Sean Combs’ former personal assistant testifies at a Diddy Trial
George Kaplan, former personal assistant to Sean Combs, testified about his work relationship with the hip-hop mogul who fought.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs’ allegedly drug-fueled vibe of abuse is revealed more as more witnesses stand in the ongoing criminal trial.
A selected group of witnesses returned to the Manhattan court on May 22, as prosecutors continued to build lawsuits against the struggling hip-hop mogul. The day before, federal agent Gerald Ganon appeared to testify and explained the March 2024 attack on Combs’ Miami Mansion.
Ganon has been joined by psychologist Dawn Hughes. Dawn Hughes explained by George Kaplan, a former assistant who advocates the complexities of physical, sexual and psychological abuse and the hostile work environment under the founder of the bad boys’ record.
Scott Mescudi, better known as rapper Kid Coody, will also rise up in the coming days. Combs is said to have threatened the musician after he and Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Kathy Ventura recorded a short date more than a decade ago.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, assault and transporting to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty.
Kaplan worked as an executive assistant at Combs Holding Company Combs Enterprises, which houses Rapper’s various business ventures. While standing up on May 21, Kaplan detailed the tasks and responsibilities that constituted his intimate role.
Kaplan, 34, said he carried Combs’ bags to make sure he had the necessary items, such as clothing, medicine, a computer, an iPad and sometimes food.
A former assistant who worked for COMBS from 2014 to 2015 testified that he began spending late nights with Combs while he was working for mixtapes. Kaplan said he worked 80-100 hours a week and his starting salary was $125,000 for the first 12 months.
Kaplan gained more and more Combs’ trust while he worked together, meeting many staff members, including Combs’ “right hand” and former staff member Christina “KK” Khorram. When he showed Khorram’s photo in court, Kaplan said that Khorram “essentially ran the life of Mr. Combs.”
Did Didi blow up Kid Kudi’s car? Cathy’s testimony
In court last week, Ventura Fine said Combs threatened to blow up Mescudi’s car. According to a 2023 civil lawsuit by Ventura Fine, the car was actually blown up in a Mescudi driveway.
Ventura Fine, Combs and Mestudi eventually met up with everyone to talk about her and she testified that Mestudi was no longer involved.
“How’s my car?” asked Mescudi, according to Ventura Fein. “What kind of car?” Comb responded.
Diddy in the trial newsletter: As the music mogul faces the Sex Crims accusations, he steps into court.
What did Kathy say about Kid Kudi’s relationship?
Kathy testified that she went on a “short period” date with rapper Kid Kudy in 2011. However, Combs discovered it when he peered into her phone while he filed a freak. She said he charged at her with a wine bottle opener. The opener didn’t hit her and she ran away.
Ventura Fine later went to Combs’ house to solve things. She testified that he was “anger” and threatened to turn off her video. He also kicked her to the back on her way out, leaving a bruise.
Ventura Fine later emailed her mother and comb’s assistant, Capricorn Clark, who said that Combs threatened to release two “explicit sex tapes” of her. She also said that Combs told her that he would physically hurt both her and Mesti while he was abroad.
Mescudi came to visit Ventura Fine during his Connecticut holiday. She testified that continuing to pose a Combs’ threat to hurt them was too dangerous and that she broke his relationship with him.
Kaplan, who worked as an executive assistant at Combs from 2014 to 2015, testified on May 21 that the rapper threatened his job almost every month. The tone of the combs between the suspicious threats was “sometimes angry, sometimes motivated,” Kaplan said.
He recalls being asked to get a 1 gallon bottle of water for the comb, but when he had nothing in the store he brought the Combs to two half-gallon bottles. Kaplan testified. “He was just surrounded by the best,” he said of the comb.
Hughes was called by prosecutors on May 21 to explain the widespread impact of physical, sexual and emotional abuse in a sex offence trial. She told the ju umpire it was “very common” for victims to remain in an abusive relationship.
Hughes explained that people need “specific resources to leave” unhealthy relationships. When prosecutors asked why the victims would reconcile with their abusive partner, Hughes said “they’ll come back for dating” and “a good version of the partner they love.”
In her May 21st testimony, Hughes explained that she was testifying as a “blind expert.” This means that she has not interviewed combs or witnesses in this case. For her work in this case, she earned $600 an hour, and for court testimony she said she earned $6,000 a day.
Victims of abuse who used substances while facing violence are one of the common coping mechanisms, Hughes told the court on May 21. Her testimony last week told the ju umpire that he frequently used drugs to overcome “freak off” and sexual performances were organized over the years.
“Substances allow us to numb our pain,” Hughes said, explaining that alcohol and medication can be used to remove fear and other anxiety.
During Hughes’ May 21 cross-examination, Combs’ defense attorney revealed that she was not “providing opinions” on a particular case of the rapper.
The Combs legal team highlighted the fact that this was “general subject testimony.” The defense also said Hughes has been employed by several prosecutors over the years to give testimony of this type.
During Ganon’s May 21 testimony, the ju umpire was shown photographs of the 2024 attack on Combs’ mansion in Miami Beach, Florida. Federal agents discovered three phones hidden inside a pair of designer-branded Balenciaga boots. It is said that black Gucci bags, including Xanax, cocaine, ketamine and MDMA, were filled with medicine.
The wooden box discovered by the master bathroom agent also contained MDMA along with hallucinating psilocybin. A .45 caliber handgun loaded inside a red suitcase was found in the apartment’s guesthouse security room.
The hallway closet drawers contained 25 bottles of baby oil and 31 bottles of astroglide lubricant. Prosecutors allege that Combs used the substance in his drug-fueled “freak-off” which is at the heart of his sexual offence charges.
Combs faces federal sex crimes and human trafficking charges in a vast lawsuit that erodes his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry.
He was arrested in September 2024 and charged with assault, sex trafficking and transporting to engage in prostitution. He pleads not guilty to all five counts.
Racketeering is the participation of organizations affected by Racketeer or illegal schemes under Rico as a way for the US government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity.
Using the RICO Act, which is generally intended to target multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors join “freak-offs” of threats and drugs, saying that Combs is claiming forced victims, some of whom are sex workers.
Usually, cameras are not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings, so the exam will not be broadcast.
USA Today reports the live from court.
Contribution: USA Today Staff
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