Diddy former assistant Brendan Paul testifies on FBI arrest and other allegations in ongoing trial
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' former assistant, Brendan Paul, took the witness stand on Friday in the ongoing federal trial against the music mogul. Paul, a 26-year-old former Syracuse University basketball player, worked for Combs for approximately 18 months beginning in late 2022. His testimony provided detailed insight into Combs' alleged lifestyle, including regular drug use and monthly sex parties known as 'Wild King Nights.'
Paul was arrested on March 24, 2024, at a Miami airport during coordinated federal raids on Combs' properties in Miami and Los Angeles. Although Combs was released, Paul was taken into custody after authorities discovered 0.7 grams of cocaine in one of his bags. He told the court that the drugs belonged to Combs but said he initially didn't tell federal agents due to "loyalty." Paul was released the following day on a $2,500 bond, and the charges were later dropped. He has not spoken to Combs since.
Paul testified that his responsibilities included setting up and cleaning hotel rooms used for Combs' monthly sex parties. These events, he said, required him to purchase supplies such as towels, lube, alcohol, sheets, and toiletries. He also reported once seeing white powder residue in a hotel room. Paul said he spent between $500 on drugs for Combs—such as cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy, and marijuana—on five to ten occasions, though he denied being a 'drug mule.'
Paul's name has been mentioned in three pending civil lawsuits filed against Combs, including one by music producer Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones, who accused Combs of coercion and alleged Paul helped procure guns and drugs. Paul rejected the criminal characterization and insisted he would 'absolutely not' work for a criminal.
He described Combs as demanding, noting that staff were instructed to 'move like SEAL Team Six' and ensure Combs' satisfaction at all costs.
The trial resumed Friday after a brief delay due to a juror's illness and the Juneteenth holiday. Federal prosecutors are expected to conclude their case on Monday, with the defense set to begin presenting witnesses Tuesday. Combs faces charges including sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution, and racketeering. He has pleaded not guilty and faces a potential life sentence if convicted.
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Express Tribune
12 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Diddy former assistant Brendan Paul testifies on FBI arrest and other allegations in ongoing trial
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' former assistant, Brendan Paul, took the witness stand on Friday in the ongoing federal trial against the music mogul. Paul, a 26-year-old former Syracuse University basketball player, worked for Combs for approximately 18 months beginning in late 2022. His testimony provided detailed insight into Combs' alleged lifestyle, including regular drug use and monthly sex parties known as 'Wild King Nights.' Paul was arrested on March 24, 2024, at a Miami airport during coordinated federal raids on Combs' properties in Miami and Los Angeles. Although Combs was released, Paul was taken into custody after authorities discovered 0.7 grams of cocaine in one of his bags. He told the court that the drugs belonged to Combs but said he initially didn't tell federal agents due to "loyalty." Paul was released the following day on a $2,500 bond, and the charges were later dropped. He has not spoken to Combs since. Paul testified that his responsibilities included setting up and cleaning hotel rooms used for Combs' monthly sex parties. These events, he said, required him to purchase supplies such as towels, lube, alcohol, sheets, and toiletries. He also reported once seeing white powder residue in a hotel room. Paul said he spent between $500 on drugs for Combs—such as cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy, and marijuana—on five to ten occasions, though he denied being a 'drug mule.' Paul's name has been mentioned in three pending civil lawsuits filed against Combs, including one by music producer Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones, who accused Combs of coercion and alleged Paul helped procure guns and drugs. Paul rejected the criminal characterization and insisted he would 'absolutely not' work for a criminal. He described Combs as demanding, noting that staff were instructed to 'move like SEAL Team Six' and ensure Combs' satisfaction at all costs. The trial resumed Friday after a brief delay due to a juror's illness and the Juneteenth holiday. Federal prosecutors are expected to conclude their case on Monday, with the defense set to begin presenting witnesses Tuesday. Combs faces charges including sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution, and racketeering. He has pleaded not guilty and faces a potential life sentence if convicted.
Express Tribune
11-06-2025
- Express Tribune
Diddy defence questions ex
Sean Combs's defence lawyers on Tuesday began questioning a woman who dated the music mogul up until his arrest, and who has testified in agonising detail that he pressured her into drug-fuelled sex with escorts, as reported by AFP. In the initial hours of questioning, defence attorney Teny Geragos sought to demonstrate that the woman speaking under the pseudonym Jane had agency throughout her relationship with Combs — an attempt to show that what prosecutors deem to be sex trafficking was in fact consensual. The defence exhibited loving messages and voice notes the pair shared, and also asked Jane about her "jealousy" regarding Combs's "polyamorous" lifestyle that involved other girlfriends. Geragos elicited testimony from Jane in which she said she gravitated to men who were "successful." The witness, who told jurors she still loves Combs, also testified that at points she felt "very loved" by him, and that he was her "baby." Attorney Geragos spent much of the afternoon prompting Jane to read lengthy, lewd texts aloud. During the uncomfortable, painstaking process Jane repeatedly emphasised there was an "undertone" to the messages in which she felt compelled to write what Combs wanted to hear. Jane was largely calm and confident throughout defence questioning, but one particularly tense exchange saw her patience wane. Pressing her over jealousy related to the gifts Combs gave other women, Geragos asked her if he ever gave her a Chanel bag. "No, I only got trauma," Jane responded. "What is a Bottega bag?" Geragos then asked, referring to another luxury accessory that Jane had previously said she received from Combs. "I'm sure you have one," Jane quipped, before the lawyer asked her how much a Bottega bag costs. Jane clapped back: "How much does my body cost?" Violent outburst Jane previously told jurors how the final year of her relationship with the artist known as "Diddy" exploded into violence in June 2024. At the time Combs was already under investigation by federal authorities, and the now-infamous security footage of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura in a hotel was public. Jane, who began seeing Combs in early 2021, detailed how she had longed for a more traditional romantic relationship with him. But she said 90 per cent of their time together resulted in sometimes days-long sex parties that saw Combs direct her to have sex with male escorts while he watched, even as she told him the encounters made her feel "sleazy" and "disgusted." Jane told jurors Combs paid for her rent at the time and still does, and he covers her legal expenses. She previously testified at length that she felt "obligated" to participate in the so-called "hotel nights" for "fear of losing the roof over my head" that Combs was bankrolling. A June 2024 date-turned-argument escalated when Jane said she pushed Combs's head onto a marble countertop in her home and began hurling candles – acts of "built-up" anger, she testified. Combs was livid: Jane said he kicked down doors and ultimately put her in a chokehold. She ran out, but upon return Combs kicked and punched her until she had a black eye and "golf ball" sized welts, she said. Combs instructed her to ice the injuries and prepare for a hotel night with an escort. "You're not going to ruin my night," she said Combs told her. When she said she didn't want to participate, he stood close to her face as he asked in a "forceful" tone: "Then is this coercion?" Jane ultimately complied: "I just felt like I wasn't even in my own body," she said. 'Sexual trauma' When Ventura – who last month testified of physical and psychological abuse in similarly excruciating detail – filed her 2023 civil lawsuit that opened the door for a federal investigation, Jane said she "almost fainted." "There was a whole other woman feeling the same thing," Jane said. "I feel like I'm reading my own sexual trauma. It makes me sick how three solid pages, word for word, is exactly my experiences and my anguish," she messaged Combs, in text records read in court. The 55-year-old faces life in prison if convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking. Jane's story was not in the original indictment against Combs, but she was added after receiving a subpoena requiring she testify in November 2024 before a grand jury. Jane has not filed any civil suit against Combs, and testified she has no plans to do so. She is expected to stay on the stand through Thursday. Now in its fifth week of testimony, the Manhattan federal trial is anticipated to continue at least through June.
Express Tribune
31-05-2025
- Express Tribune
Will Trump consider pardoning Diddy if the rapper is convicted?
Former President Donald Trump has signaled he may be open to pardoning rapper Diddy Combs if he believes the music mogul has been treated unfairly during his federal trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said, 'I would certainly look at the facts,' when asked if he would consider a pardon for Combs, who pleaded not guilty last year to multiple charges, including leading a criminal enterprise involving sex trafficking, forced labor, and bribery. Trump said he hasn't followed the case closely and hasn't been in contact with Combs 'in years.' He recalled their past friendship, which reportedly cooled after Trump entered politics, saying, 'He used to really like me... but I read some not-so-nice things later.' Trump emphasized that his decision wouldn't be based on personal feelings, stating, 'Whether they like me or don't like me wouldn't have any impact.' Fox News's Peter Doocy pointed out that Trump once referred to Diddy as a "good friend" on The Apprentice, adding another layer to the renewed public interest. The possibility of a pardon gained traction earlier this month when Suge Knight, the former Death Row Records CEO, suggested Trump could intervene on Combs' behalf. In his second term, Trump has already issued hundreds of pardons—including for January 6 defendants and reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley—drawing both praise and criticism for his aggressive use of clemency powers.
