Latest news with #IntercontinentalHotel
Khaleej Times
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Sean 'Diddy' Combs paid hotel security officer to hand over video, jury hears
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 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 contraband-fuelled performances 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 $50,000 (Dh183,642). 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 $100,000, 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 defense to put on its case.
IOL News
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Diddy's $100 000 cover-up: trial unveils shocking attempt to hide damaging domestic violence video
Sean 'Diddy' Combs, 55, is facing multiple counts, including sex trafficking, racketeering, and obstruction of justice in current trial. If convicted on the most serious charges, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. Image: Instagram. During the ongoing trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, hotel security worker Eddy Garcia testified that the hip-hop mogul paid $100 000 (R1.77m) in a frantic effort to suppress what he believed was the only copy of the 2016 video of him beating his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hotel hallway. Garcia recalled how this footage, now a cornerstone of the prosecution's case, has surfaced at a particularly vulnerable moment in Combs's life. The video, captured by security cameras at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles, shows Combs kicking and dragging Ventura. Testifying as a star witness for the government, Ventura earlier described the incident where she attempted to flee one of Combs's notorious drug-fueled parties, known as "freak-offs". 'When I chose to leave, I grabbed what I could, and I got out. Sean followed me into the hallway before the elevators and grabbed me up, threw me on the ground, kicked me, and tried to drag me back to the room," she said during her testimony. Combs has pleaded not guilty to five counts related to sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution. His legal team maintains that while the domestic violence shown in the video is regrettable, it should not be conflated with the more serious charges he faces, asserting that Ventura was a willing participant in the sexual escapades. Garcia told the court: "He was concerned this video would get out and it would ruin his career," recalling that Combs allegedly referred to him affectionately as 'Eddy my angel' during the supposed bribe. During his shift at the InterContinental Hotel on March 5, 2016, Garcia heard about the incident shortly after clocking in. He explained how he received calls from Combs' assistant, Kristina Khorram, who attempted to secure access to the video. Despite winding conversations and initial denials, Garcia ultimately agreed to transfer the footage in exchange for a hefty sum: 'He asked me how I would spend the money, and I said I didn't know," Garcia said. Following the transaction, Garcia said Combs allegedly contacted Ventura via FaceTime to reinforce their mutual interest in burying the damaging evidence. "She was wearing a hoodie, and the lighting wasn't that great," Garcia said of Ventura. "Before he passed the phone over to me, he said, 'Let him know that you want this to go away too'." Prosecutor Mitzi Steiner asked: "And how did Cassie respond?" "When I got passed the phone, I said, 'Hi', she said 'Hi' and she said she had a movie coming out and it wasn't a good time for this to come out and she wanted it to go away," Garcia responded. Garcia told jurors that Combs demanded that he sign a nondisclosure agreement, agree to a certification that there was only one copy of the video, and hand over his ID as well as the identification of his supervisor and coworker. Garcia then testified that Combs left the room and returned with a brown bag and a money counter, which Combs fed "stacks of $10 000 at a time." "In total, at the end it was $100 000," he testified. The US government has framed Combs's $100 000 payment as a bribery attempt, which they argue points to a broader criminal scheme. The trial is set to continue with further testimonies, including accounts from additional alleged victims and Combs's former romantic partners. A woman dubbed "Jane" is currently testifying.
1News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- 1News
Combs paid to hide Cassie beating video because he feared career ruin
Soon after viciously attacking his long-time girlfriend Cassie in a hotel hallway, Sean "Diddy" Combs sought out a security guard and predicted accurately that his career would be ruined — his image as the affable, successful "Puff Daddy" destroyed — if video of the beating ever became public. Eddy Garcia, 33, testified Thursday that the hip-hop mogul made the comment repeatedly before giving a brown paper bag stuffed with US$100,000 (NZ$166,700) in cash to the then guard, in order to buy what he hoped was the only copy of surveillance footage of the March 2016 assault. Prosecutors at Combs' sex trafficking trial in Manhattan have made the footage of Combs kicking, beating and dragging Cassie at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles a centrepiece of their federal case against him. They contend it supports the claims of three women, including Cassie, who allege the Bad Boy Records founder sexually and physically abused them over two decades. Prosecutors say Combs' persistent efforts to hush up the episode fit into allegations he used threats and his fortune and fame to get what he wanted. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges. ADVERTISEMENT 'Something like this could ruin him' After the attack, Garcia said, he spoke several times to Combs' chief-of-staff, Kristina Khorram, telling her he couldn't show her the recording but "off the record, it's bad". He said during one phone call she put a "very nervous"-sounding Combs on the phone, who "was just saying he had a little too much to drink" and that, as Garcia surely knows, "with women, one thing leads to another and if this got out it would ruin him". Winter's here, supermarket spying, and TikTok's new feature. (Source: 1News) Garcia added: "He was talking really fast, a lot of stuttering". In the evening, Garcia said, he became nervous and scared when Khorram called him on his cell phone — the number for which he had not provided — and she put Combs on. "He stated that I sounded like a good guy," Garcia testified, adding that Combs again said "something like this could ruin him". ADVERTISEMENT When he told Combs he didn't have access to the server to obtain the video footage, Combs said he believed Garcia could make it happen and that "he would take care of me," which Garcia said he took "to mean financially". Garcia said he checked with his boss and was told he'd sell it to Combs for US$50,000 (NZ$83,300). Sean Diddy Combs, left, stands as his defense attorney, Teny Geragos, gives her opening statement to the jury on the first day of trial in Manhattan federal court. (Source: Associated Press) When he told Combs, he said the music producer "sounded excited". "He referred to me as 'Eddy my angel'," Garcia said, adding that Combs told him: "I knew you could help. I knew you could do it." Within two days of the attack on Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, Garcia gave Combs a storage device containing the footage in exchange for US$100,000 (NZ$166,700) in cash — with Combs feeding bills through a money counter and putting them in a brown paper bag. Garcia signed a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement, shown in court, that required he pay US$1 million (NZ$1.6 million) if he breached the deal. At the time, he said, he was making US$10.50 (NZ$17.50) an hour working hotel security. ADVERTISEMENT Garcia said he signed a declaration swearing that there was no other copy of the video. He said he signed the papers in an office building with Combs' bodyguard and Khorram present. Garcia said he didn't fully read the documents, explaining that he was nervous and "the goal was to get out of there as soon as possible". After signing, he said, Combs asked him what he planned to do with the money and advised him not to make big purchases. Garcia said he took that to mean he shouldn't do anything that would draw attention. This frame grab taken from hotel security camera video and aired by CNN appears to show Sean "Diddy" Combs attacking singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in March 2016. (Source: Associated Press) Garcia said he gave US$50,000 (NZ$83,300) to his boss and US$20,000 (NZ$33,300) to another security officer. He pocketed US$30,000 (NZ$50,000) and used some of it to buy a used car, he said. He used cash and, avoiding a further paper trail, never put the money in the bank, he said. A few weeks later, Garcia said, Combs called him and asked if anyone had inquired about the video. Garcia said no, recounting Combs' ebullient greeting: "Happy Easter. Eddy, my angel. God is good. God put you in my way for a reason." Garcia said he asked Combs if the rapper might have future work for him, and Combs sounded receptive. But Combs never responded to his later inquiries, the witness said. Last year, CNN aired footage of the security video. Another hotel guard has testified he recorded the footage on his phone so he could show it to his wife.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy Trial Sees Heckler Disrupt Court as Judge Learns Anonymous Witness' Name Leaked Online
Disturbances were abound at the federal criminal trial of Sean 'Diddy Combs' on Tuesday, as a woman viewing the rap mogul's sex trafficking and racketeering trial from the gallery shouted out in the middle of open court about the defendant, disrupting ongoing testimony in the fifth week of proceedings, and the trial's judge discovered that the name of 'Mia,' a pseudonymous witness, was leaked online. The heckler on Tuesday is a woman named Jacqueline 'Candor' Williams, who has been a regular inside and outside of the courthouse at 500 Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan. She has been a fixture there, speaking to a smartphone in the front of the courthouse where members of the press await the departure of Combs' mother and sons each day; she's also been present in the court's overflow room where press and members of the public watch the untelevised trial on medium-sized closed circuit TV screens. On Tuesday, Williams secured a seat in the courtroom where the trial was being held. More from The Hollywood Reporter Gibson Launches a Search for The Iconic "Marty McFly" Guitar From 'Back to the Future' Tate McRae, Mariah Carey and Ed Sheeran Heading to Vegas for iHeartRadio Music Festival Taylor Swift's Old Album Streams More Than Double on Spotify After Catalog Deal 'These motherfuckers are laughing at you,' she yelled at Combs, after shouting his name and a few profanities. She then yelled, 'You're laughing at a Black man's legacy,' before adding, 'Pull your gun out, ninja, I dare you.' Combs remained calm as this all occurred, but as Williams and another witness inside the courtroom told reporter Emilie Hagan, the jailed mogul pivoted in his chair with his mouth open when he heard Williams mention a security guard's gun. Judge Arun Subramanian quickly ordered the woman removed from the courtroom. Williams said that she has been told not to return to the trial room but that she is still allowed to view proceedings from the overflow room. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Williams via Instagram but did not immediately receive a reply. Her outburst caused a minor delay, and it occurred prior to the start of testimony from Eddy Garcia, a Los Angeles hotel security employee, when the 2016 incident occurred where Combs beat and dragged ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in L.A., all of which was caught on security footage. Garcia was a 33-year-old security guard at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles in 2016. He testified about speaking with a nervous-sounding Combs and his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, about the footage of the rap mogul viciously beating then-girlfriend Ventura in a hallway there nearly a decade ago. He told the court he ultimately accepted $100,000 for what he believed was the only footage of the horrific incident. Garcia testified that he split the money with a manager and another staff member, another guard; however, he had filmed the footage to show to his wife, and video of Combs attacking Ventura eventually leaked to CNN. Garcia's testimony followed that of 'Mia,' a former personal assistant of Combs who used a pseudonym in court as part of her testimony, which included discussion of several alleged incidents where she says she was raped or sexually assaulted by Combs. On Tuesday, the identity of 'Mia' was leaked online by a YouTube streamer and posted on X (formerly Twitter) by another outlet. Prosecutor Maurene Comey raised the state's concerns about the leaked name after the YouTube streamer shared Mia's identity; the streamer has now been barred from the federal court and will no longer be able to cover court proceedings. Comey told the judge that a second outlet had posted the real name of 'Mia' on X and requested that the judge ensure the post was removed and the source who posted it online was barred from court. The state prosecutors have been asked to draft a possible court order for consideration. Combs was federally indicted on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution in September and has been held in a Brooklyn federal jailhouse since then. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
CNA
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Sean 'Diddy' Combs paid hotel security officer to hand over video of him beating Cassie, jury hears
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 testified on Tuesday (Jun 3) 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 US$50,000. 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 US$100,000, 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.
