Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial recap: Ex-assistant Brendan Paul testifies he bought drugs for Combs — but he was no 'drug mule'
The trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs resumed Friday in Manhattan federal court, with Brendan Paul, a former assistant described in multiple civil lawsuits as Combs's 'drug mule,' testifying against him in the high-profile sex trafficking case.
Federal prosecutors say that for decades, Combs abused, threatened and coerced women to participate in drug-fueled marathon sexual encounters called "freak offs" and used his business empire, along with guns, kidnapping and arson, to conceal his crimes. The defense has argued that the encounters were consensual, and Combs has denied any wrongdoing.
The 55-year-old hip-hop mogul is facing five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Here are some key takeaways from Friday's testimony culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom, including CNN, NBC News, and the Washington Post.
Paul testified after invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Judge Arun Subramanian signed an immunity order compelling Paul's testimony.
He told the court that he worked for Combs from 2022 until 2024, describing the grueling 80-to-100-hour weeks he spent helping coordinate the mogul's travel, fitness workouts, meal plans and assorted other needs, including setting up hotel rooms for "freak offs" — or what he knew as "wild king nights" — ahead of Combs's arrival.
Like other former assistants, Paul said he would stock the rooms with supplies, including candles, condoms, Astroglide and a Gucci pouch that contained drugs. He also sometimes cleaned the rooms after the sex parties, he said.
Paul testified that he would sometimes go days without sleep working for Combs, taking prescription Adderall and occasionally cocaine to stay awake.
According to Paul, Combs likened his staff of assistants to SEAL Team 6, demanding they operate with no failures.
Paul said that Combs 'fired' him numerous times, including once for forgetting to bring his boss's Lululemon fanny pack. The firings would always blow over within a day or two and he would continue working, he said.
Paul testified that he was also tasked with buying drugs — including marijuana, cocaine, ketamine and ecstasy — for Combs.
Combs or one of his other assistants would instruct him to obtain the drugs, which involved meeting with drug dealers with such nicknames as Guido, Baby Girl and One Stop, Paul said.
Paul told the court that he would also pick up prescription drugs for Combs at pharmacies under Combs's real name or the alias "Frank Black."
Once he procured the drugs, Paul said he would give them directly to Combs or put them in Combs's Gucci bag, where they were often stored.
But under cross-examination by the defense, Paul testified that handling drugs was only a minor part of his work for Combs, and that it was his understanding that the drugs were for the mogul's personal use.
'You were not some drug mule, right?' defense attorney Brian Steel asked.
'Absolutely not,' Paul replied.
Paul was arrested for possession of cocaine at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport in March 2024, around the same time federal agents raided Combs's homes. The charges were later dropped.
He told the court that he got the cocaine while he was "sweeping" Combs's room and put it in his own bag, but then forgot to remove it before leaving for a family trip.
'I was sweeping his room and put it in my bag and forgot it while I was packing,' he explained.
Paul said he told law enforcement that everything in the bag, including the cocaine, was his, and did not say where he got it out of "loyalty" to Combs.
Big picture: Prosecutors hope to convince jurors that Combs used his business empire, including assistants like Paul, to procure drugs and help him set up "freak offs" as part of their racketeering conspiracy charge. But under cross-examination, Paul acknowledged that Combs did not ask him to travel with the cocaine, and that he had left it in his bag by mistake.
While Joseph Cerciello, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, was on the stand, prosecutors entered into evidence text messages between Combs and Cassie Ventura, his former girlfriend and a star witness for the government's case.
The messages were from March 2017, a year after Combs was captured on surveillance video assaulting Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel.
"That's not love, that's possession," Ventura wrote to Combs in one of the messages, which was shown in court.
At one point, Combs asked Ventura if she was "flipping" on him. She said she 'aint flipping' but that she also did not want to subject herself to another 'beat down.'
Later in the exchange, Ventura told Combs, 'You treat me like a hooker to be honest. You always want to call one and you have one. This hooker has been here for 10 years.'
Prosecutors had hoped to rest their case this week, but the court was adjourned without testimony Wednesday because a juror was sick with vertigo, delaying the proceedings. Court was not in session Thursday for the Juneteenth holiday.
The government said it now expects to wrap up its case Monday.
Combs's lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, estimated it would take less than two days to present his defense, and likely rest on Tuesday or Wednesday. (The defense had already hinted that Combs probably won't testify.)
Under that timeline, Subramanian said jury deliberations could begin Thursday after closing arguments, and asked both sides to prepare modifications to the proposed instructions that will be given to the jury when it gets the case.
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