Dateline NBC - Sean Combs: Cash in a brown paper bag and a disruption in court.

Episode Date: June 4, 2025

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 

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. But the security guard wasn't there to testify about what he saw on the video is inexcusable. I'm truly sorry. 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 Ditty. 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.

So according to the security guard, Eddie, Christina seems to be working really hard to get this video. Well, Eddie gets another phone call. And this time, it's Christina saying that there's somebody on the line that wants to talk to him. It's Diddy. Eddie said that he immediately recognized his voice. He'd heard his voice through the media over the years and that Diddy sounded nervous.

He was talking really fast. He kept saying that he had had too much to drink on that day, and he said, you know how things happen with women sometimes. He said that one thing led to another, and he asked if Eddie would provide him the video. Eddie apologized and he said, look, I wish I could, but you're going to have to reach out to management.

At this point, it sounds like Eddie is really doing the right thing. He's like, I can't help you. So Eddie writes an email to his bosses and tells them what's happening. Eddie sent an email to the general manager and the director of security because it was Diddy, and he wanted them to know what was going on. So the prosecution, they entered this email into evidence. He wrote that he told Diddy that they take everyone's privacy really seriously who stays at the hotel, but that Diddy still wanted to talk to Eddie's bosses.

The general manager gets involved, but that's not the last of Sean Combs for Eddie, correct? No. So Eddie keeps getting phone calls on his cell phone. And the calls are always from Christina, even though Eddie actually says he never gave her his cell phone number. So he doesn't even know, you know, how she's tracking him down. And he said that, you know, he was really nervous about getting these phone calls and that she passed the phone over to Diddy. And he said that Eddie sounded like

a good guy, sounded like he wanted to help, and that this video could ruin his life. And Eddie says that Diddy just kept repeating, you know, Eddie, you can really help me by getting this footage. Does Sean Combs or Christina offer Eddie money at this point to get his hands on the video and turn it over to them? Eddie testified he said he would take care of me and I understood that to mean financially for the video. If what Eddie is saying is true, wow, that's quite the cover up. Well, so Eddie testified that when he reached out to his boss, the director of security at the Intercontinental Hotel and told him, okay, listen, like Diddy keeps reaching out and now he's offering to pay for this video.

His boss then responds that he would do it for 50. And Eddie says that he understood that to mean $50,000. And so he called back the same number that had continued to call him, and that was Christina's number. And she hands the phone to Diddy, and he goes, look, I talked to my boss, and he's willing to do this for $50,000. And he says that Diddy sounded excited, referred to him as his angel, and said, look, I knew you could help. What happens then?

Well, it's like something out of a movie. His boss goes into this, like like security hub at the hotel. It's like a server room, imagine that. And when he comes out of the room, he hands Eddie a black USB drive and says, it's done. So now there's going to be a money handoff? Yeah. So Eddie says that he drove with that USB stick that had the video on it over to where Diddy was and that this bodyguard came over to him and said to him, look, man, you're doing the right thing.

And that then he brought him over to Diddy and that Diddy was smiling and he seemed really excited, calls him an angel again. And Eddie says, look, I was really nervous. My voice was cracking. He actually asked me if I was like coming down with something, if I was sick. Christina's there and she offers him some tea. Eddie though is really concerned that perhaps there's a police report that Cassie Ventura had filed that would ultimately come back to haunt him in some way. And that's when Diddy orchestrates this FaceTime call with Cassie. And she basically just says like, yep, that's right.

I want you to hand over the footage. I don't want it. It would be detrimental to my career right now if this came out. We didn't involve the police. And Eddie signed an NDA and handed over the USB drive. Three security guards end up getting paid off from this, according to Eddie. Yep. How did Combs get this money to all of them?

So as soon as Eddie signs on the dotted line, Diddy, he leaves the room, comes back in with a brown bag and a money counter. He takes the money out in stacks. And in total, it was a lot more than $50,000. It was $100,000. So he took stacks of money out at a time, 10 grand at a time, and Diddy even said like, do you want to count this money?

And he's like, no, it's all good. He was really nervous. And he was shocked that it was more money than what they had agreed on. And Diddy just said that he wanted to take care of the other security guards that knew about this. 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 gonna 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 non-disclosure 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 comb 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 Chloe cover the Sean Combs trial. Hey, Adam. Hi there. Chloe can't stay in the courtroom all day every day because she has to come outside and report on live TV.

So you are inside the media room where you are allowed to have a computer, you can watch the activity in the courtroom on video. And Adam, you've been there every day, right? Every day. Today was day 15. But it seems like, well, it's four weeks so far. We're about halfway through. You actually get there before the jury and you stay after the jury leaves.

And so you're watching everything that's happening. 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 marshals 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 nine 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. 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 Moloss.

Really, Chloe, what happened? Yeah, 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, 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 becoming a problem. That also came out, a journalist or a so-called journalist had publicly identified Mia who is Victim number four in this case which subsequently has caused a lot of problem for the media Jane

Victim number two who was expected to testify on Thursday victim number two, who was expected to testify on Thursday, all of her exhibits, hundreds of exhibits, texts, emails, will now not be shown to the public and the press. And so that's going to be a big problem for us to cover her testimony. We have contacted our lawyers, and there will be a letter submitted on behalf of the press urging the judge to figure out a way to allow members of the media to see those texts with the promise that we will not reveal her true identity. The lead prosecutor said yesterday, all eyes are on this trial and victims in other cases are going to see how victims in this case are treated. Is that a concern, you know, for the federal government and for cases going forward, you know, keeping these victims, these alleged victims protected?

Maureen Comey said if these alleged victims are outed and are criticized and publicly shamed, you know, suggesting that their testimony is not true, that they're lying, trying to make money, that will discourage other women from coming forward and telling their stories. Wow, very complicated case. Chloe, what can we expect tomorrow? So we're expecting several people tomorrow. One of them is a forensic video expert to really pour over the 2016 intercontinental footage of Cassie

and to talk about if any editing was made. And then also a woman who claims that Diddy actually dangled her off of a balcony, and she's actually currently suing him civilly. Andrea? Is that something Sean Combs denies? Yes, he denies that. And I'll just add as well, possibly later tomorrow afternoon, but for sure Thursday morning, we will see Jane for the first time. She is the last key witness for the government. Okay, Chloe and Adam, thank you so much to both of

you for bringing us all this coverage today. And we will talk to you tomorrow, Chloe. Thanks. Thank you for having me. Thank you to everyone for listening. We will be back with a new episode tomorrow as promised. If you want to read the latest developments and analysis from inside the courtroom, check out the NBC newsletter, Diddy on Trial. Go to NBCNews.com slash Diddy to find that. On Trial is produced by Franny Kelly with help from the Dateline True Crime Weekly team.

Our senior producers are Alison Orr and Liz Brown-Kurloff. Original music by Jesse McGinty. Paul Ryan is executive producer and Liz Cole is senior executive producer of Dateline.