Ex-Hotel Guard Says Diddy Paid Him $100,000 to Hand Over Video of 2016 Cassie Assault

The federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs resumed Tuesday in Manhattan, with shocking testimony from a former hotel security guard who claims the music mogul paid him $100,000 for surveillance footage showing Combs assaulting singer Cassie Ventura in 2016.

Eddy Garcia, who worked security at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, took the stand under immunity after initially invoking his right against self-incrimination. He testified that Combs’s team approached him about the video, which captured Combs kicking and dragging Cassie in an elevator.

Garcia said he first asked for a subpoena before releasing the footage. Combs then called him directly, warning the video could “ruin” his career and promising to “take care” of him if he handed over the only copy. After discussing it with his supervisor, Garcia agreed to sell the video.

During a secret meeting in Los Angeles, Garcia said he and Combs spoke with Cassie on a FaceTime call, where she reportedly also wanted the video kept quiet. Garcia handed over the footage on a USB drive and signed a nondisclosure agreement at Combs’s insistence.

“I knew you could help,” Combs reportedly said before leaving the room and returning with a brown paper bag containing $100,000 in cash. Garcia recounted how Combs cautioned him against making any large purchases and instructed him to share the money with other security staff involved that day.

Garcia said he gave $50,000 to his supervisor, $20,000 to another guard, and kept $30,000 for himself.

The trial also heard from Derek Ferguson, Combs’s former CFO, who confirmed Combs’s financial dealings from 1998 to 2012. Evidence showed a series of $20,000 transfers in December 2011 between Combs, Cassie, and her father, Broderick Ventura.

Prosecutors say Combs has spent decades coercing women into abusive sexual encounters and is charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, and other crimes. Combs has pleaded not guilty and faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted.

The case took a tense turn when a woman in the courtroom shouted obscenities at Combs and had to be removed. Outside, she claimed to be a supporter angry at how others mocked the rapper during the trial.

More witnesses, including accusers who have publicly spoken against Combs, are expected to testify in the coming days.

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