Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial: Former assistant says rapper asked him to buy drugs during 'intense' $100k job

Special agent testifies about hotels and travel during Diddy's relationship with Jane

Back to special agent Joseph Cerciello's testimony now.

He reviewed data from 2021 to 2024, the court hears, which was when Sean "Diddy" Combs was seeing 'Jane', an alleged victim who gave evidence under a pseudonym earlier in the trial.

The chart shows locations, names and travel records related to the investigation.

Cerciello tells the court that, before the lawsuit against Combs filed by former partner Cassie Ventura in November 2023, the majority of the locations were listed as hotels. 

After the lawsuit was filed, there were no records of visits to hotels, he says.

For context, here is a timeline of the allegations against Combs and how this criminal case has unfolded.

'He was never a drug mule': Former assistant's lawyer issues statement after testimony

We have an update from outside court, from a lawyer for previous witness Brendan Paul.

During his evidence earlier today, Paul told the court he bought drugs for Sean "Diddy" Combs on a few occasions but said he was "absolutely not" a drugs mule.

He also told told the court he stopped working for Combs after being arrested with a small amount of cocaine belong to his boss at an airport in Miami in March 2024. Charges were later dropped, the court heard.

Paul was granted immunity for his testimony in this trial.

His lawyer has now issued a statement, our US partner NBC news reports, saying Paul's "testimony was crystal clear — he was never a 'drug mule' for Diddy or anyone else".

The statement continues: "He was subpoenaed to come to court and tell the truth, which he did — word for word. 

"Now that Brendan has finally had the opportunity to tell the full story about his employment, we are hopeful that the last 15 months of defamatory statements about him will cease."

Special agent takes stand as hearing resumes

Court is back in session after a short break and special agent Joseph Cerciello, of Homeland Security Investigations, is on the witness stand.

Maurene Comey is asking questions for the prosecution.

Cerciello tells the court he had no involvement with the case before the trial, but reviewed charts and exhibits a few weeks ago.

He is one of several summary witnesses called by the prosecution. These are government agents who are reading aloud text messages, travel records and other document-based evidence.

Remember, today's session will finish earlier, by 6pm UK time, as one juror is attending their son's graduation ceremony.

'You treat me like a hooker,' Cassie told Diddy in text

Just before the break, jurors were shown messages between Sean "Diddy" Combs and Cassie Ventura.

They were in a long-term, on-off relationship between 2007 and 2018. Cassie is an alleged victim in the case and testified against the rapper earlier in the trial.

The musician and model filed a lawsuit against Combs in November 2023, which was settled within 24 hours. He was arrested and charged with criminal offences, for which he is now on trial for, in September 2024.

In one text exchange shown in court, Cassie referred to Combs hitting her head twice, to which he replied: "You have disrespected me."

In another, she told him: "I know if I said no to it in NY it would have been a problem, you only see me one way, you treat me like a hooker."

"Wow," Combs responded.

In a text on 2 May 2017, Cassie told him she didn't deserve to be beaten.

"That's not love, that's possession," she said, and told him that "as soon as you get f***** up you drag me down the hall by my hair.

"I'm 30 years old… I felt dead."

Combs told her she was unappreciative of things he had done for her, the court heard, and said "everyone else sees you acting like a b****".

"If I did that for another girl she would've been so nice and happy," Combs wrote, saying he wished he hadn't wasted his "time and energy" on her.

In her testimony, Cassie told the court she was subjected to violence and sexual and emotional abuse throughout their relationship.

Court break

Special agent Joseph Cerciello, from Homeland Security Investigations, is next to testify.

But before this, the court is taking a short break.

We still haven't received any sketches from the courtroom yet, but we have pictures from earlier today which show Sean "Diddy" Combs's mother, Janice Combs, is once again there to support him.

His son, Justin Combs, is also in court.

We'll be back shortly when today's session resumes.

'It's complicated': Former assistant asked about his feelings towards Diddy

Defence lawyer Brian Steel refers back to former Diddy assistant Brendan Paul's testimony that he once worked for three entire days with just a few naps (see 14.45 post).

He admits this was exhilarating but when Steel puts it to him that he wanted to work for this long, he replies: "I don't know if I wanted to."

Steel asks about watching Combs take drugs and if they made him more focused.

Paul says the music mogul got "extremely creative" when taking drugs.

He tells the court that yes, "for the most part", he is indebted to Combs and learned a lot from him.

He also says that while he received immunity for his testimony and is compelled to tell the truth, he would have done so even without this.

Asked by the prosecution how he feels about Combs, he replies: "It's complicated."

There are no further questions and he leaves the stand.

Jane did not seem hesitant about 'Wild King' nights, former assistant tells court

Cross-examination questioning turns to 'Jane', who was seeing Sean "Diddy" Combs when Brendan Paul was employed by him. The questions focus on the rapper's hotel or "Wild King" nights – sex sessions with escorts.

Jane is an alleged victim of Combs and testified under a pseudonym earlier in the trial.

Asked by defence attorney Brian Steel if Jane ever appeared hesitant or apprehensive when preparing for one of these events, Paul says "no".

Asked if it ever seemed like she was not a willing participant, he replies: "Absolutely not."

Former Diddy assistant says he was 'absolutely not' a drugs mule

Brian Steel, one of Sean "Diddy" Combs's defence lawyers, is now cross-examining the rapper's former assistant Brendan Paul.

Paul worked for Combs from late 2022 to March 2024.

Steel starts with the topic of Paul's work ethic, putting it to him that he is a hard worker who studied hard and strives for perfection. 

Paul says "yes" to all these points and confirms he wanted to work in the music industry.

"Nobody fooled you about how hard it was going to be, and you welcomed that?" Steel asks.

"Yes," Paul replies.

He also says it is true he wanted to work with a billionaire, that he felt it was a great opportunity, and that he enjoyed being in Combs's company.

Steel asks directly if Paul was a sort of drug mule, to which he responds: "Absolutely not."

He agrees that he personally handed "miniscule" amounts at a time and he understood these were for Combs's personal use.

Ex-assistant says he did not give Diddy's name after cocaine arrest out of 'loyalty'

Witness Brendan Paul, who has been granted immunity, is now asked about the events of 25 March 2024, his last day working as an assistant to Sean "Diddy" Combs.

At the start of his testimony, the court heard he was arrested at a Miami airport for cocaine possession (see 14.21 post).

Asked now why he had the drug, he replies: "It was not mine."

However, he says he did not tell authorities this, out of loyalty to Combs.

Charges were later dropped, the court hears.

Former assistant tells court of set-ups and clean-ups for 'Wild King' nights

Questioning now moves on to "Wild King" nights – also referred to as "freak offs" or "hotel nights" previously during the trial.

Former Sean "Diddy" Combs assistant Brendan Paul says these involved alcohol, sex and drugs.

The hip-hop mogul was seeing Jane – who testified under a pseudonym earlier in the trial – during the period of Paul's employment, from late 2022 to March 2024.

Combs was also seeing other women, Jane said in her testimony.

Asked about the "Wild King" nights, Paul says no other girlfriends took part in them that he knew of while he worked for Combs.

Following the bombshell lawsuit filed by Cassie Ventura – Diddy's on-off partner from 2007 to 2018 – in November 2023, Paul says these nights stopped taking place at hotels but continued at Combs's homes.

He says his involvement in them started about eight months into the job and his role was to set up and clean up. He did this on a few occasions, the court hears.

Setting up, he would bring supplies including toiletries, lights, candles, incense, condoms, liquor, soup, lubricant, and a Gucci pouch in which drugs were kept, he tells the court.

To clean up, he would put on gloves "for sanitary reasons", he says.

Former assistant recalls 'being asked to buy thousands of dollars worth of drugs'

Former Diddy assistant Brendan Paul now tells the court he saw his boss using drugs including cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy and marijuana.

He recalls being asked to buy thousands of dollars worth of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, pink cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine and others. He also describes how he met up with dealers.

Remember, Paul has been granted immunity from self-incrimination to testify.

He tells the court Combs asked him to try drugs and he did it "to prove my loyalty".

He says he that one time, he "felt euphoric but did not feel the full effect". Combs asked if it was good, he says, adding: "I said yes and then I kept working".

Combs 'did not take no for an answer'

Assistants worked to make sure Sean "Diddy" Combs was happy, his former employee Brendan Paul tells the court, as he did not "take no for an answer".

Combs compared his assistants to an elite Navy SEAL team, demanding they move with no failures, according to Paul.

He says he was "fired" two or three times during his employment – including in October 2023, when he forgot Combs's Lululemon "fanny pack", also known as a bum bag in the UK.

"I don't want to see your face," he says Combs told him. "Call [chief of staff Kristina Khorram] and say you are fired".

However, Paul says Khorram told him to "lay low" for a period of time and the incident would be forgotten.

Former assistant says he once worked for three days with only 'a few naps'

The court hears Brendan Paul worked between 80 and 100 hours a week as an assistant to Sean "Diddy" Combs. He says he was "always" on call, based between Los Angeles, California, and Miami, Florida, where the music mogul had properties.

He started in late 2022 on a salary of $75,000 (the equivalent of about £56,000 in today's money), which went up to $100,000 (about £74,000) in January 2024, paid fortnightly by Combs Enterprises, jurors are told.

Asked about the longest period he went without sleep while working for Combs, Paul says this was three days "with a few naps".

"I was young so I was able to handle it," he adds, telling the court he would take Adderall and, on a few occasions, cocaine.

Prior to working for Combs, he says he had only "smoked weed".

The working environment was "intense", he adds.

'Tumultuous' Diddy job would be 24/7, former assistant says he was warned

Brendan Paul, an assistant to Sean Combs from late 2022 to March 2024, tells the court about the time he secured the role.

He says he was told not to be in a relationship and that he wouldn't have time to see his family – because it was a "tumultuous job" and would "take all my time".

Paul says he signed an NDA – a non-disclosure agreement – when he went for an interview with Kristina Khorram, Combs's former chief of staff, and Frankie Santella, the rapper's music manager.

He got the job and started work a few days later. He tells the court that at one point the rapper had five assistants, and they divided their tasks based on their skills.

Paul was a former college basketball player so worked on food and fitness planning for Combs, as well as music.

Former assistant was arrested for possession of cocaine

Former Diddy employee Brendan Paul tells the court his last day working for the rapper was 25 March 2024.

This was when he was arrested at Miami-Opa Locka airport, he says, on his way to a family holiday.

Before he arrived at the airport he had been "sweeping" Diddy's room, the court is told. He said he found some cocaine which he put in his bag, forgetting it was there.

Properties owned by Combs in Miami and Los Angeles were raided by federal agents on the same day.

-SKY NEWS