Latest news with #SeanDiddyCombs
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
An ex-college basketball player testifies that Sean 'Diddy' Combs got 'extremely creative' on drugs
NEW YORK (AP) — A former Syracuse University basketball player who worked recently for Sean 'Diddy' Combs as a personal assistant testified at the music mogul's sex trafficking trial on Friday that Combs got 'extremely creative' when he was on drugs. Brendan Paul, 26, was arrested last year at a Miami airport with cocaine he says belonged to Combs, and he testified with immunity about what it was like working for the hip-hop entrepreneur for a year and a half. Paul was arrested in March 2024 — the same day federal agents conducted multiple searches related to the Combs' investigation. Prosecutors are winding down their case after six weeks of testimony from an array of witnesses ranging from ex-girlfriends and former employees to male sex workers and the rapper Kid Cudi. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, even made a surprise appearance at the courthouse. The prosecution seeks to convince the jury that Combs oversaw a sprawling racketeering enterprise for two decades that relied on obedience by employees willing to do anything for him, including buying drugs when necessary. Defense lawyers say Combs did not commit federal crimes, although they acknowledge that prosecutors have exposed domestic violence during the trial. After pleading not guilty following his September arrest at a Manhattan hotel, Combs has been held without bail at a federal lockup in Brooklyn. Prosecutors were expected to rest their case by Monday. A defense presentation is expected to last from two to five days. Paul said he bought drugs for Combs between five and 10 times, spending up to $500 for drugs including cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy and marijuana. He said he only did drugs with Combs once, when Combs asked him to try 'tusi,' also known as pink cocaine, to see if it was good. Paul said he did so because he 'wanted to prove my loyalty' and said he thought it was good. 'We continued on with our night,' he told Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavic. Paul said that prior to his arrest, he had forgotten about the cocaine after collecting it while 'sweeping' Combs' room that morning and had accidentally left it in a bag he carried as he prepared to go on vacation with Combs and other aides. The charges were dismissed after Paul completed a pretrial diversion program. Under questioning by defense attorney Brian Steel, Paul said his 'heart dropped' when he realized that there was cocaine in a travel bag after telling officers at the airport that everything in the bag belonged to him. Steel asked Paul if Combs was generally happy and didn't hurt anyone when he was on drugs. 'He got extremely creative,' Paul responded. At another point, Steel asked the witness: 'You would not work for a criminal, would you?' 'Absolutely not,' Paul responded. Slavic, though, elicited Paul's mixed feelings about Combs when the prosecutor asked him just before he finished his testimony: 'Sitting here today, how do you feel about Mr. Combs?' 'It's complicated,' he answered. Paul, originally from Cleveland, was a 6-foot-2 guard who walked on at Syracuse University and came off the bench in 16 games over two seasons, playing a total of 17 minutes and scored just 3 points. He later transferred to lower-tier Fairmont State University in West Virginia, where he played for two more seasons.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
An ex-college basketball player testifies that Sean 'Diddy' Combs got 'extremely creative' on drugs
A former Syracuse University basketball player who worked recently for Sean 'Diddy' Combs as a personal assistant testified at the music mogul's sex trafficking trial on Friday that Combs got 'extremely creative' when he was on drugs. Brendan Paul, 26, was arrested last year at a Miami airport with cocaine he says belonged to Combs, and he testified with immunity about what it was like working for the hip-hop entrepreneur for a year and a half. Paul was arrested in March 2024 — the same day federal agents conducted multiple searches related to the Combs' investigation. Prosecutors are winding down their case after six weeks of testimony from an array of witnesses ranging from ex-girlfriends and former employees to male sex workers and the rapper Kid Cudi. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, even made a surprise appearance at the courthouse. The prosecution seeks to convince the jury that Combs oversaw a sprawling racketeering enterprise for two decades that relied on obedience by employees willing to do anything for him, including buying drugs when necessary. Defense lawyers say Combs did not commit federal crimes, although they acknowledge that prosecutors have exposed domestic violence during the trial. After pleading not guilty following his September arrest at a Manhattan hotel, Combs has been held without bail at a federal lockup in Brooklyn. Prosecutors were expected to rest their case by Monday. A defense presentation is expected to last from two to five days. Paul said he bought drugs for Combs between five and 10 times, spending up to $500 for drugs including cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy and marijuana. He said he only did drugs with Combs once, when Combs asked him to try 'tusi,' also known as pink cocaine, to see if it was good. Paul said he did so because he 'wanted to prove my loyalty' and said he thought it was good. 'We continued on with our night,' he told Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavic. Paul said that prior to his arrest, he had forgotten about the cocaine after collecting it while 'sweeping' Combs' room that morning and had accidentally left it in a bag he carried as he prepared to go on vacation with Combs and other aides. The charges were dismissed after Paul completed a pretrial diversion program. Under questioning by defense attorney Brian Steel, Paul said his 'heart dropped' when he realized that there was cocaine in a travel bag after telling officers at the airport that everything in the bag belonged to him. Steel asked Paul if Combs was generally happy and didn't hurt anyone when he was on drugs. 'He got extremely creative,' Paul responded. At another point, Steel asked the witness: 'You would not work for a criminal, would you?' 'Absolutely not,' Paul responded. Slavic, though, elicited Paul's mixed feelings about Combs when the prosecutor asked him just before he finished his testimony: 'Sitting here today, how do you feel about Mr. Combs?' 'It's complicated,' he answered. Paul, originally from Cleveland, was a 6-foot-2 guard who walked on at Syracuse University and came off the bench in 16 games over two seasons, playing a total of 17 minutes and scored just 3 points. He later transferred to lower-tier Fairmont State University in West Virginia, where he played for two more seasons.
CNN
10 hours ago
- CNN
The latest on the Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial
Update: Date: 6 min ago Title: The judge is on the bench Content: Judge Arun Subramanian is on the bench, and testimony is expected to resume soon. Update: Date: 23 min ago Title: How Wednesday's delay could impact the trial timeline Content: The trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs was adjourned for the day Wednesday after one of the jurors called in sick — a move that potentially throws a major wrench in the scheduling of the trial. Judge Arun Subramanian said he believes the juror's absence was a one-day issue but, regardless, it does throw off the court's tight schedule. Subramanian has said since the start of the trial that he wants this to be done by July 4. Prosecutors were expected to rest their case today, but with Wednesday's delay, they likely won't rest until sometime on Monday. Remember: Court was closed Thursday for the Juneteenth holiday, and today is a pre-scheduled half-day, with court running from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET. The defense has said they expect to use between two and five trial days to make their case, and closing arguments will take additional time. All of those steps need to happen before the jury begins deliberating — which makes for a tight schedule if we're aiming for a verdict before July 4.
CNN
10 hours ago
- CNN
The latest on the Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial
Update: Date: Title: The judge is on the bench Content: Judge Arun Subramanian is on the bench, and testimony is expected to resume soon. Update: Date: Title: How Wednesday's delay could impact the trial timeline Content: The trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs was adjourned for the day Wednesday after one of the jurors called in sick — a move that potentially throws a major wrench in the scheduling of the trial. Judge Arun Subramanian said he believes the juror's absence was a one-day issue but, regardless, it does throw off the court's tight schedule. Subramanian has said since the start of the trial that he wants this to be done by July 4. Prosecutors were expected to rest their case today, but with Wednesday's delay, they likely won't rest until sometime on Monday. Remember: Court was closed Thursday for the Juneteenth holiday, and today is a pre-scheduled half-day, with court running from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET. The defense has said they expect to use between two and five trial days to make their case, and closing arguments will take additional time. All of those steps need to happen before the jury begins deliberating — which makes for a tight schedule if we're aiming for a verdict before July 4.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Kanye West's woes continue as $450k asset is seized after Diddy trial cameo
You can't tell him nothing – but you can tow his vehicle. Kanye West was dealing with the inconvenience of having his vehicle towed, as a photographer snapped images of the rapper's custom Maybach being hauled away from the Château Marmont on Tuesday. New images obtained by Daily Mail show the luxury car owned by the 48-year-old Runaway rapper being put on the back of a tow truck and hauled away from the hotel. The venue – where Saturday Night Live legend John Belushi tragically overdosed in 1982 - remains a favorite haunt of Hollywood celebrities, but parking remains limited. The All of the Lights artist was spotted with partner Bianca Censori earlier Tuesday in Los Angeles, after traveling to New York City earlier this month to attend the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, who he has professed support for publicly on multiple occasions. Daily Mail has reached out to West's rep Milo Yiannopoulos, and the company of the towing service, for further comment on the item involving the vehicle. West has remained in the crosshairs of controversy for much of the year amid a torrent of tweets propagating antisemitism, though he renounced those beliefs in a tweet last month. 'I am done with antisemitism,' he said in a May 22 tweet that garnered 167,000 likes from the influential artist's network of more than 33.2 million followers. The stance came in stark contrast to Ye's controversial one four months earlier: He posted multiple images swastikas, and plastering them on a number of clothing items he intended to sell. On February 11, the shop on West's Yeezy Website - which he advertised with an expensive ad in the Super Bowl - was taken offline by Shopify after he was selling a white shirt with a black swastika in the center. West spoke more about the controversy in a series of tweets February 20 - promising to wear the swastika shirt onstage at the 2026 Super Bowl. 'Next year I'm performing at the superbowl wearing my wittle T shirt,' he said. 'People with money bought my wittle t shirt.' He added that Shopify 'gave [him his] account back' after taking down his store after controversy erupted over the shirts, but that he was 'not going to use it.' The Anti-Defamation League said in a post on X/Twitter February 10: 'As if we needed further proof of Kanye's antisemitism, he chose to put a single item for sale on his website – a t-shirt emblazoned with a swastika. 'If that wasn't enough, the t-shirt is labeled on Kanye's website as "HH-01,"which is code for "Heil Hitler." 'Kanye was tweeting vile antisemitism nonstop since last week. There's no excuse for this kind of behavior.' The organization added, 'Even worse, Kanye advertised his website during the Super Bowl, amplifying it beyond his already massive social media audience.' Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor, the founder and executive director of CyberWell, an online anti-Semitism watchdog group, told February 11 that the organization made efforts to go over West's head and have the page removed. 'CyberWell reached out Shopify's compliance and safety teams to alert them to flagrant abuse of Shopfiy's services by in violation of the terms of use,' Cohen Montemayor said. Podcaster Van Lathan, who famously clashed with West in a heated discussion in the TMZ newsroom in May of 2018, was critical of the rapper's latest series of tweets in a post on the platform February 20, calling him 'the slow kid in the Black community's class.' 'I am done with antisemitism,' West said in a May 22 tweet that garnered 167,000 likes from the influential artist's network of more than 33.2 million followers West in a series of tweets last month promised to wear his infamous Yeezy swastika shirt onstage at the Super Bowl next year The Anti-Defamation League stated their response to the shirt in a post on X/Twitter last month Podcaster Van Lathan, who famously clashed with West in a heated discussion in the TMZ newsroom in May of 2018, was critical of the rapper's tweets February 20 'I'm glad you're rich,' Lathan wrote. 'It seems to be the only thing you care about. Money is dope you can do a lot of stuff with it. Sincerely. We need it, as a community. 'One thing that's more valuable than money is people. I'm sure you'd agree no dollar amount can measure North's laugh, I'm sure you'd go broke to bring your mother back. I would for my dad, who I lost in '21.' Lathan told West he was 'trapped in an infant's bubble, where [he] can be reckless and careless and people excuse it because of affection. 'We realize this, and try to ignore you, until the baby picks up something sharp like Nazism, domestic abuse, etc. then we gotta child proof things until you stop crying.' Lathan, who cohosts the podcast Higher Learning with Rachel Lindsay, continued, 'You're right about one thing, I am a slave to capitalism. We all are. Gotta work. 'But No one is more of a slave than the man who puts money over dignity. No one. So I'll be a slave, and you be what you are, which is the slow kid in the Black community's class. Keep eating boogers Kanye.'
