Sean 'Diddy' Combs' personal assistant tells jury about guns, drugs and lie detector tests

NEW YORK – A erstwhile idiosyncratic adjunct to Sean “Diddy” Combs gave a glimpse into the hip-hop promoter’s satellite erstwhile helium worked for him astir 2 decades ago, testifying astatine the hip-hop promotor's enactment trafficking proceedings astir his erstwhile boss' usage of guns, prevarication detector tests and drugs.

David James' grounds came successful the 2nd week of a proceedings successful Manhattan national tribunal that is scheduled to past up to 2 months. If convicted of the charges helium faces, including racketeering, the Bad Boy Records laminitis could beryllium sentenced to astatine slightest 15 years successful prison.

James was 1 of respective erstwhile Combs employees expected to testify, arsenic prosecutors effort to beryllium that Combs for 2 decades utilized threats and unit to power employees and associates and perpetrate crimes.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not blameworthy to charges that helium utilized threats and his almighty presumption successful the hip-hop satellite to maltreatment women and others and taxable Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, his decade-long girlfriend, to instrumentality portion successful drug-fueled intersexual performances with different men that she said near her excessively drained to prosecute her singing career.

James, a idiosyncratic adjunct for Combs from 2007 to 2009, testified astir a occupation that seemed to travel with expanding perils until helium realized his beingness was successful information and quit, with notice, aft helium was forced to thrust a car successful which an aggravated Combs sat successful the backmost spot with 3 handguns connected his lap.

He said his occupation sometimes required him to guarantee that edifice rooms wherever Combs stayed nether the sanction “Frank Black” were stocked with what helium needed for comfort, including caller underwear, an iPod, pome sauce, vodka, babe oil, Viagra and condoms.

There were besides astonishing moments, James said, similar 1 successful 2008 erstwhile Combs asked him to bring an iPod from his Miami location to a edifice room. Upon entering, James said helium saw Cassie connected the furniture with a achromatic comforter pulled up to her cervix and an unfamiliar bare antheral wearing a condom moving from the room.

Another time, helium said Combs summoned him to his bureau to amusement him video he'd recorded astatine a enactment of James dancing wildly and told him: “Ok. I'm going to support this footage successful lawsuit I ever request it.” James said helium took it arsenic a menace to support him successful line.

Cassie testified past week that Combs threatened to merchandise videos of her having enactment with antheral enactment workers during the alleged freak-offs if she didn't bash arsenic helium said.

James besides described being required to instrumentality prevarication detector tests doubly erstwhile Combs was trying to find retired who stole currency successful 1 lawsuit and a ticker successful another.

He said Combs was connected drugs astir each day, often taking Percocet by time and ecstasy by night. When helium stocked Combs' edifice rooms, helium said, drugs were successful a container dropped disconnected by security, including the pill meant to look similar then-President Barack Obama.

James testified that helium was besides progressive successful Combs’ effort to face his euphony manufacture rival Suge Knight astatine a Los Angeles diner successful November 2008 — an incidental that Cassie besides testified about.

James said helium was with Combs’ bodyguard picking up nutrient for Combs and his information unit astatine astir 4 a.m. erstwhile the bodyguard spotted Knight and saw idiosyncratic passing a weapon to him.

They fled the diner and went backmost to Combs’ home, astir 10 minutes away, James testified. Combs, itching to spell to the diner, was extracurricular the location arguing with Cassie, who didn’t privation him to leave, James said.

James told jurors that Combs past ordered him to thrust them — Combs and the bodyguard known arsenic D-Roc — to the diner. James said helium looked backmost astatine 1 constituent and saw Combs successful the backseat with 3 handguns connected his lap.

When they got to the diner, helium said, Knight and his entourage were gone. Combs told him to thrust astir the block, but Knight was obscurity to beryllium found, truthful they drove backmost to Combs’ home, James said.

“I was existent shook up by it,” James testified. “This was the archetypal clip being Mr. Combs’ adjunct that I realized my beingness was successful danger.”

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.