P Diddy trial replay: Jury sees Combs' messages about baby oil, Cialis, cash

Yahoo

24-06-2025

This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
Attorneys for Sean "Diddy" Combs are gearing up to take the lead in his criminal trial as prosecutors wind down their case against the embattled hip-hop mogul.
Combs returned to Manhattan court on June 23 for the latest proceedings in his sweeping federal sex-crimes case. Homeland Security agent Joseph Cerciello continued his testimony from last week, with the jury seeing an extensive paper trail of hotel bills, flight details and other purchases.
Most of the costs were for male escorts and Combs' ex-girlfriend, identified under the pseudonym Jane. Prosecutors also showed Combs' messages about baby oil, cash, erectile dysfunction medication and more, as alleged "freak off" sex parties have played a central role in the trial.
The jury also saw extended, explicit videos of Jane with an escort, with Combs appearing in some of the footage.
Jurors last heard from Combs' former assistant Brendan Paul, who took the stand June 20. The 26-year-old alleged "drug mule" testified about his 2024 arrest as well as his demanding job, which consisted of working long hours and procuring ketamine and ecstasy for Combs' "personal use."
He also denied witnessing criminal activity at the mogul's "king nights," another name for "freak offs."
Combs, 55, was arrested in September and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
At the end of the June 23 hearing, Combs' defense lawyer Teny Geragos told Judge Arun Subramanian that the rapper's legal team had an hour and 15 minutes left of questioning for cross-examination.
Regarding jury deliberations, a meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, in which prosecutors and Combs' attorneys will talk about jury instructions with Subramanian. Jurors won't be present for the discussion.
Closing arguments are expected to begin Thursday, June 26 and stretch into the following day. Geragos said both prosecutors and defense lawyers estimate their arguments will last four hours each.
Geragos introduced text messages between Combs and Jane in which the anonymous witness was enthusiastic about some sexual acts between the couple. The move comes as Combs' lawyers have argued that many of the rapper's partners were willing participants in his alleged sexual performances.
"I really had a great night," Jane said in one message.
Geragos also played sealed videos for Cerciello and the jury, but there was no audio or visuals for the courtroom. The defense lawyer is set to finish cross-examination on June 24.
As prosecution wrapped up their direct examination of Cerciello, jurors saw and heard messages from Combs demanding supplies for an alleged "freak off."
"There's no more baby oil," Combs said in one audio message to his chief of staff Kristina "KK" Khorram, chuckling. "I can't believe I'm out of baby oil." He thought he had 20 bottles at the time.
In a separate message to Khorram, Combs said he needed "five more bottles of everything." Later, his team responded that they were bringing him baby oil, lubricant from the brand Astroglide, his Apple TV and multiple lattes.
Combs continued to send audio messages, one asking for vegetable soup and another in which he said, "Can security bring me some money? I need $5,000."
In another message he asked for "a Cialis, please," joking "See? I'm going to keep on calling you to make sure you have everything I need." Cialis is a prescription medication used to treat erectile dysfunction.
Prosecutors continued to paint a picture of Combs and his employees being personally involved with organizing "freak offs," working with escorts, Combs' partners and others. That included making travel arrangements for Jane and male escorts and entertainers.
"I'm so horny I need you," Jane Doe said in one text to Sly Williams. But during their communication, Combs was messaging a travel aide named Jessica Ruiz about getting Williams across the country, making the plans and arranging logistics between the sex worker and Jane.
In another text thread, Jane messaged Khorram "Hey hun, I think I'm having a bad comedown. Want to make sure that Sean's OK." Combs' former chief of staff said the rapper was fine and suggested medications Jane could take that day.
Jurors also saw communications between Combs and a person named Frank Rodriguez about drugs, including MDMA.
Jurors saw additional receipts from the payment platform Cash App for escorts and charges at hotels for damages. They also heard an audio message from Combs to Jane in which he asked: "Debauchery at 9 o'clock? It's a yes or no answer. Thumbs up or thumbs down."
Jane texted back, "It's a thumbs up," before appearing to ask him for money for new clothes. Combs sent another audio message saying, "I'll put some money in your account."
As the morning drew to a close, prosecutors were expected to continue direct questioning for another hour or two. Combs' lawyers are expected to continue their cross-examination into the morning on June 24.
The government then plans to rest their case midday June 24, handing it over to the defense team to make their argument.
As Cerciello continued his testimony on June 23, the jury was shown several videos of Combs' ex-girlfriend Jane.
Lead prosecutor Maurene Comey called the videos "explicit" several times. The jury watched the footage for about 20 minutes while wearing headphones. The monitors that had been shown to the courtroom gallery were turned off, and reporters couldn't see the videos.
Diddy on trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges.
Cerciello said all the videos featured Jane and sex worker Sly Williams. Combs was also seen in some of the footage.
The agent mainly looked up and around the courtroom gallery rather than at his screen while the videos played.
Prosecutors quizzed Cerciello on hotel bills, flight details and car service receipts, as well as airport concierge, valet and travel agent fees. The expenses were all allegedly for Jane and a sex worker known as Cabral.
In one text message Combs texted Khorram, "Can you get Jane here tomorrow?" In another exchange, Khorram told Combs that there was the emergency contraceptive known as Plan B in his room, and he replied, "Do you think the other girl really wants to come?" Khorram wrote back that the unidentified woman sounded excited.
Digging further into the paper trail, jurors saw Venmo and Zelle payments from Jane to a woman named Bridget, who worked at a male escort company called Cowboys for Angels.
The court also heard about text messages they had seen earlier in the trial in which Jane said she didn't want to be "used" to "fulfill" Combs' "fantasies."
You may have seen major celebs like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio named during Combs' trial. But the A-list actors aren't accused of anything − they've only been mentioned in the background of events Combs attended.
For example, a former assistant identified as Mia alleged that she witnessed a 2012 discussion between Combs and Cassie Ventura Fine escalate at the premiere of a Pitt film during the Cannes Film Festival in France.
She claimed she saw Combs grit his teeth while digging his nails into his then-girlfriend's arm, and he eventually insisted that Ventura Fine leave.
Mia also referenced a high-stakes poker game between Combs and DiCaprio in texts she sent him around 2020.
In one message, she wrote that Combs said, while cursing: "That 'Titanic' (guy) doesn't know (anything). He won $10,000, I won $650,000."
Some have also questioned whether other celebrities, such as Will Smith, Eddie Murphy and Ashton Kutcher, will take the stand. There's no evidence they'll be called in the case.
In 2024, Forbes magazine estimated Combs' net worth at $400 million – a significant drop from its 2019 figure of $740 million. Both Combs and his team later claimed he was a billionaire, Forbes said, despite offering no documentation to back up the claim.
According to publicly available documents and news reports, Combs' most valuable personal possession is likely his 17,000-square-foot, 10-bedroom mansion, appraised at more than $61 million, in the tony Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles. It was raided as part of a criminal probe and listed for sale last September.
"You were not some drug mule, am I right?" Brian Steel, a defense lawyer for Combs, asked during cross-examination on June 20, to which Paul responded: "Absolutely not." Asked by Steel what he understood a drug mule to be, Paul said: "Someone who traffics kilos and kilos across the world."
Paul's employment ended in March 2024, he testified. He was on a private jet with Khorram and Combs headed for the Bahamas, when he got arrested for cocaine possession. The cocaine was for Combs.
On the stand, Paul said the cocaine found were just drugs he had forgotten in his bag when he went to the airport, clarifying that neither Khorram nor Combs had requested them that day. The total amount was 0.7 grams, he added, which Steel characterized as for "personal use as best."
U.S. Attorney Christy Slavic asked Paul during his testimony why he didn't tell law enforcement that the cocaine belonged to Combs. He responded simply, saying, "Loyalty."
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As Combs' personal assistant, Paul said his duties included making the music mogul's meal plans, coordinating workouts, packing "a lot of joints" and making sure he was on time for things like flights.
Paul added during his June 20 testimony that he usually worked between 80 and 100 hours a week but was always on call. He started at $76,000 a year, but by the time his employment was over, he was making $100,000 a year, the man told jurors.
Asked about procuring drugs for Combs, Paul said he did it more than five times but less than 10. He observed Combs doing cocaine, ketamine, marijuana and ecstasy, but not all that often, he said, and verified that he had arranged and cleaned up after "hotel nights" but only a few times.
The disgraced music mogul is in custody, and, despite repeated attempts at bail, has remained confined to the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. He has been in jail since his arrest on Sept. 16, 2024.
During a September 2024 press conference, U.S. attorney Damian Williams detailed the paraphernalia discovered during the federal raids of Combs' homes. The items included multiple AR-15 guns, large-capacity magazines, "evidence" of Combs' alleged sex crimes and over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.
According to Combs' original indictment, the baby oil bottles were used during the hip-hop mogul's alleged "freak off" parties, which were described as "elaborate and produced sex performances" that involved sex workers.
Combs and his employees conducted "freak offs" by booking hotel rooms and stocking them with supplies such as baby oil, lube, extra bedsheets and lighting, per the indictment. The rapper allegedly "arranged, directed" and "masturbated" during these sometimes dayslong "performances," and drugs were reportedly distributed to victims, in part, to keep them "obedient and compliant."
Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling case that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry.
He was arrested in September 2024 and later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him.
Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity.
Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have on video.
The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings.
USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates.
Contributing: USA TODAY staff
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: P Diddy trial replay: Latest on Jane, baby oil, "freak offs"