A federal agent, an expert on abuse trauma and a former executive assistant testified Wednesday in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial.
The agent and the assistant gave further testimony on Combs’ drug possession, while the forensic psychologist spoke in general terms about how victims of abuse tend to behave. The assistant, George Kaplan, is set to resume testifying Thursday morning.
Scott Mescudi, the musician known as Kid Cudi, and four other witnesses are also expected to testify Thursday. Cassie Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend, testified last week that Combs threatened her and Mescudi after learning they were dating.
The prosecution has argued Combs and some in his inner circle used threats, violence, drugs, bribery, arson, kidnapping and lies to coerce Cassie Ventura and another woman into participating in sex parties he called “Freak Offs” and to protect the music mogul’s reputation.
The defense has acknowledged Combs was violent with romantic partners and during opening statements said he had “a bit of a different sex life.” They also said that while Combs is “a very flawed individual,” he has not committed the alleged federal crimes.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted of the most serious charges, he could face up to life in prison.
Here’s what we learned in Wednesday’s testimony.
Federal investigators found pills and drug residue when they searched Combs’ home in Miami Beach last March, including in a box adorned with a gold plate bearing the inscription “Puffy,” a federal agent testified Wednesday.
Gerard Gannon, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, said a Gucci bag found in a closet contained an assortment of pills, white powder, a “crystal rock-like substance,” a plastic straw, a $100 bill and other items.
The powder, residue from the straw and residue from the $100 bill tested positive for cocaine and ketamine, according to a stipulation read in court. A bottle of eye drops also found inside the bag tested positive for MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, and ketamine, according to the stipulation. Various pills tested positive for MDMA, alprazolam, ketamine and methamphetamine, according to the stipulation.
The jury saw photos of narcotics and the “Puffy” box, which contained MDMA and capsules containing psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, according to the stipulation. The jury also saw photos of boxes filled with bottles of baby oil and Astroglide lubricant in a closet in the home. Twenty-five bottles of baby oil and 31 bottles of lubricant were found in that closet, Gannon said.
Gannon said a loaded .45 handgun was recovered from a suitcase found in a room he referred to as the “guard shack” in the property’s guesthouse. On the witness stand, Gannon held up an evidence bag that contained bullets recovered from the firearm.
Gannon began his testimony Tuesday and said investigators found parts of AR-15 firearms with scratched-out serial numbers and two loaded magazines, as well as sex toys, baby oil and lubricant.
On cross-examination, Gannon confirmed the AR-15 firearms were dismantled and not loaded.
Dawn Hughes, a clinical and forensic psychologist, testified in general terms about the behavior of people who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and traumatic stress as the prosecution sought to provide the jury with a broader understanding of last week’s testimony from Ventura.
Hughes testified that she has not assessed any victims or witnesses in this case, nor has she interviewed anyone connected to the case. She said she had seen some press coverage of the case but not what’s been happening in court.
Hughes testified that it’s very common for victims to stay in abusive relationships and said perpetrators often use several abusive methods besides physical violence to make victims feel trapped.
“It’s about the power and control that the abuser has over the victim,” she said.
A victim’s financial dependence on an abuser plays a very important role in a victim staying in an abusive situation, she said. In addition, sexual abuse can make it difficult for a victim to seek help to leave an abusive relationship, she explained.
“They experience a tremendous amount of shame, humiliation, degradation,” Hughes said. “They don’t want to talk about it, they don’t even want to think about it in their own brain.”
Hughes, who said in court that she was being paid $600 an hour for her work and $6000 for a day of testimony, has been an expert witness in several other high-profile racketeering and sex trafficking trials, including of Nxivm founder Keith Raniere and singer R. Kelly.
On cross-examination, she said she’s never testified in the defense of a man accused of a sex crime. “I don’t evaluate offenders,” she said.
Prior to testifying and without the jury present, George Kaplan, a former executive assistant to Combs, invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify on the grounds of potential self-incrimination.
Judge Arun Subramanian then signed an immunity order that required Kaplan to testify.
David James, another of Combs’ former executive assistants, was asked Tuesday on cross-examination if he was granted immunity for his testimony. He said he wasn’t sure of the details but believed he signed a “proffer agreement.”
In general, a proffer agreement is one in which prosecutors agree not to prosecute someone for what they say.
Once the jury was present, Kaplan testified that he started working at Combs Enterprises in 2013 as an executive assistant to the chief operating officer, and about 10 months later, he was promoted to Combs’ executive assistant.
He said he typically worked 80-100 hours a week and was paid about $125,000.
Combs threatened Kaplan’s job almost monthly, he testified. During his first week working for Combs, he assigned Kaplan to purchase a one-gallon BPA-free water bottle at Whole Foods. The store didn’t have it, so Kaplan brought back two half-gallon bottles, and Combs angrily told him he did not bring him what he asked for.
“He was very close to my face,” Kaplan said of the incident.
Kaplan was in frequent daily communication with Combs. They would text, call, and email about things Combs needed, including “clothing or potentially food from somewhere or drugs or liquor or an iPad or a speaker,” he said.
Setting up and cleaning hotel rooms
Kaplan said he would travel with Combs to make sure his lodgings and hotel rooms were “set up properly.”
The first time Kaplan was tasked with setting up a hotel room for Combs, he was given a bag and told to unpack it, he testified. The bag had clothes, a speaker, candles, liquor, baby oil and Astroglide, Kaplan said. After that first time, he said he would often buy the same supplies with his corporate credit card.
He said his understanding was that Combs would have guests or a female partner join him in the hotel rooms.
Kaplan testified that after Combs would leave a hotel room, he’d go in and pack up Combs’ belongings and tidy up. Typically, there would be Gatorade bottles, liquor bottles and baby oil strewn around a hotel room after Combs left, Kaplan said. On one occasion, he cleaned up a “brown crystallized powder” off a countertop, though he said he didn’t know what it was.
Asked why he didn’t let the hotel staff clean up, Kaplan said he came to understand part of his role was protecting Combs’ image.
“Protecting him and protecting his public image was very important and that was something I was very keen on doing,” he said.
On a couple occasions, Combs asked Kaplan to bring him drugs, he testified. Both times, Combs gave Kaplan cash and a number to call and then Kaplan arranged to pick up the drugs, he testified.
Kaplan’s testimony will continue on Thursday morning.
