Former hotel security guard testifies that Diddy paid him $100k in exchange for video of 2016 assault on Cassie

The trial of Sean Diddy Combs continued Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, with two more witnesses including a hotel security guard who was paid $100,000 by Combs in exchange of the surveillance video showing him beating Cassie Ventura testifying in the sx trafficking case. Federal prosecutors say that for decades, Combs abused, threatened and coerced women to participate in marathon sxual encounters called “freak offs” and used his business empire, along with guns, kidnapping and arson, to conceal his crimes. The 55-year-old hip-hop mogul is facing five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sx trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and two counts of transportation to engage in pr0stitut!on. Combs has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face life in prison. Before Tuesdays testimony got underway, a woman who began screaming obscenities was removed from the courtroom at the request of Judge Arun Subramanian. The woman could be heard yelling at Combs, These motherf***ers are laughing at you! “Escort her out right now!” Subramanian shouted from the bench. Combs, seated in his chair at the defense table, glanced at the woman as she was taken away by court marshals. Speaking to reporters outside, the woman said she was a Combs supporter and was upset about how people attending the trial in person had been mocking him. Eddy Garcia, a former security guard at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, where Combs was caught on surveillance video assaulting Cassie Ventura in March 2016, took the stand first. He testified under an immunity order after asserting his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself. Garcia told the court that he was initially approached by Combss former chief of staff Kristina Khorram about the footage, which showed Combs kicking and dragging Ventura in an elevator bank. The video was shown to the jury earlier in the trial. He said he told Khorram that she would need a subpoena to see the video. Combs then called from his personal cellphone saying the video could ruin him if it got out and that he would take care of Garcia if he could secure the only copy. Garcia said he spoke to his boss and they agreed to sell it for $50,000. At a private meeting at a Los Angeles high-rise building a few days later, Garcia said he and Combs got on a FaceTime call with Ventura, who at Combss direction said she also wanted the video to go away. Garcia testified that Combs made him sign documents, including a nondisclosure agreement. Garcia then handed Combs a USB drive with the footage. Eddy, my angel, I knew you could help, Combs told Garcia, according to the former security guard. Combs left the room and returned with $100,000 in a brown paper bag, ran the cash through a money counter and handed it to him while warning him not to make any big purchases, Garcia recalled. According to Garcia, Combs told him to give the extra cash to the other security guards on duty that day. Garcia testified that he gave $50,000 of the money to his supervisor who approved the deal with Combs, $20,000 to another guard involved in the incident and kept $30,000 for himself. Derek Ferguson, the former chief financial officer of Combss Bad Boy Entertainment, took the stand next. Ferguson told the court that he sometimes reported directly to Combs as CFO of Bad Boy from 1998 to 2012, overseeing budgets and salaries and at times responsible for the music mogul’s personal finances. Financial records from December 2011 submitted as evidence by prosecutors while Ferguson was on the stand showed three $20,000 transfers, including: An outgoing transfer of $20,000 from Combs to Cassie Ventura on Dec. 14An incoming transfer of $20,000 to Combs from Broderick Ventura, Cassie Venturas father, on Dec. 23An outgoing transfer of $20,000 from Combs to Broderick Ventura on Dec. 27. Prosecutor Maurene Comey said the government intends to call three more witnesses on Wednesday, including Bryana Bongolan, who previously accused Combs of sxual battery and dangling her over a balcony; and Jane, another one of Combss accusers who is using a pseudonym during the trial.The post Former hotel security guard testifies that Diddy paid him $100k in exchange for video of 2016 assaultonCassie appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.