Latest news with #US50
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
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.
9 News
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- 9 News
Sean 'Diddy' Combs paid to hide Cassie beating video, court told
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Soon after viciously attacking his longtime girlfriend Cassie in a US hotel hallway, Sean "Diddy" Combs sought out a security guard and predicted accurately that his iconic 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 that the hip-hop mogul made the comment repeatedly before giving a brown paper bag stuffed with $US100,000 ($155,000) 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. Leaked video captured Sean 'Diddy' Combs assaulting former girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. (Nine) US 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. 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." Garcia added: "He was talking really fast, a lot of stuttering." Sean 'Diddy' Combs became nervous and afraid when he realised there was CCTV footage of him assaulting Casandra Ventura, a court heard. (AP) In the evening, Garcia said, he became nervous and scared when Khorram called him on his mobile 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." 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 $US50,000. When he told Combs, he said the music producer "sounded excited." Cassie Ventura, right, walks out of the courtroom past Sean Diddy Combs after testifying in Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP) (AP) "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 $US100,000 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 $US1 million ($1.6 million) if he breached the deal. At the time, he said, he was making $US10.50 an hour working hotel security. 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. Garcia said he gave $US50,000 to his boss and $US20,000 to another security officer. He pocketed $US30,000 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. Sean Diddy Combs USA courts CCTV Violence CONTACT US
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
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.
West Australian
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
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.
7NEWS
2 days ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Australian Olympian Jess Hull wins $77,000 with stunning comeback at Grand Slam Track
Australian Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull has shifted gears to bank $US50,000 ($A77,000) at the latest big-money Grand Slam Track event. Hull had missed the podium in the Short Distance (800m and 1500m) category at the first two events on the invite-only tour, finishing fourth and fifth for a combined prize of $US45,000 ($A70,000). But she more than doubled that haul at the next event over the weekend. With results the only factor in deciding prize money, runners have made the tactical decision to run slow and kick for the finish. Frustrated by what the 1500m races had yielded to start the Grand Slam season, Hull decided to flip it on its head in Philadelphia over the weekend and run hard from the off. 'It was planned. We had watched how these races had gone in Jamaica and Miami and I know I'm better than I was finishing down there,' she said. 'We just looked at both races, the first 300s were 55 seconds. We're like 'we're not doing that today'.' Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji made the same move and edged out Hull for the win by 0.32 seconds, with the Aussie still content. 'It was kind of nice. We got off the line. Welteji had the same idea as me so I was like 'OK I'll wait' and when I feel like she's settling I'll keep it going,' she said. Hull said racing soon after her recent training camp in Arizona played into the decision to push early. 'I felt really strong. I've had a great month of training, I've been at altitude,' she said. 'So it feels nice to be able to come down and be able to breathe — so I was just keen to run hard.' After the season-best 1500m set her up for a category podium, Hull came from the very back of the field to finish third in the 800m and seal the $US50,000 prize. Speaking before the run, Hull said she is still adapting to the shorter middle-distance run. 'I'm still learning it — 59 and 61 (seconds per lap) feels the same to me,' she said. 'That's what I'm struggling with a little bit, I don't quite recognise — in Miami we were a little slow through the bell and I had no clue. It all feels the same so that pace I'm still learning. 'I'm hoping tomorrow I can make some good decisions from 300m to 600m where I recognise if there is a drop or increase in pace and respond accordingly. I feel like I've run a bit blind in the last couple.' Hull kept her word, jumping to sixth at the halfway mark and then moving to second with 200m to go before she was reeled in for third at the finish. Two more Australians pocketed five-figure prizes on their Grand Slam Track debuts. Abbey Caldwell finished two spots behind Hull in the Short Distance category, claiming $US25,000 ($A39,000) for her fourth-place result. Aussie Ky Robinson finished third in the men's 3000m to take home $US15,000 ($A23,000).
