Diddy was accused of trying to bribe a hotel guard after the 2016 assault on Cassie Ventura, now central to his federal criminal trial.
Sean “Diddy” Combs stood at the center of explosive courtroom testimony this week as a former hotel security guard turned LAPD officer described the aftermath of the 2016 assault on Cassie Ventura and claimed the Hip-Hop mogul tried to pay him off to stay silent.
Israel Florez, who was working security at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City at the time, told jurors he saw Ventura with a “purple eye” after the incident and found Diddy in a towel, sitting with a “blank stare … like a devilish stare, just looking at me.”
Florez said the music mogul then pulled out a wad of cash and told him, “Don’t tell nobody.”
Florez responded, “I don’t want your money.”
The testimony comes after CNN aired surveillance footage from the hotel showing Diddy chasing Cassie Ventura down a hallway, throwing her to the ground, kicking her, dragging her, and hurling an object at her.
The video, recorded in March 2016, was released publicly last May and is now a central piece of evidence in Diddy’s federal criminal trial.
Florez said he tried to check on Ventura after the assault but was stopped by one of Diddy’s bodyguards. He said he saw her crouched in a corner, shielding her face.
Later, when Florez and another guard returned to Diddy’s suite to remind him of hotel rules, Diddy allegedly grabbed the other guard’s phone, accusing him of recording their conversation.
Florez testified that he had to physically restrain Diddy to get the phone back.
Despite attempts by Diddy’s legal team to keep the video out of court, the judge ruled it admissible. Cassie Ventura is expected to take the stand to testify against Diddy.
Prosecutors say the footage supports their case that Diddy engaged in a long-running pattern of control and abuse.
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