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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shocking photos show Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' NYC hotel room stocked with baby oil, pink ketamine and $9K in cash on day of arrest
Sean 'Diddy' Combs had bottles of baby oil, pink ketamine and $9,000 in cash when he was arrested in a New York City hotel in September 2024. According to photos taken at the Park Hyatt Hotel by Homeland Security Agent Yasin Binda, authorities found big and mini sized bottles of Johnson & Johnson baby oil, bottles of Astroglide lubricant, a black fanny pack with thousands of dollars in cash and two clear plastic Ziploc bags with a pink powdery material inside in the 'Act Bad' rapper's room. One of the baggies tested positive for ketamine while the other contained MDMA and ketamine. Authorities also recovered a prescription bottle of clonazepam that was made out to Frank Black — an alias that he used, according to Combs' ex Casanda 'Cassie' Ventura's testimony. Another prescription bottle that was photographed in Combs' hotel room had the name of the recipient scratched off. Homeland Security also took photos of the hotel room lamp, which Binda told jurors last week that a 'lighting device' was used to create 'mood lighting' in the living room. Combs, 55, was arrested on Sept. 16, 2024, after he was indicted by a grand jury. The dad of seven was then hit with three charges: racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied all culpability. The 'I'll Be Missing You' emcee's sex trafficking trial kicked off earlier this month with several people testifying about his sex- and drug-filled 'Freak-Off' parties and the physical abuse his ex Ventura, 38, endured. The 'Me & U' singer, who dated Combs on and off from 2008 to 2018, testified last week that one 'Freak-Off' lasted as long as four days and that she would suffer painful UTIs and sores in her mouth due to the back-to-back sex sessions. Ventura's former BFF Kerry Morgan and singer Dawn Richard testified Monday that they witnessed Combs physically attack the model on several occasions.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Uppers, downers and Obama-shaped ecstasy: The Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial is a window into drug culture
Sean 'Diddy' Combs appeared to be living like a 'shot-caller' referenced in his 1997 hit 'It's All About the Benjamins' right up until his arrest in September. Attorneys for the entrepreneur and music mogul told CNN at the time that they had been negotiating his voluntary surrender before he was taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations. Among the evidence found Inside the Park Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan where Combs had checked in days before, investigators found bags of lubricant, $9000 in cash, a bottle of clonazepam, and two small bags with pink powder. The contents of the bags tested positive for MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, and ketamine, according to a stipulation read in court during his criminal sex trafficking trial. Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, probably would not want the world to know about his past drug use, given his other business and cultural accomplishments. After all, he has publicly said he avoided the fate of his father, Melvin Combs, who reportedly was a drug dealer before he was fatally shot when his son was a toddler. The ongoing trial, however, has laid bare allegations that drugs have seemingly been as much a part of Combs' past as professional success. Prosecutors have argued that drugs were part of Combs' alleged racketeering conspiracy. 'The defendant used his employees to get and distribute drugs. They delivered those drugswhenever the defendant asked, including so he could give those same drugs to the women he was forcing to have sex with male escorts,' Assistant US Attorney Emily Johnson said in her opening statement last month. Combs' defense team has acknowledged his past drug use and violence, but maintain it is not related to the criminal charges he's facing. 'We are telling you right now that he is physical, that he is a drug user, and I'm telling you he had a bit of a different sex life,' Teny Geragos, an attorney for Combs, said in her opening statement. 'Is that a federal crime? No. You will hear that he got IVs after ingesting drugs. Is that a federal crime? No. He will be responsible. He will be accountable for the things that he did. But we will fight for his freedom throughout the next eight weeks for what he did not do.' Part of the defense strategy seems to involve suggesting Combs' behavior was influenced by his drug use and jealousy, asking his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who testified about her past substance abuse, about symptoms of withdrawal she may have noticed with Combs in their time together. 'It felt unfair when he was so hard on you when he, himself, was a full blown drug addict, right?' Combs' attorney Anna Estevao asked Ventura during cross-examination. 'Yes, you could say,' Ventura responded. Ventura was asked if she believed Combs was an addict and she replied, 'I would say he was an addict' before being asked what Combs was addicted to. 'Success,' Ventura quipped, adding later that she believed he was addicted to various substances over the years. 'Was he addicted to opiates?' Estevao asked. 'At a point, yes,' Ventura responded. 'How do you know that he was addicted to opiates?' Estevao continued. 'Because he told me,' Ventura said. She testified Combs once overdosed on painkillers in February 2012. David James, who formerly worked as a personal assistant to Combs, testified he frequently saw Combs take opiates during the day and ecstasy at night, including a pill once shaped like former President Barack Obama's face. On a couple of occasions, James procured drugs for Combs and his friends, he testified. Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction specialist who was recently featured as an on-air contributor in 'Hollywood Demons' on Max, told CNN, 'People could use a lot of drugs and not be a drug addict. 'Addict' is a very specific, progressive illness,' he explained. Pinsky has not met or treated Combs. In a video shared on social media by Combs in May 2024, he said, 'I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab.' He did not specify what he sought help for, though his post came days after CNN published 2016 hotel surveillance video that showed Combs physically assaulting Ventura. Pinsky gained insight into celebrities and substance abuse through his reality series 'Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,' which aired from 2008 to 2011. 'There's nothing special about celebrities in addiction, except that they can progress more than the average person because there's not an employer pulling them back,' he told CNN. That means there are fewer guardrails for the rich and famous, given that they don't have the same level of accountability that comes with having to hold down a regular job or even have those in their lives empowered to get them into treatment. 'As such, their disease progresses more,' Pinsky said. 'So it can be more outrageous looking.' The public can develop 'a naive sense' of what larger-than-life personalities may be like behind closed doors, Pinsky said. 'The question I always get all the time is, 'So what's up with this person?,'' he added. 'As though there's some separate manual for celebrities.' 'No, they're the same, and they tend to be sicker,' Pinsky said. The Combs trial is expected to continue on for several more weeks.
CNN
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Uppers, downers and Obama-shaped ecstasy: The Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial is a window into drug culture
Sean 'Diddy' Combs appeared to be living like a 'shot-caller' referenced in his 1997 hit 'It's All About the Benjamins' right up until his arrest in September. Attorneys for the entrepreneur and music mogul told CNN at the time that they had been negotiating his voluntary surrender before he was taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations. Among the evidence found Inside the Park Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan where Combs had checked in days before, investigators found bags of lubricant, $9000 in cash, a bottle of clonazepam, and two small bags with pink powder. The contents of the bags tested positive for MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, and ketamine, according to a stipulation read in court during his criminal sex trafficking trial. Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, probably would not want the world to know about his past drug use, given his other business and cultural accomplishments. After all, he has publicly said he avoided the fate of his father, Melvin Combs, who reportedly was a drug dealer before he was fatally shot when his son was a toddler. The ongoing trial, however, has laid bare allegations that drugs have seemingly been as much a part of Combs' past as professional success. Prosecutors have argued that drugs were part of Combs' alleged racketeering conspiracy. 'The defendant used his employees to get and distribute drugs. They delivered those drugswhenever the defendant asked, including so he could give those same drugs to the women he was forcing to have sex with male escorts,' Assistant US Attorney Emily Johnson said in her opening statement last month. Combs' defense team has acknowledged his past drug use and violence, but maintain it is not related to the criminal charges he's facing. 'We are telling you right now that he is physical, that he is a drug user, and I'm telling you he had a bit of a different sex life,' Teny Geragos, an attorney for Combs, said in her opening statement. 'Is that a federal crime? No. You will hear that he got IVs after ingesting drugs. Is that a federal crime? No. He will be responsible. He will be accountable for the things that he did. But we will fight for his freedom throughout the next eight weeks for what he did not do.' Part of the defense strategy seems to involve suggesting Combs' behavior was influenced by his drug use and jealousy, asking his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who testified about her past substance abuse, about symptoms of withdrawal she may have noticed with Combs in their time together. 'It felt unfair when he was so hard on you when he, himself, was a full blown drug addict, right?' Combs' attorney Anna Estevao asked Ventura during cross-examination. 'Yes, you could say,' Ventura responded. Ventura was asked if she believed Combs was an addict and she replied, 'I would say he was an addict' before being asked what Combs was addicted to. 'Success,' Ventura quipped, adding later that she believed he was addicted to various substances over the years. 'Was he addicted to opiates?' Estevao asked. 'At a point, yes,' Ventura responded. 'How do you know that he was addicted to opiates?' Estevao continued. 'Because he told me,' Ventura said. She testified Combs once overdosed on painkillers in February 2012. David James, who formerly worked as a personal assistant to Combs, testified he frequently saw Combs take opiates during the day and ecstasy at night, including a pill once shaped like former President Barack Obama's face. On a couple of occasions, James procured drugs for Combs and his friends, he testified. Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction specialist who was recently featured as an on-air contributor in 'Hollywood Demons' on Max, told CNN, 'People could use a lot of drugs and not be a drug addict. 'Addict' is a very specific, progressive illness,' he explained. Pinsky has not met or treated Combs. In a video shared on social media by Combs in May 2024, he said, 'I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab.' He did not specify what he sought help for, though his post came days after CNN published 2016 hotel surveillance video that showed Combs physically assaulting Ventura. Pinsky gained insight into celebrities and substance abuse through his reality series 'Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,' which aired from 2008 to 2011. 'There's nothing special about celebrities in addiction, except that they can progress more than the average person because there's not an employer pulling them back,' he told CNN. That means there are fewer guardrails for the rich and famous, given that they don't have the same level of accountability that comes with having to hold down a regular job or even have those in their lives empowered to get them into treatment. 'As such, their disease progresses more,' Pinsky said. 'So it can be more outrageous looking.' The public can develop 'a naive sense' of what larger-than-life personalities may be like behind closed doors, Pinsky said. 'The question I always get all the time is, 'So what's up with this person?,'' he added. 'As though there's some separate manual for celebrities.' 'No, they're the same, and they tend to be sicker,' Pinsky said. The Combs trial is expected to continue on for several more weeks.
Daily Mirror
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
P Diddy's escort claims rapper only wore one item of clothing in Freak Offs
Escort The Punisher testified during the second week of the ongoing P Diddy trial in Manhattan and told the court about his encounters with the musician An escort who was involved in P Diddy's Freak Offs has told the court the rapper wore just one item of clothing during them. Exotic dancer and escort Sharay Hayes, also known as The Punisher, was allegedly hired for Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Freak Offs, which involved sex and consuming drugs. Taking to the stand on Tuesday, Sharay gave evidence during the second week of the trial, which is expected to last six weeks. Rapper and music mogul Diddy, 55, is currently being remanded in custody. He faces a number of charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. He was arrested in September and strongly denies all allegations made against him. He has been in prison since his arrest, and a number of bail requests have been rejected. Giving evidence, Sharay told the court about his first time at one of Diddy's Freak Offs. He claimed that Diddy appeared naked, apart from just one item of clothing, on his face. He claimed the hotel room was dimly lit and all the furniture had been covered with sheets, and bowls of water were left around the room, along with bottles of baby oil. Hayes told the court that he came out of the bathroom wearing just a towel before Cassie Ventura rubbed baby oil on herself and then him. After this, he claims a man emerged in the room. Hayes told the court that the man, Diddy, was "nude" and his face had been completely covered by a veil. He explained that Diddy was sitting behind a table and chair, as well as pacing back and forth throughout the Freak Off. Diddy is alleged to have spoken to Cassie during the interaction, giving her subtle directions. Hayes told the court that the interaction lasted between 25 and 45 minutes and ended when the man, Diddy, stood up and vacated the room, with Cassie following him. Upon her return, she allegedly asked Hayes if he wanted to finish, with Hayes believing she was asking if he wanted to orgasm, which he declined. She then handed him an extra $1,200, the court heard. At the time of the incident, Hayes claimed he had no idea that the man behind the veil was Diddy, but later allegedly discovered his identity when he was asked to take part in a similar act. He told the court he had around eight to 12 encounters with Diddy and his ex-girlfriend, Cassie. During his testimony, he told the court that Diddy made the decision to ditch the veil and later wore a baseball cap. Earlier this week, the jury was shown pictures taken by federal agents at Diddy's room at the Park Hyatt Hotel, New York, where he was arrested. Despite Combs having agreed with his attorneys to surrender to authorities before his arrest, his hotel room showed what appeared to be preparation for a 'freak off'. A number of bottles of baby oil were found, as was mood lighting, when authorities arrived. Other objects discovered on location include a mysterious pink powder in small bags, a bottle of pills and money. Among the drugs found in the room, according to prosecutors, were ketamine and MDMA. The trial continues.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Santa Monica Doctors Come Under Scrutiny in Sean "Diddy" Combs Federal Trial in NYC
A Santa Monica based concierge clinic Lifespan has come under scrutiny in the ongoing federal trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs after federal agents recovered prescription drugs in the name of "Frank Black" with the doctors' 2811 Wilshire Avenue address listed under the bogus patient's name after his prescription drug were found in room 2115 at the tony Park Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan on Sept. 16, 2024 after Combs' arrest earlier that day, Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Yasin Binda testified at Combs' ongoing federal trial on human trafficking and other racketeering conspiracy charges in a Manhattan federal courtroom. Combs has been held without bail at a Brooklyn federal lockup since his 2024 arrest. The pill bottle was recovered inside a Louis Vuitton bag on the nightstand along with apparent 'mood lighting,' Binda told the court. She also described finding bags with Astroglide lubricant and baby oil inside the entryway closet of the room. It's not the first time prescription drugs written by Los Angeles area doctors havebecome scrutinized in federal prosecutions. Two doctors, including one from Santa Monica, were federally charged in connection with providing illegal drugs to "Friends" actor Matthew Perry before his deadly overdose. Santa Monica physician, Dr. Salvador Plasencia, 42, a.k.a. 'Dr. P,' is awaiting trial in the case. 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.
