The hip-hop mogul is charged with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
The hip-hop mogul is charged with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.Prosecutors allege that Combs, a three-time Grammy winner, used his fame and fortune to create a deviant empire of exploitation, coercing women into abusive sex parties while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and beatings.
Combs' lawyers argue that all the sexual acts were consensual, and although he could be violent, he never veered into sex trafficking and racketeering. This story may contain accounts and descriptions of actual or alleged events that some readers may find disturbing. "Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy," a new podcast from "20/20" and ABC Audio, traces how the whispers of abuse came to light and led to the downfall of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who was once among the most influential entertainers and entrepreneurs in hip hop.Defense calls timeline of 'Mia's' accusations into questionAccording to Eddie Garcia's testimony, once he told Sean Combs "I had it," referring to the InterContinental Hotel's security camera video footage of Combs' 2016 attack on Cassie Ventura, he testified that he was provided with an address that was 20 minutes from the hotel.Garcia testified that someone who introduced himself as Combs' bodyguard met him in the lobby of a building and brought him up to an apartment, where he told the court Combs was "smiling, excited" and looking happy. "'Eddie my angel,' he was smiling. He said 'come in,' making me feel comfortable," Garcia testified Combs told him. He also told the court that Combs instructed his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, to make Garcia a cup of tea. Garcia told the court he handed over a USB drive containing the video and assured Combs it was the only copy. "I told him that I did have a concern that if there was to be a police report made at a later time that it would affect me," Garcia testified. "He said I didn't have to worry about that." Garcia told the jury that Combs then contacted Cassie Ventura via FaceTime. "She was wearing a hoodie and the lighting wasn't that great," Garcia testified. "Before he passed the phone over to me, he said, 'Let him know that you want this to go away, too.'""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 testified. Garcia further testified that Combs demanded copies of his ID and those of his supervisor, Bill Medrano, and Henry Elias, another security officer he told the court was on duty the night of the incident. The jury saw copies of their drivers licenses as well as copies of the non-disclosure agreement and certification that there was only one copy of the video, which Garcia testified he was made to sign. Garcia then testified that Combs left the room and allegedly returned with a brown bag and a money counter. Garcia told the court that there were "stacks of money being put in through it. Stacks of $10,000 at a time."Garcia testified Combs asked him if he wanted to count the money and he responded, "I said I trusted the machine." According to Garcia's testimony, Combs and a bodyguard accompanied him out of the suite and walked him to the valet where his car was parked. "He asked me how I would spend the money and I said I didn't know," Garcia testified. "He said not to make any big purchases." Garcia testified that later, he noticed that neither the incident report nor the video file attached to it were in the hotel's records."Happy Easter, Eddie my angel. God is good," Garcia testified the message said before Combs "proceeded to ask if anyone had asked about the video."Garcia's testimony concluded with minimal cross-examination from the defense. Garcia agreed with defense attorney Brian Steel that Combs had treated him professionally.Hotel security guard testifies Combs allegedly offered payment for 2016 attack video When Eddie Garcia arrived for his security shift at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Calif., on March 5, 2016, "I was told there was a domestic dispute," he testified Tuesday at the trial of Sean Combs. "I was informed of the incident and I was shown video," Garcia told the court, referring to the now-widely seen footage of Combs attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at the hotel. The jury once again saw the video that Garcia said he reviewed, depicting Ventura standing by the elevators putting on her shoes. Combs is seen on the video rounding the corner wearing only a towel, throwing Ventura to the floor and kicking her. "Did you have an understanding why law enforcement was not contacted?" prosecutor Mitzi Steiner asked. "Yes," Garcia testified. "I was told Ms. Ventura did not request the presence of police or medical attention." An hour or so into his shift, Garcia testified, the phone rang at the security desk. He told the court the number did not look like a local call. "It was a New York area code," Garcia testified. "The caller introduced herself as personal assistant to Mr. Combs, Kristina Khorram." Khorram asked if she could get a copy of the video, Garcia testified. "I told her that she would have to reach out to hotel management or get a subpoena," Garcia told the court. Garcia testified that about an hour later, the hotel operator called to say someone was in the lobby waiting to see him. Kristina Khorram, chief of staff for Combs, was in the lobby, according to Garcia's testimony. "She was asking about the video and if there was any way she could see it," he testified. "She wanted to know what they were dealing with.""I did mention to her, I said, 'Off the record, it's bad,'" Garcia testified."He asked me if I knew who he was. I said yes," Garcia testified. "Mr. Combs sounded very nervous. Just was talking really fast. Was just saying that he had a little too much to drink and that I knew how things was with women when one thing led to another." Garcia told the court that Combs asked if Garcia could provide the video. "He was talking really fast, a lot of stuttering, just from my perception sounded really nervous," Garcia testified. At home, Garcia told the court, he received a call from Khorram on his personal cell phone, which he testified made him "nervous that I was getting calls on my cell phone.""He stated that I sounded like a good guy, that I sounded like I wanted to help, that something like this could ruin him," Garcia testified, referring to Combs. "He was concerned this video would get out and it would ruin his career."Garcia testified that he told his supervisor Combs offered to pay for the video and that his supervisor agreed to the deal.Garcia testified that he called Khorram to inform her and Combs of his supervisor's decision, adding that Combs "sounded excited" and "referred to me as 'Eddie my angel."Testimony at the Sean Combs federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial is expected to return on Tuesday to the Intercontinental Hotel in Century City, California, where Combs was caught on 2016 video surveillance footage physically attacking his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. A hotel employee, Eddie Garcia, who is testifying under an immunity agreement with prosecutors, is expected to tell the jury that Combs and his associates paid $100,000 for the footage. The jury is also expected to hear from a Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Ventura's who has accused Combs of allegedly dangling her over the balcony of Ventura's apartment. Combs has denied the allegation. Ventura previously testified that she saw Combs "bring her back over the railing of the balcony and then throw her" onto some furniture. The new witnesses follow Monday's aggressive cross-examination of Combs' former assistant, who testified under the pseudonym "Mia," questioning that the prosecution complained to Judge Arun Subramanian was "humiliating." The defense confronted "Mia" with her affectionate text messages sent to Combs, including one from 2022 that ended, "Love, Love, Love you!" "Years later, you're still communicating with Mr. Combs," defense attorney Brian Steel said. "Mia" testified yes, but said that she had been "brainwashed." A third alleged victim, who will testify under the pseudonym "Jane," could be called to the witness stand as soon as Wednesday afternoon, prosecutors said.According to the testimony of Sylvia Oken, an employee of The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, Sean Combs checked into the hotel under aliases including Frank Black or Phillip Pines, while Cassie Ventura was listed under the hotel's guest profile for Combs as a guest. According to Oken's testimony, Combs on one occasion stayed in room 259 and incurred an extra $300 charge to clean the drapes following his stay. On another occasion, he stayed in bungalow 23B and incurred an extra $500 charge to clean "oil damage."Eyewitness News team, and ABC news legal contributor Bernarda Villalona dig deeper into the contentious cross examination of a woman who worked as a personal assistant to Sean Combs.
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