REVEALED: The hotel security guards who took staggering sum from Diddy to bury sick Cassie beating video: Live trial updates

Former Intercontinental hotel security guard Eddie Garcia, 33, told the jury that Diddy predicted accurately that his iconic career would be ruined — his image as the affable, successful ‘Puff Daddy’ destroyed — if video of the beating ever became public.

Garcia testified Thursday that the hip-hop mogul made the comment repeatedly before giving a brown paper bag stuffed with $100,000 in cash to the then guard, in order to buy what he hoped was the only copy of surveillance footage of the March 2016 assault.

Garcia told the court that Diddy made him sign an NDA when he met him to hand over the assault video. The document included $1million in damages if Garcia breached confidentiality of the deal.

Diddy then allegedly handed Garcia $100,000 in cash, although the initial deal was for half that amount.

‘He’d mentioned he’d take care of us, so the additional was for me and what he thought was Israel Flores,’ Garcia said, refering to former security guard Israel Flores, who also took the stand in the trial and said he declined a bribe.

Garcia said Diddy asked what he was going to do with the cash, and warned him to not make extravagant purchases that could draw attention.

In the end, Garcia said his boss Bill Medrano made $50k from the deal, while another guard, Henry Elias, made $20,000.

Garcia made $30,000 – which he said he used to buy a used car.

‘He referred to me as “Eddy my angel,”‘ Garcia said, adding that Combs told him: ‘I knew you could help. I knew you could do it.’

He requested immunity before testifying.

To hear all the explosive testimony from singer Cassie Ventura and the other witnesses in Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs’ trial, tune in to Daily Mail’s hit podcast The Trial.

From sworn testimony to video evidence and the rapper’s every subtle move, our team of journalists take you inside the courtroom of the world’s biggest celebrity case.

Daily Mail has been following Diddy’s downfall from the very beginning. Join us as we hear from experts involved in the case, and members of the rapper’s inside circle.

‘Do you think highly of Mr Combs?’ defense attorney Brian Steel asked Derek Ferguson on Tueaday as cross-examination wrapped up.

Ferguson replied, after a long pause: ‘I don’t know how to respond to that.’

Ferguson did previously have some positive words about Diddy, saying: ‘He worked constantly… his passion for what he did was really high…. His work ethic was something that pushed the entire team.’

‘Did you see anyone help Sean Combs commit crimes?’ defense attorney Brian Steel asked Diddy’s former CFO Derek Ferguson on Tuesday.

‘See anyone commit acts of violence?’

‘See anyone make the company stronger through threats of violence?’

‘Did yo usee anyone enhance Mr Combs reputation through emotional, physical or sexual abuse?’

So far, the blockbuster trial has consisted of a number of bombshell testimonies from his ex-girlfriend and main accuser Cassie Ventura, rapper Kid Cudi, Dawn Richard, a former member of Combs’ pop group Danity Kane, and his former executive assistant George Kaplan, among others.

Within two days of the attack on Cassie at the InterContinental Hotel, former hotel security guard Eddie Garcia gave Combs a storage device containing the footage in exchange for $100,000 in cash — with Combs feeding bills through a money counter and putting them in a brown paper bag.

Garcia signed a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement, shown in court, that required he pay $1 million if he breached the deal. At the time, he said, he was making $10.50 an hour working hotel security.

Garcia said he signed a declaration swearing that there was no other copy of the video.

He said he signed the papers in an office building with Combs’ bodyguard and Kristina Khorram present. Garcia said he didn’t fully read the documents, explaining that he was nervous and ‘the goal was to get out of there as soon as possible.’

Prosecutors at Combs’ sex trafficking trial in Manhattan have made the footage of Combs kicking, beating and dragging Cassie at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles a centerpiece of their federal case against him.

They contend it supports the claims of three women, including Cassie, who allege the Bad Boy Records founder sexually and physically abused them over two decades.

Prosecutors say Combs’ persistent efforts to hush up the episode fit into allegations he used threats and his fortune and fame to get what he wanted.

Former CFO of Sean Combs enterprises Derek Ferguson confirmed that in 2011, Diddy’s bank account received $20,000 from Cassie’s mom, Regina Ventura. The money then was sent back.

This appears to confirm Regina Ventura’s testimony.

She told the court an angry Diddy demanded $20,000 and threatened to release explicit sex tapes of his longtime girlfriend after learning she was dating someone else.

Regina Ventura said she felt ‘physically sick’ when her daughter sent her an email in late 2011 to say Combs threatened to release two explicit videos of her and send someone to hurt her and the man she was seeing, the rapper Kid Cudi.

‘I did not understand a lot of it. The sex tapes threw me,’ Ventura told the Manhattan federal court last month.

‘He was angry that he had spent money on her and she went with another person,’ she said.

Ventura said she tapped a home equity loan to pay Combs because she was ‘scared for my daughter’s safety.’ Days later, she said, the money was returned and Cassie was soon dating Diddy again.

Prosector Mauren Comey told the judge on Tuesday that a media outlet reported on Mia’s identity.

She said a reporter shared the information ‘With reference to the birthday video, containing a link to that exhibit showing the witnesses’ true identity.’

Comey was talking about a video presented by Diddy’s lawyers where his accuser Mia wished him a happy birthday.

Online sleuths found the video and have been sharing it online.

Comey asked the judge that ‘the court consider directing that outlet to remove the post and barring individuals who break the court’s order from attending this trial.’

The judge said he will consider the request.

Diddy’s former CFO Derek Ferguson is back on the stand after a brief lunch break.

A fashion designer who accused Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs of groping her and dangling her over the edge of a 17th-story balcony is set to take the stand in his federal sex trafficking trial as early as today.

Bryana ‘Bana’ Bongolan sued the rap mogul for $10million last year, accusing him of sexual battery and physical abuse.

Bongolan’s lawsuit claimed Combs molested and attacked her at Cassie Ventura‘s Los Angeles apartment in 2016 after one of his notorious ‘freak off’ parties.

After Diddy’s ‘freak off’ hotel nights with Cassie, Diddy’s ex assistant, who testified under the pseudonym ‘Mia’, testified last week that assistants would have to ‘sweep’ hotel rooms to clean up the mess he left behind ‘wherever he was.’

This was so ‘a housekeper couldn’t take and run to TMZ and expose any of his private business.’

Mia alleged the hotel rooms were a ‘nightmare’ to clean.

‘They were destroyed, really messy,’ she described.

‘I saw a lot of candlewax that was impossible to get out, lots of wet towels, I’ve seen broken glass, water all over the floor, sometimes blood, oil all over furniture and walls and things.’

‘You joined the MeToo money grab against Sean Combs?’ Diddy’s attorney asked accuser Mia on Monday as he suggested her motivations for her claims were financial.

‘You knew Ms Ventura by making this claim against Mr Combs in Nov 2023, you knew she was seeking money?’ Steel went on.

‘You were aware that before you made any claim Sean Combs sexually assaulted you that Ms Ventura received money?’

Mia replied that she was aware that Cassie received a settlement after filing a lawsuit against Diddy in 2023.

With Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ blockbuster trial underway, some celebrities have shared their predictions of what the disgraced rapper’s future could look like.

The 55-year-old faces several charges, including sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life behind bars.

Diddy’s former CFO Derek Ferguson will return to the stand after a lunch break.

He has been discussing the mogul’s financial arrangements and how his companies were organized.

Eight men and four women are on the final panel of 12 with a further four men and two women listed as alternates.

On the main juror panel, four are white, two are Hispanic, five are black and one is Asian. Of the six alternates, four are white and two are black.

Ferguson told the court he worked for the mogul from 1998 until 2017 – as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Growth Officer, Chief Operating Officer for Revolt media and TV.

He said he was at times responsible for managing Diddy’s personal finances.

When asked why he was testifying, Ferguson replied that he had been subpoenaed.

Former Intercontinental hotel security guard Eddie Garcia has left the stand.

The prosecution is now expected to call Diddy’s former head of finance Derek Ferguson to the stand after a short break.

Prosecutors say bribery and arson are among the racketeering acts that Combs or his employees undertook in order to facilitate ‘freak offs’ and prevent word of his abuse from getting out.

Kid Cudi’s testimony served as evidence to the prosecution’s claim of arson, as he told the jury he believes Diddy was responsible for a Molotov cocktail placed in his car.

Meanwhile former Intercontinental hotel security guard Eddie Garcia told the jury he took a $100k from Diddy to make the video of the mogul assaulting Cassie in 2016 disappear from the servers.

Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Prosecutors have said they may finish presenting their case next week, allowing the defense to put on its case.

The Washington Post reported on Monday that Diddy supporters have been going into the overflow room in the federal courthouse.

The mogul’s supporters have reportedly created a ‘watch-party-like atmosphere in the rooms, where a livestream shows the closed-circuit live feed the press sees in the press room.

The supporters’ behaviors is notable because those in the overflow rooms are expected to behave as if they were inside the courtoom – quietly.

But the Diddy supporters have been heckling witness testiumony and egging on his lawyers, per the Post.

The heckling started on Monday, the same day Diddy’s attorney Brian Steel accused an alleged victim, Mia, of a ‘MeToo money grab’ against the disgraced mogul.

The trial is not being televised because it is in federal court, where cameras are not allowed.

Former InterContinental security guard Eddie Garcia said from the stand that, before he accepted money to give Diddy the video of him assaulting Cassie, he told the mogul he was concerned that Cassie would report the incident to police.

That’s when Diddy reportedly called Cassie and anded the phone to Garcia.

‘Before he passed the phone to me he said [to Cassie], “let him know you want this to go away too,”‘ Garcia said on Tuesday.

Garcia added: ‘[Cassie] said she had a movie coming out and it wasn’t a good time for this to come out and she wanted it to go away.’

Trump revealed last week he would ‘look at the facts’ of the case, noting he and rapper used to have a friendly relationship.

The president added: ‘If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact.’

Diddy’s son Justin Combs, whom the mogul had with Misa Hylton, arrives to court with his grandmother, Diddy’s mom Janice.

Diddy’s children and his mom have consistently showed up for the mogul throughout the trial. His daughters attended week one, but have not returned since.

Former InterContinental security guard Eddie Garcia said that after Diddy and his right-hand woman Kristina Khorram repeatedly called him to ask for the assault video, he gave in.

Garcia said he talked to his boss, Bill Medrano, who said he would give Diddy the video for $50,000.

The former guard said Diddy was excited to hear the news and called him ‘Eddy my angel.’

Medrano then allegedly showed up to his office ‘and shortly after came out of his office and made his way to the server,’ Garcia told the court.

Medrano then came back and handed Garcia an USB, saying ‘done.’

Garcia then met with Diddy and handed over the video, the jury heard.

Garcia demanded immunity before taknig the stand.

Former InterContinental security guard Eddie Garcia told the court he was working at the hotel the night that Diddy assaulted Cassie in the hallway on camera.

Garcia said he received a call from Diddy’s right-hand woman Kristina Khorram, who asked if she could see the damning surveillance footage.

‘She stated that Mr Combs had been intoxicated and didn’t remember exactly,’ Garcia told the court.

Garcia said he told Khorram she would have to contact management about her request.

Hours later, Garcia said Khorram showed up at the hotel lobby looking for him.

Garcia said he could not help her, but did share that the footage ‘was bad.’

Later the same evening, Garcia received a call from Diddy himself, he told the court.

‘Mr Combs sounded very nervous, just was talking really fast, was saying that he had a little too much to drink and that I knew how things were with women, one thing led to another… If this got out it could ruin him,’ Garcia told the jury.

‘He was talking really fast, lot of stuttering, just sounded very nervous.

‘He asked if I could provide the video.’

Garcia said he could not, and Diddy and Khorram went on to contact him repeatedly, including at his home and his personal phone.

The court heard on Tuesday that a man violated the order to protect Mia’s identity and shared her real name on his YouTube channel.

Jusge Subramanian granted the prosecution’s request to bar him from the courtroom if he tries to return.

Incendiary images shown in Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs’ trial reveal the disgraced rap mogul was preparing for a hotel ‘freak off’ despite knowing he was about to be arrested, prosecutors say.

Diddy’s ex-assistant Capricorn Clark exposed the mogul’s list of celebrities enemies and many other A-listers have come up in testimony.

The trial has even inspired deep fake videos that use AI-generated images to falsely claim that certain celebrities, such as Oprah and Jennifer Lawrence, have been mentioned in the mogul’s sex-trafficking case.

Here is a list of all the celebrities talked about in the trial so far:

A woman was escorted out of the court’s public gallery Tuesday after she started yelling against ‘the system.’

‘Diddy these motherf***ers are laughing at you in every courtroom,’ the woman yelled.

Judge Arun Subramanian quickly asked a guard to escort the woman out.

She has not been identified.

Eddie Garcia, a former security guard at the Intercontinental Hotel in LA is scheduled to take the stand Tuesday morning. The hotel was where Diddy was filmed assaulting Cassie in 2016.

Video expert Frank Piazza and former Diddy executive Derek Ferguson are also expected on the stand.

They will be followed by Bryana Bongolan – Cassie Ventura’s friend who will likely testify about being dangled over the side of a building by Diddy.

The music mogul arrived in court Tuesday wearing a mustard sweater and beige pants, one of a limited number of outfits he is allowed to wear during the trial.

One of his attorneys, Teny Teragos appeared to compliment him on the color choice.

Diddy is allowed to wear his own clothes to the trial but with some conditions.

He can only have up to five pairs of pants, shirts and socks and only two pairs of shoes – with no laces.

Jamie Foxx has spoken out again about Diddy, making it clear what he thought of the disgraced rap mogul.

During his appearance at The Comedy Store for Netflix‘s All-Star Comedy Night, Jamie called Diddy a ‘nasty motherf****r,’ according to Urban Hollywood.

‘That Diddy s**t is crazy, huh? I don’t know if he’s going to jail, but he’s a nasty motherf***er. S**t! Am I right? Especially for our community. [For] white people, it’s cool, but black people are like, that was our hero. All that godd**n baby oil, boy. Then, the urine,’ Jamie said, referring to an alleged claim regarding Diddy’s ex Cassie and an escort urinating in her mouth.

A woman, who will testify under the pseudonym of Jane, is expected to testify this week for the prosecution.

Prosecutors told the court on Monday that Jane should be taking the stand as soon as Wednesday afternoon.

Mia said one of Combs’ former bodyguards also reached out to her in the days after Cassie filed her lawsuit.

Mia testified that she felt ‘terrified, threatened, scared, nervous’ that Combs was using an intermediary to reach her. She said she ‘wanted to play dumb’ and needed a gameplan to protect herself.

Mia’s testimony echoed concerns that prompted judges to deny Combs bail, keeping him jailed since his arrest last September.

Prosecutors said Combs and his allies were contacting potential victims or witnesses to prevent them from cooperating or to get them to alter their recollection of events.

At a bail hearing last September, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson said Combs contacted at least one victim in November 2023 and was in constant contact with witnesses including as late as last July.

On Monday, Diddy’s lawyer Brian Steel highlighted a post from 2013 celebrating Combs’ 44th birthday, showing a still image from a comedy video featuring Combs as a doctor helping Mia give birth to a fake baby.

Below it, Mia wrote: ‘Shout out to my mentor. Thank you for always letting me give birth to my dreams.’

‘Here, you have posted on your personal account your rapist delivering the baby,’ Steel said.

Mia testified Thursday that, just months after Combs forcibly kissed her at his 40th birthday party in 2009, he woke her up then raped her in a bunk bed in his Los Angeles home.

The ex-assistant said sexual assault continued sporadically enough that she thought it wouldn’t happen again. She is the second of three women expected to testify at the federal trial in Manhattan that they were sexually abused by Combs.

Diddy’s ex-assistant Capricorn Clark told the court on Tuesday she once heard the mogul discussing weapons as he spoke of his rivalry against rapper 50 Cent.

She said she and Diddy were leaving a press event at MTV when the mogul told an executive he was having issues with 50 Cent.

Diddy reportedly said, ‘I don’t lie the back and forth, I don’t like that. I like guns.’

Diddy has frequently dispelled any rumors of a feud between the legends, but Curtis Jackson, also known as 50 Cent, has been slamming his nemesis publicly for years.

The fourth week of Diddy‘s infamous sex trafficking trial kicked off with a bang as his former assistant took the stand and more A-list celebrities were named – only to face a relentless cross-examination by the disgraced mogul’s attorney, Brian Steel.

Hollywood heavyweights like Mick Jagger, Leonardo DiCaprio and Madonna were pulled into the spotlight as Diddy’s legal team sifted through a trove of text messages between the disgraced rap mogul and his former assistant, aggressively questioning her about past employers and connections.

‘Mia’, a former personal assistant to the hip hop mogul, even revealed that she was once propositioned by the Rolling Stones singer while in Paris but ‘ran away’.

Read the full recap here:

A video of Diddy berating Cassie over a less-than-stellar performance of her hit song Me & U on BET in 2006 has been making the rounds as his trial continues in Manhattan.

Cassie had an infamously poor performance on the iconic BET show 106 and park; she said on the stand that Diddy supported her after it, which made them closer.

‘Cassie right here, she had a a whack show… she had a pretty whack show on BET,’ the music mogul said as the singer nervously smiled next to him.

‘She did not perform at the level of the Bad Boy excellence… but at Bad Boy we’re with our artists through their growth periods.. through their bad shows and good shows.’