Latest news with #BadBoyRecords
Washington Post
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Diddy trial updates: Ex-assistant Brendan Paul set to testify in Sean Combs's case
Prosecutors plan to call one of their final witnesses in Sean 'Diddy' Combs's federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial on Friday: a former assistant to the music producer who has been granted immunity for testimony that could shed light on the operations of Combs's inner circle. For more than a month, the jury has been hearing from Combs's former employees and ex-girlfriends, as well as federal agents and other witnesses for the prosecution. The government argues the Bad Boy Records founder used his wealth, companies and vast influence in the music and media industries, as well blackmail, threats and violence, to force or coerce women into days-long sex performances with other men while he filmed and masturbated. Prosecutors have also argued that Combs and a small group of trusted employees committed and covered up a range of other crimes, including arson, kidnapping and narcotics distribution.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Disturbing new images from Diddy's home show cache of guns, bullets, and mountains of baby oil
More photos of damning evidence against Sean ' Diddy ' Combs came to light on Thursday, including a collection of high-powered rifles, drugs and hundreds of bottles of baby oil. The trove of photos were released by federal prosecutors as the trial at Manhattan federal court was stalled due to the Juneteenth holiday. The items were collected by Homeland Security officials during the March 2024 raid at the disgraced Bad Boy mogul's mansion in the exclusive Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles. Investigators also found bags containing ketamine, which were also photographed as evidence. Last week, Homeland Security Investigations agent Andre Lamon testified he saw an overwhelming amount of both baby oil and lubricant when he and other agents searched the mansion. The pictures show bottles of baby oil neatly lined in display cabinets, while dozen of boxes of the lubricant were also found stacked in the home. Lamon testified he found 900 bottles of Astroglide and 200 bottles of baby oil at Combs' LA home. Investigators also found bags containing ketamine, which were also photographed as evidence. Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years, aided by associates and employees Federal prosecutors allege the drugs were used in marathon 'freak offs' Combs, his ex-girlfriends and male escorts participated in. Defense Attorney Marc Agnifilo has said the star likes to 'buy in bulk like any other American' and claimed Combs participated in consensual sex. One of the pictures showed a cache of weapons, including AR-15 style rifles and pump shotguns, next to a bag of tortilla chips. Combs' has since placed his LA mansion up for sale at $61.5 million. The 17,000-square-foot home that boasts 10 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms is still listed for sale as of Thursday. Authorities also executed search warrants at Comb's Miami mansion on the exclusive Star Island the same day. Armed agents entered luxury properties on both East and West coasts, with video footage showing helicopters circling overhead. This week, jurors also viewed several video recordings of the alleged freak offs with male escorts. Combs also was allowed to view the video evidence, but the public were not. The Bad Boy founder was seen licking his lips after watching the freak off videos from a side room of the courtroom. Damien Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, alleged Diddy used 'embarrassing and sensitive recordings' he made of the freak offs 'as collateral' against the victims. 'He maintained control over the victims in several ways, including by giving them drugs, by giving and threatening to take away financial support or housing, by promising them career opportunities, by monitoring their whereabouts and even by dictating their physical appearance,' Williams said during a September 2024 press conference. Combs faces decades in prison and has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty on all counts. Combs' former girlfriend, who has testified under the pseudonym 'Jane', also testified about the hip hop mogul's obsession with 'cuckold' scenarios. She said the role playing may have been a way for Combs to live out his bisexual fantasies without physically engaging with men — because he was 'too ashamed' to do so openly. Jane said the freak offs she attended during their relationship as filled with extravagant sexual role play where participants gave each other nicknames inspired by legendary basketball stars. Combs allegedly casted himself as Michael Jordan, his ex-girlfriend as Kobe Bryant and a male escort Jane regularly slept with as Shaquille O'Neal. The trial will resume on Friday.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Sick juror derails Diddy trial as rapper's ‘drug mule' was set to testify
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' bombshell sex-trafficking trial was derailed Wednesday because of a sick juror — as the rapper's alleged 'drug mule' had been poised to begin testifying. Manhattan federal Judge Arun Subramanian informed Combs, his lawyers and prosecutors just after 9:00 a.m. that a juror had been experiencing 'vertigo symptoms.' 'I don't see how we can proceed today,' the judge added. 4 Trial was derailed Wednesday because of a sick juror as Sean 'Diddy' Combs' alleged 'drug mule' had been set to testify against him. REUTERS Brendan Paul, a former college basketball player who allegedly supplied Combs with drugs — arrived in court Wednesday morning as he was slated to begin testifying as the last major witness in the prosecution's case against the hip-hop mogul. The closely watched trial will now be on hold until Friday morning because of the Juneteenth federal holiday on Thursday. Paul, 25, was arrested on March 26, 2024, around the same time the feds raided the Bad Boy Records founder's Miami and Los Angeles homes. Paul was found with cocaine and marijuana candy when he was cuffed just as he was about to board Combs' plane in Miami. The feds dropped the case against Paul in December after he completed a drug treatment diversion program. On Tuesday, when the jurors were not in the courtroom, Paul briefly took the witness stand to plead the Fifth and exercise his right not to incriminate himself. However, prosecutors then said they would grant him immunity if he testified truthfully in the case. 4 Paul was expected to testify as the last major prosecution witness and he is expected to testify under an immunity deal with prosecutors. REUTERS In a $30 million lawsuit filed by producer Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones against Combs last year, the hooper-turned-amateur-music-producer was accused of being Combs' 'drug mule' who also supplied him with guns. Paul — an Ohio native — played Division I basketball at Syracuse University from 2018 to 2020 before he transferred to Fairmont State University to play for a Division II team for his last two years. The baller is expected to be the last major witness in prosecutors' case against the 'I'll Be Missing You' rapper. After Paul, only two more law enforcement witnesses are scheduled to testify before the prosecution rests its case. 4 Combs has pleaded not guilty to sex-trafficking and racketeering charges. REUTERS Combs' lawyer Marc Agnifilo on Monday indicated that the defense case would last as little as two days. He said he planned to call at least three witnesses, including two former employees of Combs and a paralegal at Agnifilo's firm. The scheduling announcement by the attorney suggested that Combs will not testify in his own defense. Combs, 55, is accused of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and prostitution related charges. 4 Paul was arrested last year as he was about to board Combs' plane in Miami and he was allegedly carrying cocaine and marijuana candies. REUTERS Prosecutors claim he forced women to have sex with male prostitutes while they were high on drugs and while he watched, recorded and pleasured himself during so-called 'freak-offs.' Combs has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have argued that the women who partook in the drugged-and-lubed-up sex marathons were his gal pals and willing participants. But jurors have heard testimony from two women, including Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie Ventura, that he was physically and emotionally abusive and that their participation in the sex sessions was coerced. Combs — who has been behind bars since his September arrest — faces up to life in prison if convicted on the top charge. With Post wires
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy's Former Assistant Testifies To Mogul's Armed Suge Knight Confrontation
David James, Sean 'Diddy' Combs' former personal assistant, took the stand Monday (May 19) and Tuesday (May 20) to speak to his experiences while being employed by the Bad Boy Records founder. James said he was 'shook' after seeing the desire by Combs' team to 'grab guns and confront' Suge Knight at a Los Angeles diner in 2008, and the incident was so traumatic that it led to him quitting his job. Per NBC, the event went down at night in Mel's Drive-In while Combs' crew was eating and Diddy's confidante D-Roc spotted the Death Row Records leader. 'That's mother f**king Suge Knight,' Roc said. Knight apparently didn't recognize Roc at first, who said, 'I'm Biggie's boy.' Back at the house, where James also 'saw Cassie crying,' Diddy allegedly armed himself with three guns and drove back to the restaurant to confront Suge. The 'All About The Benjamins' rapper ordered the assistant to drive around the block when they didn't find him. 'I was really shook up by it,' James said in court. 'This was the first time as his assistant that I realized my life was in danger. I told them I want to leave but give six months notice so I could train the next assistant.' Cassie, who was Diddy's girlfriend during the year this occurred, also previously testified to this day. She said Diddy stopped one of their 'freak-off' sessions so he could go confront the fellow music industry titan, leaving her terrified and worried about what he might do. 'We were having a freak off in one of his homes in L.A. and he said Suge was at Mel's Diner and we packed up and drove down there,' Ventura testified on May 13, per NBC. 'I was screaming and crying, 'Please don't do anything stupid.' I didn't know what they were going to do.' Suge Knight is currently in prison for an unrelated crime. Diddy's federal sex trafficking trial has seen testimonies from the 'Me & U' singer, James, former Diddy Dirty Money member Dawn Richard, and others. He is charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution and could face life in prison if from Clinical Psychologist Testifies During Diddy Trial, Speaks On Abuser-Victim Dynamic Meek Mill Reveals The "Craziest" Experience He's Had While At A Diddy Party Sex Worker Claims Diddy Dressed Like A Muslim Woman To Conceal Identity During "Freak-Off"
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Suge Knight Explains Why He Thinks Diddy's Peers 'From The '90s' Are Silent About The Sex Trafficking Trial
Suge Knight has been continuously vocal about Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial, and he recently shared more in-depth opinions on a podcast hosted by Aubrey O'Day. On June 16, the pair revealed part two of their 'explosive' prison call, released as part of the Aubrey O'Day, Covering The Diddy Trial series presented by Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes. The former Danity Kane singer questioned why Combs' peers 'from the '90s' have been noticeably quiet regarding the headline-garnering legal situation. 'Why are none of Puffy's artists in the '90s coming forward? Why don't we hear from Mary J. Blige, Ma$e, Faith Evans? Why aren't we hearing from any of the Bad Boy artists in the '90s at all? Not even opinion of the trial,' she said. 'None of them are in the documentaries, none of them are taking the stand, none of them are even taking his side or not taking his side… Why are the '90s so silent on him?' Suge replied matter-of-factly, 'The reason why they're so silent is this: They are so scared. They are slaves. These people are slaves to these people.' He added that Puffy's associates are not necessarily only scared of the violence that may ignite if they speak out, but more so the personal and business relationships that could become extremely complicated and detrimental. 'They're not scared of the guns and the knives. They're not scared of the streets. They're scared of the people in the suites,' he told O'Day. He also insinuated the peers mentioned may be hiding skeletons of their own and don't want the attention on them, adding, 'They're not going to speak on Puffy. They don't want to be next.' Listen to the full episode above and the referenced portion at the 30-minute mark. Elsewhere in the conversation, Suge spoke about why he thinks Diddy should 'cut a deal' with the prosecution because he shouldn't get a life sentence. Previously, he also said the 'It's All About The Benjamins' rapper should take the stand because he feels it would make a massive difference in his case. In a May, Knight spoke with CNN and said he thinks Diddy 'humanizing' himself in his own words would be a better strategy to freedom. 'I feel if he do tell his truth, he really would walk. If Puffy goes up there and says, 'Hey… I did all the drugs, I wasn't in control of my life at the time, or myself' – he can humanize his old self and the jury might give him a shot,' he said. More from Jurors Watched Diddy's "Freak-Off" Tapes In Court As Sex Sounds Bled Through Headphones Diddy Plans To Seek Mistrial After Black Juror Was Removed From Sex Trafficking Trial Ye Makes Unexpected Appearance At Diddy's Federal Sex Trafficking Trial In NYC
