Eddie Garcia, who worked security at the hotel where Sean Combs was caught on video beating Cassie Ventura in a hallway, testified that Combs paid $100,000 for what he thought was the only copy of it. He also said on the stand that Combs called him "my angel." Plus an outburst by a Diddy supporter in the courtroom, and the judge puts restrictions on exhibits after Victim-4 is named publicly.If you want to read NBC's coverage of the trial, check out our newsletter, “Diddy On Trial”: NBCNews.com/Diddy
Chapter 1: What is the focus of the Sean Combs trial coverage?
This is On Trial, a special series from Dateline True Crime Weekly, bringing you daily coverage from the Sean Combs racketeering trial. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. I'm Andrea Canning and it's Tuesday, June 3rd. Today at the federal courthouse in downtown New York, the testimony turned from violence to finance.
First up was a security guard who was working at the Los Angeles hotel in 2016 when Combs beat up his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hallway, something Combs apologized for after surveillance video of the incident leaked to CNN.
My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I'm truly sorry.
Chapter 2: Who is the security guard involved in the trial?
But the security guard wasn't there to testify about what he saw on the video. He was there to testify about his involvement in the sale of that video to Combs. It was a story that involved cash-filled brown paper bags and a nickname Combs had for the security guard at the hotel, My Angel. NBC News correspondent Chloe Malas is here to fill us in. Hey, Chloe. Hey, Andrea.
So you're actually joining us from a different courthouse today since you're doing double duty at the Combs and the Harvey Weinstein trials.
That is right. So I'm relying on our brilliant NBC News journalists who are inside the courtroom for Diddy.
We'll be talking to an NBC News producer in a little bit about a disruption that happened earlier this morning at Combs' trial before the jury came in. But first, Chloe, tell us about this hotel security guard, Combs' so-called angel. His name is Eddie Garcia.
That's right. So he's been granted immunity to testify. And Eddie is this... security guard who had worked at the Intercontinental Hotel. And in March of 2016, he was 24 years old and his job was to watch these security cameras. And so this particular day, he got to work in the afternoon and he was told that there had been a domestic incident involving Diddy that morning.
And the guard who had been working in the morning showed him the video. pieces of which many of us have already seen perhaps multiple times. And he was told that Cassie had not requested medical or law enforcement assistance. But then he got a phone call in his security office with a New York area code. And the woman on the line introduced herself as Christina Karam.
Chloe, we've talked about her several times. She actually eventually became his chief of staff.
Yeah, that's right. The whole point of her calling is she wanted to get her hands on that video. And he actually told her, well, you're going to have to get a subpoena or talk to the hotel manager. But it did not end there for Christina. No, not at all. So a little later, Eddie testified that he got a call saying that somebody was in the lobby asking to see him. And it was Christina.
So Eddie spoke to her and her whole spiel was that, did he just... didn't remember what happened that day. He was inebriated. He wanted to see what was on the video to refresh his recollection. He just wanted a glimpse. And Eddie really stood firm and was like, look, I'm really sorry. I cannot show this to you. You're going to have to talk to hotel management. But he did say to her, it's bad.
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Chapter 3: What did Diddy offer the security guard for the video?
What happened when Sean Combs escorted Eddie out?
Yeah, so he says that they walked back to his car and Diddy actually said, how are you going to spend the money? And he said, I don't know right now. And Diddy just warned him not to make big purchases. So he thought that that meant like don't draw attention to all this money that you just got. But maybe he was just providing some financial advice.
Was the defense able to punch any holes in this story on cross-examination of Eddie?
It was a really short cross-examination. The defense simply asked Eddie about the nondisclosure agreement that he signed, pointed out that he could have actually gone to law enforcement.
It's important, right, for the RICO conspiracy charge of it all because it goes to show that, like, despite the fact that he signed this NDA, which is really typical in Hollywood, that there was a loophole where he could have gone to law enforcement. But again, Eddie said that he was so nervous he didn't even read the NDA fully.
And then they asked him about a message that Eddie actually sent to Diddy two and a half years later, asking if he had any security work for him. And Diddy actually had said no.
Very interesting, Chloe. Thank you for that update. When we come back, this morning, a Combs supporter yelling it's not right what they're doing to him was escorted out of the courtroom by the marshals. Our NBC News producer on site tells us what set this woman off. Welcome back, everybody. We are joined now by Adam Reese, a longtime NBC News producer, helping Khloe cover the Sean Combs trial.
Hey, Adam.
Hi there.
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Chapter 4: How much money was involved in the video deal?
Well, it was really very unusual because the decorum in the courtroom thus far has been very organized. The court-martials keep everything tightly controlled. Today was a little unusual from the start. The courtroom was less full than it usually is.
And right after we got underway, after 9 o'clock, there was a sudden outburst from a woman screaming profanities, screaming that Diddy is innocent, that, quote, all the MFers are laughing at you, Diddy. She was immediately grabbed by at least two court officers, and she was escorted out of the courtroom and out of the courthouse and is to never come back. Wow.
This is a woman who was known both to the public and the press and the court officers. She had been involved in a number of disturbances, including with Chloe Malas.
Chapter 5: What happened during the money handoff with Sean Combs?
Chapter 6: What was the outcome after Eddie signed the NDA?
That's right. We usually arrive around 8.15 in the morning. And at 8.30, all the attorneys gather with the judge and they discuss motions. Anything that needs to be discussed outside of the jury's presence.
This morning, Adam, something very dramatic happened. Tell us about it.
Well, it was really very unusual because the decorum in the courtroom thus far has been very organized. The court-martials keep everything tightly controlled. Today was a little unusual from the start. The courtroom was less full than it usually is.
And right after we got underway, after 9 o'clock, there was a sudden outburst from a woman screaming profanities, screaming that Diddy is innocent, that, quote, all the MFers are laughing at you, Diddy. She was immediately grabbed by at least two court officers, and she was escorted out of the courtroom and out of the courthouse and is to never come back. Wow.
This is a woman who was known both to the public and the press and the court officers. She had been involved in a number of disturbances, including with Chloe Malas.
Really, Chloe? What happened?
Yes. So this was wild. It was about a week and a half ago. I had walked into the courthouse one day and I couldn't get into the courtroom because it was completely full. So I went into what's called Overflow, which is a bunch of members of the public and journalists, and I saw an empty seat. So I walked over to the empty seat.
And as I walked up, I could hear someone running like up behind me and it was coming really fast. So I kind of scurried quickly and sat down, and the woman started screaming in my face, and it was crazy. The whole courtroom started screaming at her, being like, get out, get out, and everyone kept coming up to me being like, this woman has been causing so many disruptions.
Drama, drama, drama. During the lunch break, Adam, the prosecution raised some concerns with the judge about their anonymous victims and witnesses being able to stay anonymous. This seems to be becoming a problem. Sure.
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