had sex with other men in front of Combs about 90 per cent of the time she saw him. When she eventually told him she did not want to have sex with other men anymore, Combs - whose net worth Forbes estimated at above $US1 billion ($A1.5 billion) in 2022 - threatened to stop paying her rent, Jane said. "He just was dismissive or wanted to move on from the subject," Jane said. Jane said she and Combs would call the events with other men "debauchery" or "hotel nights". Her description of the events resembled what another former girlfriend of Combs', Casandra Ventura, referred to as "Freak Offs". Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known professionally as Cassie, said she participated in "Freak Offs" with Combs and male sex workers for nearly a decade - at first to please him, and later because he blackmailed her with videos of the encounters. Earlier on Thursday, Combs' lawyer Nicole Westmoreland accused another witness, Ventura's friend Bryana Bongolan, of falsely testifying that Combs dangled her over Ventura's 17th-storey Los Angeles balcony in September 2016. Westmoreland suggested Combs was on the East Coast at the time of the alleged attack. "You came in here and you lied to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury, didn't you?" Westmoreland asked. "I can't agree with you," Bongolan replied. Under further questioning from prosecutor Madison Smyser, Bongolan said she did not know the exact date of the incident but said she had no doubt it took place. Prosecutors later displayed a text message Ventura sent an associate on September 30, 2016, stating that Combs' had dangled Bongolan's feet over the balcony. Outside the jury's presence following Bongolan's testimony, US District Judge Arun Subramanian said he had observed Combs "nodding vigorously" in the jury's direction during Westmoreland's questioning, and threatened to kick him out of the courtroom if he did that again. "There should be no efforts whatsoever to have any interactions with this jury," Subramanian said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
