Sean “Diddy” Combs paid big bucks and had everyone sign punishing non-disclosure agreements to obtain what he believed was the “only copy” of video showing him beating and kicking then girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016 in the hallway of an upscale LA hotel, a former security guard at the InterContinental testified today at the Bad Boy Records founder’s sex-trafficking trial.
“He said it had to be the only copy and that he didn’t want it getting out and if I was sure nothing was on the cloud,” a clearly nervous and often hesitant Eddy Garcia told the packed lower Manhattan courtroom of his conversations nine years ago with Combs, who was sitting nearby Tuesday with his defense team. Garica said to Judge Arun Subramanian and the jury that Combs admitted to him “it could ruin him” if the video went public.
On trial in New York City since May 12, the 55-year-old Combs could end up spending the rest of his life in prison if found guilty on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and more. In proceedings that have been as theatrical as they have been legal, today saw things ramped up a notch as a consistent observer of the trial removed from the courtroom as she screamed out “Diddy, these motherfuckers laughing at you!” Turning the atmosphere bleaker than usual for a second, bellowed to armed U.S. Marshals: “Pull your gun out ninja, I dare you.”
Beginning Tuesday’s session after that all went down, the then $10.50 an hour Garcia detailed how Diddy handed him an envelope of bills totally $100,000 to secure the visceral footage. The payoff broke down with $50,000 going to Garcia’s hotel security supervisor Bill Madrano as requested and the rest split between Garcia and another guard. Sorted by a money counter of Combs in stacks of $10,000 at a time, the cash came after Garcia inked an NDA that contained a $1 million penalty if breached – a point worth paying attention to by the attention Combs’ lawyer Brian Steel gave it later Thursday in his relatively brief cross-examination this morning.
The prosecution are framing the buying off of the video as an attempt to obstruct a police probe of the beating of Ventura. The Steel, Marc Agnifilo, Teny Garagos-led defense insist there was no obstruction because there was no police probe because the police were never called in 2016 that day in LA.
Garcia, on the other hand, was called.
Having first been contacted by Combs’ top aide Kristina Khorram on March 5, 2016 not long after he showed up at work and saw the footage of the attack earlier that day, Garcia took a USB drive of the video that his immediate supervisor provided with him to meet the Grammy winner two days later.
As it all went down, including a Facetime call from Ventura who told Garcia she wanted the footage buried too, Combs praised the security guard. “Eddy, my angel, I knew you could help,” the witness said Combs gushed, offering what proved to be an empty promise to help him out if Garcia ever needed it.
After getting the $100,000, Garcia handed $50,000 to Madrano, gave $20,000 to Henry Elias, a fellow guard on duty that day, and kept $30,000 for himself. Garcia judging Israel Florez, the InterContinental deputy heard of security who actually addressed the violence on the hotel’s 6th floor, interacted with Combs and Ventura and eventually got the “Me & U” singer out of there, to be too much of a straight arrow to take any o f the money
As anyone who saw the brutal video on CNN last March of a towel wearing Combs bringing down barrage of blows on the attempting to escape Ventura knows the footage the All About the Benjamins performer purchased was not the only copy. Considered to be the smoking gun in the federal case against Combs, that InterContinental footage has been played over and over during the trial for one witness’ testimony after another – despite various attempts by the defense to have it tossed out or undermine the credibility of what everyone can see with their own eyes.
Testifying on the first day of the trial, now LAPD Officer Florez admitted he filmed some of the footage on his phone that March day to convince his wife that the incident had really happened. Florez also testified that when he came back to work a few days later the footage was gone.
Eight years later, as Diddy faced a plethora of accusations, lawsuits (including a quickly settled for $20 million complaint from Ventura in November 2023, and raids on his LA and Miami homes, that footage showed up on CNN.
At the four week mark of the trial, t he jury of eight men and four women in the Lower Manhattan courtroom has heard explicit and sometimes heartrending testimony about rapes, emotional and physical violence, blackmail, and filmed drug-juiced “freak-offs” from Combs’ former longtime girlfriend Cassie Ventura and his ex-personal assistant “Mia.” Last month Kid Cudi also took the stand detailing Combs’ jealous actions during the Man on the Moon rapper’s short affair with Ventura. Along with InterContinental employees like Florez, former Combs staffers, past Making the Band singer Dawn Richard (who has an assault and abuse suit of her own against Diddy), law enforcement officials, “freak-off” male escorts and more have also testified in the often extremely explicit and disturbing trial.
In a possible blow to Ventura’s pitch perfect testimony, the jury also heard on May 16 in the closing minutes of the singer’s time on the stand that she is about to get a $10 million settlement with the InterContinental over the 2016 hallway beating incident and their response. Muddying the waters more, a lobbied Donald Trump told reporters on May 30 that he “certainly” would look into a pardon for his old pal once he had all the facts – something that MAGA supporter and longtime Combs rival 50 Cent has vowed to not let occur.
Wednesday will likely see “Jane,” another accuser of Combs testifying under a pseudonym taking the stand for the feds. With the testimony of the then heavily pregnant Ventura in the first week and that of the tearful “Mia” last week, the story of rape and violence that “Jane” is expected to tell is the prosecution’s next to last opportunity to convince the jury of the strength of its case.
Not wanting to be anywhere near Combs’ criminal trial, Garcia previously stated this week that he would invoke his Fifth Amendment rights during his testimony until he was granted immunity. With at least three to four more weeks to go in the trial, Garcia is far from the first witness for the U.S. Attorney’s office who was on the stand under subpoena and with an immunity deal – and likely won’t be the last.
Once the prosecution rests next week after several days of testimony from “Jane,” the defense will then get the chance to present their case. A presentation, like the defense’s opening statement that will emphasis while Combs is violent and has committed domestic violence, was a heavy drug user, a swinger, and a not very nice person. A presentation, like the defense’s opening statement that will emphasis, while all that is true and sordid, it is not what Combs is charged with by a government that the defense have tried to portray as puritanical and prudish.
After the defense rests, the U.S. Attorney’s office will have a second swing to prove their criminal enterprise theory with a rebuttal case. Having just given birth to a baby boy last week, Cassie Ventura won’t be back for that portion of the trial, but some other witness’ may be. Then it is closing arguments and the whole matter goes to the jury for deliberations and a verdict.
All of which could take this deeper into July than Judge Subramanian likely desires
The post Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Faces New Accuser “Jane” Wednesday; Trial Dominated Today By $100K Payment For “Only Copy” Of 2016 LA Hotel Footage Of Cassie Ventura Beating appeared first on Deadline.
