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Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial updates: Court is adjourned until Tuesday
Rapper Kid Cudi testified Thursday about alleged incidents with Combs.
This story may contain accounts and descriptions of actual or alleged events that some readers may find disturbing.
The second week of testimony in the sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs began on Monday.
Key Headlines
- Court adjourns for the week after HSI agent testifies about computer data extractions
- Hotel manager's note: Combs 'always spills candle wax on everything'
- Kid Cudi testified Combs looked 'like a Marvel supervillain' in meeting after car fire
- Kid Cudi testifies about car being set on fire during his relationship with Cassie Ventura
Sean Combs trial reaches an end with mixed verdict
The highly anticipated trial of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has reached an end.
The jury found Sean Combs not guilty of racketeering conspiracy, the most serious charge.
The jury found Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution (in connection with his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura) and guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution (in connection with his ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym "Jane").
He was found not guilty of both charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion in connection with Ventura and "Jane."
Combs was accused of being the ringleader of an alleged enterprise that "abused, threatened and coerced women" into prolonged, drug-fueled sexual orgies with male prostitutes, which he called "freak-offs," and then threatened them into silence. Combs has said that all of the sex was consensual and that while his relationships sometimes involved domestic violence, he wasn't engaged in trafficking.
Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said Combs was simply part of the swinger lifestyle and that he "vehemently denies the accusations made by the SDNY."
Former Combs employee continues testimony ahead of Kid Cudi taking the stand
George Kaplan returned to the witness stand Thursday at the sex trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean Combs.
Kaplan, who was Combs’ personal assistant for a 15-month period, testified Wednesday that he was responsible for stocking hotel rooms in which Combs stayed with baby oil, personal lubricant and other items prosecutors said were used for sex encounters known as "freak offs."
Kaplan also testified that he “tidied” the rooms after the alleged "freak offs" to make them appear “as close as I could to look like it was the way that it was found when he came in.”
Asked why he tidied the rooms instead of leaving the task for the the hotel staff, Kaplan testified, “I think that it was implied in the role, as you continue to work closely with Mr. Combs, that protecting him and protecting his public knowledge were really important, and that was certainly nothing that I was very keen on doing.”
Once Kaplan concludes his testimony, Scott Mescudi, the rapper better known as Kid Cudi, is expected to testify about an alleged meeting he and Cassie Ventura brokered with Sean Combs at the SoHo House social club in January 2012, shortly after, according to prosecutors, “there was a Molotov cocktail in his car,” referring to Cudi.
Outside of the jury’s presence, there was some debate about whether Kid Cudi could be asked about the trauma that alleged events inflicted on his dog.
“There’s some dog lovers potentially on the jury,” defense attorney Brian Steel said.
“I agree it’s a serious issue,” Judge Arun Subramanian attempted to say with a straight face before the courtroom erupted in laughter.
“Unfortunately, the dog is no longer with us,” prosecutor Emily Kaplan said.
The judge agreed to limit questions about Kid Cudi’s dog.
Kid Cudi expected to take the witness stand today
Scott Mescudi, aka rapper Kid Cudi, is set to take the witness stand today in the trial against Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Mescudi shared a brief romantic relationship with Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, according to Ventura's prior testimony.
When Combs was made aware of Mescudi and Ventura's relationship, he allegedly threatened violence against Mescudi and Ventura, according to Ventura's testimony, including allegedly threatening to blow up Mescudi's car.
Combs' former employee takes witness stand; Kid Cudi expected to testify tomorrow
George Kaplan, 34, who spent two years working for Combs Enterprises and 15 months as one of his personal assistants, testified that Combs threatened his job "maybe monthly."
Kaplan testified about setting up hotel rooms for Combs in Los Angeles, New York and Miami, sometimes with only a "matter of hours" notice.
"There was a hotel bag," Kaplan told the court. The bag contained clothes, a speaker, candles, liquor, baby oil, and Astroglide.
On subsequent occasions, Kaplan testified, "I just tried to recreate the bag."
According to Kaplan's testimony, Combs "would have guests" in the hotel rooms, often a "female partner" and when his stay was over Kaplan testified that he would see "lots of empty bottles" and baby oil "on the table, on the floor, on the bed." On one occasion, Kaplan testified about seeing a crystalized powder on the bathroom sink.
He testified it was his job to clean up the rooms.
"I tidied them," he told the court. "I made it as close as I could to the way it was found when he came in." Asked why he cleaned up after his boss instead of asking hotel staff to do it Kaplan replied, "I think that it was implied in the role as you continued to work closely with Mr. Combs that you protected him."
Prosecutor Maureen Comey asked, "How was cleaning up these hotel rooms related to your job of protecting Mr. Combs?" Kaplan replied, "I would see often that hotels would sell videos and images and try and embarrass celebrities and other figures and that was something I wanted to avoid."
On two occasions, Kaplan alleged Combs asked him to procure drugs.
Once, in Miami, "He gave me a number to call and some cash to pick up what he wanted." Kaplan testified, "The guy came and I paid him for drugs." He testified it was a bag of MDMA that he gave to Combs.
According to Kaplan's testimony, the second time was in Los Angeles at the Bel-Air Hotel.
"It was a very similar exchange. Call this number, meet this person, bring this back to me," Kaplan testified. "I arranged to meet the person in Hollywood." The exchange went down the same way as the Miami exchange, according to Kaplan's testimony. "I gave him money. He gave me a bag. I didn't know what the bag was," Kaplan testified. "I gave it to Mr. Combs."
Court is over for the day, but Kaplan will continue his testimony Thursday, followed by rapper Kid Cudi, who had a brief relationship with Cassie Ventura, prosecutors said.
Psychologist's testimony concludes
In cross-examination, the defense aimed to question the background of psychologist Dawn Hughes.
"Isn't it a fact that you have never come into court, taken the witness stand in defense of a man accused of a sex crime?" Bach asked.
"That's correct, I don't evaluate offenders," Hughes responded.
On re-direct examination, Hughes said she has testified for both the prosecution and defense in criminal cases.
Hughes had been retained in a case by Combs' attorney Brian Steel, though on re-cross examination, Hughes said she was not called to testify in that case.
Hughes' testimony has concluded. The next witness is George Kaplan, a former employee of Sean Combs.