Law&Crime Sidebar - Explosive P. Diddy Lawsuit Claims Beyonce, LeBron James, Gloria Estefan Attended ‘Freak Offs’

Episode Date: April 2, 2025

An explosive new lawsuit filed by a Florida man against Sean “Diddy” Combs also names other big-name celebrities who he claims were involved in sexual misconduct. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber breaks down the biggest bombshells.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: If your child, under 21, has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or fatty liver disease, visit https://forthepeople.com/food to start a claim now! HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger, Christina O'Shea & Jay CruzScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. LeBron James, J. Z, Beyonce, Gloria Estefan, those are some of the names that appear in an explosive new lawsuit filed by a Florida man against Sean Combs, claiming he is a victim of sex trafficking and kidnapping at the hands of the music mogul. So why are these celebrities mentioned? What are the allegations? And most importantly, does any of this hold water? Welcome to Sidebar. Presented by law and crime. I'm Jesse Weber. You know how when we talk about Sean Combs and all of his legal troubles, there's always this, oh, which are the big

names, which are the big celebrities that are involved in all of this, all of his alleged sexual misconduct? Well, I'll tell you what, according to a brand new law, lawsuit, several. There is an explosive new lawsuit that I'm going to break down for you filed by a man named Joseph Menzaro in Florida. And this is actually in Florida federal courts. So he is actually identifying himself in this lawsuit. He's not using a pseudonym. And he claims that he is a survivor of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, and more specifically, as outlined in the complaint, quote, plaintiff was drugged, transported against his will and sexually maimed as a victim of a coercive and organized criminal enterprise beginning

in 2015 orchestrated and facilitated by the defendants. The pattern of threats, concealment, manipulation, and psychological coercion persisted for years, extending the statute of limitations under federal tolling doctrines. Now, here is the kicker, quote, high-profile individuals, including Jacob Arabo, Jay-Z, Gloria Estefan, LeBron James, and Beyonce Knowles Carter are identified as witnesses due to their presence or knowledge of the events surrounding the Freak Off orchestrated by defendant Diddy. Wow.

And Freak Off, of course, is something that we've heard many times before, both in Combs' criminal case and other civil cases to describe these prolonged sexual episodes, usually with sex workers. But Manzaro is suing Sean Combs. He is suing a man named Eric Mejus. He is suing Brendan Paul, who's been described in another lawsuit as Sean Combs drug mule. Emilio Estefan, who is married to pop superstar Gloria Estefan, and Adria English, who

filed her own lawsuit against Sean Combs, claiming she, too, was a victim of sex trafficking. By the way, it's interesting he's not suing these other celebrities that I mentioned, like Jay-Z and Beyonce and Gloria Estefan, possibly because he doesn't believe their alleged liability amounted to a civil claim, but seems to want to call them as witnesses at a trial, although I have to imagine they will do everything in their power to quash any subpoena should this case progress. And we'll talk a little bit more about whether or not it will. But we want to get into the complaint.

And we want to read this. So it reads, quote, on or about April 2015 at approximately 5.30 p.m., very specific time there. Plaintiff arrived at his residence located at 424 Valley Forge Road, West Palm Beach, Florida. As plaintiff unlocked his door and turned the handle, he felt a greasy substance resembling Vaseline on his hand. Plaintiff attempted to wash his hands, but lost consciousness before he could do so. Okay, now first off, that is eerily consistent with other accounts that Combs allegedly spiked lubricants of unsuspecting victims.

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he wakes up, and then he's in the backseat of a car. And he claims that this car is driven by Mr. Mejia. And there's another person in there, a Boney Rivera. And he claims before passing out once more, he hears Rivera telling Mejus, he's waking up, because what should I do? Do you want me to knock him out? To which defendant, Mejia allegedly responded, no, don't touch him. Don't worry. just give it a minute. He'll fall back asleep again. I gave him a lot of that scopolamine, which is apparently an anti-nause medication. Now from there, Manzaro claims that he woke up at Mejia's place in Deerfield Beach, which is about 30 miles away, and he claims that is where he was held against his will. He claims he witnessed the man identified as Omar Bravo,

deliver cocaine and meth to Mejus, and Brendan Paul was there, quote, appearing nervous and sat with a motorcycle helmet in his lap. Again, very specific details. And he claims the drugs were placed in Paul's backpack, who then remarked how Combs wanted Manzaro brought to a freak-off event. Now, this is where all the celebrities come in. So Manzaro claims that he was taken to one-star Island Drive in Miami, Florida, and that Mejiaz informed security there that they were attending an event at the Estefan Mansion and mentioned it was Christian's birthday party that night. Now, in this complaint, it's not clarified as far as I could tell who Christian is, but it seems to be possibly this was Christian Combs, Combs' son. And by the way, a quick search

online seems to indicate that Christian's birthday is, in fact, April 1st, which, by the way, is interesting that this lawsuit was filed 10 years to the day yesterday, April 1st, on Christian's birthday. By the way, I just have to say something. That lack of detail and explanation is concerning in a complaint like this. For a complaint, you really need an aspect of specificity in particularity. I'm going to get to that a little bit later, but just keep that in mind. Now, Manzaro claims that the security logs at the entrance of Star Island would reflect this entry, so something that he hopes to get during the course of discovery. Now, from there, the complaint reads, plaintiff was dragged through the back entrance of the Estefan Mansion at

approximately 1230 a.m. Not sure how he knows that time if he was in this drug state. But but he continues inside, Gloria Estefan panicked upon seeing plaintiff's deteriorating state, demanding call an ambulance. However, defendant Emilio quickly silenced her and ushered her away into the crowd. At that moment, plaintiff briefly saw LeBron James, who was wearing a white bath towel, brown shower shoes, and carrying a shaving bag, walking through the hallway. LeBron James looked at plaintiff, and in response to Gloria Estefan's plan for an ambulance, remarked, y'all better do something about that.

quote, plaintiff was then led by defendant Adria, who identified herself as Diddy's personal sexual assistant, and through a concealed tunnel that connected the Estefan mansion to defendant Diddy's mansion, plaintiff was secretly transferred to defendant's Diddy Mansion. So that's going to become a question if, in fact, their mansions are close enough for this to even happen and whether there is evidence of this underground tunnel or this tunnel of some sort. quote, upon regaining partial consciousness, the plaintiff found himself inside a large party area, upon information and belief that it was Diddy's son's birthday party. Jay Z and Beyonce Knowles Carter were seated in the room.

And upon seeing plaintiff, Beyonce Knowles Carter asked, what's this? What's this all about? Why is this half-naked white man with a blank mask standing here in front of me? Defendant Eric responded, did he wants him to see what we do to snitches? This is part of his punishment. Plaintiff was forcefully paraded through multiple rooms filled with people who were jeering and taunting him. Defendant Diddy explicitly ordered plaintiff's degradation, stating he's going to find out what we do to snitches tonight. Get him undressed.

So from there, Manzaro claims he was stripped, put in a shower, forcibly washed by two women while Mejia and Rivera watched, and then was outfitted in a thong, a black leather mask with a lock over his mouth, and then, quote, subjected to degrading and non-concentive. sensual acts at the direction of defendants Diddy and Adria. Plaintiff was sexually assaulted and forced to partake in unwanted sexual activity. And then he claims he passed out. Now, from there, he claims he woke up, found himself locked in a dark side room. Adrian English and Mejia's come in. They dress him, take him off the property, and then enters Jacob Arabo, also known as Jacob the jeweler.

You probably know who he is. quote, while still semi-conscious, plaintiff encountered Jacob Arabo, who is visibly disturbed upon seeing plaintiff in his forced attire. He asked, what's this? What's going on with this guy? Why is he standing here staring at me with a penis strap to his face? Defendant Eric responded, oh, he's just some guy who's a snitch. We're teaching him a little lesson. Defendant Emilio intervened, instructing defendant Eric and Boni Rivera to move the plaintiff out of Jacob Arabo's sight. Gloria Estefan again pleaded for an ambulance to be called, but defendant Emilio silenced her and shoved her into the crowd.

Upon leaving the event, plaintiff overheard defendant Diddy, asked defendant Eric, you're going to be getting rid of him, right? To which defendant Eric responded, yeah, I'll be taking care of that. Following this described freakoff event, Manzaro claims he was taken back to that house where he claims he was originally kept. He was savagely beaten and then left for dead inside of his own apartment. When a gang member later inquired about how plaintiff was kept unconscious, Defendant Eric responded,

Zylazine, Trank. Now, again, I have to say, I struggle with the question of how he knew that this was allegedly said. Did he overhear it? Okay, that's a possibility, but could he

through these alleged beatings and druggings? That's going to be, I imagine, a difficulty for him in pursuing this case. Now, Manzaro claims, as a result of all of this, he suffered physical injuries, internal trauma, groin damage, sexual maiming, hernias,

and he claims he can prove this through documented evaluations from a urologist and a surgeon. But then Manzaro alleges that Eric Mejiaz would continue to harass and intimidate him in the years following this attack, including issuing death threats and threats to kidnap Manzaro's son. And Manzaro believes that this was all to keep him quiet. And he even claims that surveillance footage and police reports confirm attempts by Mejia's to approach Manzaro's property.

And this is where things take another turn. And this is for all you true crime enthusiasts out there. Why? Because Manzaro claims, additionally, a hitman named Sigfredo Garcia, who's now serving a life sentence in an unrelated murder, was in plaintiff's alleyway. A police report was filed corroborating this encounter seen as an associate of defendant Eric was captured on security cameras outside plaintiff's residence, further evidence of a coordinated campaign of intimidation. Do you all remember who Sigfredo Garcia is? he was the man convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 2014 assassination of FSU law professor Dan Markell, a case that has its own twists and turns and that had several trials we covered on the Long Crime Trial Network. So here's a question for you, okay? Why wait all these years to file a lawsuit, right? That becomes a big question in all of the lawsuits that Sean Combs faces because his argument

would be, this is all a money grab. This is people coming out of the wordwork. They're jumping on the bandwagon. Okay. quote, defendant Adrian actively obstructed plaintiff's ability to seek justice by tampering with evidence, interfering with legal proceedings, and conspiring to conceal the crimes committed against plaintiff. Defendant's acts of coercion, obstruction, threat, and ongoing intimidation persisted until at least 2021, demonstrating a clear pattern of misconduct that

effectively told the applicable statutes of limitation under federal and state law, meaning the claims aren't time barred anymore because he couldn't bring these claims earlier. Quote, plaintiff has now compiled the necessary evidentiary foundation to proceed with this legal action, including verified medical records, sworn witness statements, and corroborating documentation directly implicating the defendants in his abduction, drugging, sexual exploitation, and abuse. Okay, so he claims he has the goods. But before I get into the claims in this case, all the causes of action that Manzara is alleging, I just want to say this real quickly.

This is a very, very weird, wild narrative. Is it fantastical? is it so out there that it can't possibly be true or is it so out there how could you make it up this has to be true i mean we don't know what the answer is but what is interesting is that this complaint is specific in certain parts it's vague in other parts it is a bit strange the way in which the statement of facts are laid out can it be backed up by the evidence monzaro claims to have maybe and remember attorneys are strictly prohibited from filing lawsuits that are just meant to harass somebody or to seek a financial settlement.

That's not the goal. So it seems, by all accounts, Menzaro and his legal counsel believe they have the goods and the evidence to sufficiently plead these claims and to move forward with a case. So, yes, there are certain aspects of this complaint that are a bit strange, but they believe they have the goods to assert all this. So let me go back into the claims here. There are 15 causes of action that are being filed. First, we have human trafficking under both federal.

and Florida state law against Sean Combs, namely that Combs, quote, knowingly recruited, transported, harbored, and obtained plaintiff through an organized and coercive criminal enterprise utilizing subordinates and co-conspirators to facilitate plaintiffs trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. That this includes, Combs allegedly directing and orchestrating Manzaro's abduction, him getting drugged, transported, kept at this private residence, all against his will, and then subjected him to non-consensual sex acts. And what makes this commercial, for purposes, let's say, of sex trafficking, quote, plaintiff was subjected to non-consensual and degrading acts in a commercial setting where influential individuals, including celebrities and

high-profile guests, were present as participants and witnesses. The defendant profited from and facilitated a network of trafficked individuals forced into sexual exploitation at his events, creating an environment where victims were rendered powerless through drugs, violence, and coercion. The second cause of action is human trafficking, but this one is against Eric Mejiaz for his alleged role in drugging, transporting, and harboring Menzaro for purposes of sexual exploitation. Third, human trafficking against Brendan Paul, namely that he was allegedly an active participant in luring Menzaro into an environment where he would be drugged, transported,

and sexually exploited. Fourth, human trafficking against Emilio Estefan. So how's he on the hook? Well, the complaint reads, defendant was a key enabler of plaintiff's trafficking, using his influence, resources, and industry connections to facilitate and conceal the human trafficking enterprise led by defendant Diddy. Defendant knowingly allowed, facilitated, and provided locations for the trafficking of plaintiff where he was subjected to non-consensual sexual acts for servitude and humiliation.

Defendant provided security personnel, financial backing, and logistical support to ensure that trafficking victims had no means of escape and remained under the control of the trafficking network. Victims, plural. That's interesting. Fifth, human trafficking violations against Adrienne English, alleging defendant was a key recruiter and enforcer responsible for luring vulnerable individuals, plural, including plaintiff, into environments where they were exploited for sexual purposes. Six, we have kidnapping under federal and state law against Eric Mejiaz, namely that he illegally sees, confined, restrained Manzaro against his will, deprived him of liberty, that he used

physical force, threats, and coercion to do so, and transported Menzara across state lines or across the state, which is an element of the federal claim. Count seven, obstruction of justice witness tampering against Sean Combs. The allegation being, quote, defendant individually and in concert with others, engaged in a deliberate and sustained campaign of intimidation, threats, and coercion aimed at preventing plaintiff from testifying truthfully and providing evidence against him and concealment to suppress plaintiff's ability to testify. testify or report crimes. And also the alleged use of the word snitch to describe Menzaro is key

to support that claim. Count eight, same claim of obstruction of justice, witness tampering against Mejia's this time goes back to those allegations of death threats, kidnapping his son, allegedly trying to come on Manzaro's property, all is a way to apparently keep him silent. Nine, obstruction of justice, witness tampering against Brendan Paul. Now, this one's interesting because he claims that Paul engaged in a campaign of intimidation and threats and interfered with Manzaro's ability to get medical treatment and that he, quote, facilitated the intimidation of witnesses and suppressing evidence. Now, I would say, and by the way, this goes to all of the causes of action,

you will see immediately motions to dismiss under Rule 12B6 being filed, which essentially says that if you look at everything that's alleged in this complaint, you take all the facts as true, they don't state viable legal claims. for which the law provides a remedy, that here for obstruction or sex trafficking or kidnapping, that what's being alleged doesn't match the elements of those claims. That is classic in any litigation. And I just point that out because, again, the lack of specificity and a clear narrative or explanation at times could be an issue, particularly how Brendan Paul engaged in all of this obstruction. I mean, was that properly laid out in the statement of facts? Maybe,

maybe not. Ten, we have obstruction, witness tampering against Emilio Estefan, leveling the same allegations like Brendan Paul. 11. Obstruction, witness tampering against Adria English, leveling the same allegations like Paul and Estefan. 12, we have racketeering against all the defendants under federal and state law. So this is about a criminal enterprise, one earning a profit or reaping the proceeds or the benefits from a pattern of criminal activity. And so here, the allegation is the defendants engaged in racketeering activity, really obstruction, threats, bribery, blackmail surveillance to keep Manzaro quiet. 13. Intentional infliction of emotional distress against all the defendants for them allegedly

engaging in extreme and outrageous conduct with the intent to cause Manzaro, severe emotional distress, exert dominance and still fear. 14, punitive damages, which is interesting because it's usually not listed as a standalone claim, a standalone cause of action. It's more a result of a successful claim. These are monetary damages meant to punish a defendant, or as Manzaro describes here, intentional, malicious, and egregious conduct. And then finally, 15, a cause of action for injunctive relief. Again, usually you see this more as a remedy than listed as a claim or cause of action. And it's asking the court to order the defendants to stop their allegedly unlawful conduct, namely stop the alleged

intimidation, obstruction, and retaliatory conduct. And throughout these causes of action, Manzaro has listed out the harm that he claims he suffered, that deserves a remedy, severe and ongoing physical injuries, profound psychological trauma, irreparable, emotional distress, economic damages, including loss of professional opportunities. He's looking for compensatory damages to restore him to whole punitive damages, treble or triple damages, permanent injunction, costs for attorney's fees, and so forth. Okay, but before we go, I got to finish up with some responses from these celebrities, right? Okay, so this is per reporting from TMZ.

Jay Z's attorney, Alex Spiro, who actually recently successfully got a sexual assault lawsuit against him, dismissed, said Mr. Carter wasn't in Florida at that time to witness this incident. He was engaged in easily findable public activities that prove he was not at this event. This is more nonsense that erodes the trust in our justice system. LeBron James spokesperson told TMZ, quote, this is demonstrably false and doesn't even merit a report or response. A basic internet search shows what LeBron was doing all of April 2015.

He was playing basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers and never in Miami. Gloria and Emilio Estefan's representative saying, Gloria and Emilio Estefan strongly deny the allegations made. The property in question was never a home where Gloria and Emilio resided, but it was rather a house they owned for family use. There were no parties thrown at that property between 2012 and 2019. We have all necessary documentation to support these facts and will provide it to the court. Actually, Brendan Paul's attorney, Brian Bieber, told TMZ, is this an April Fool's Day joke?

If someone seriously filed this lawsuit, the allegations against Brendan are 100% false and literally impossible to have occurred. Brendan was still in high school in Ohio at the time, having never even set foot in West Palm Beach in his life. So look, I raised some of those. concerning issues that I see in this account. If these responses are true, that could be a problem. In the same way that the Jay-Z lawsuit was dismissed potentially because of problems in the account, that's a fair argument. I wonder if the same thing will be true here, but it's too early to say. Again, Mr. Manzaro claims he has the evidence to back it up right now or will

have the evidence to further back it up. So this is the start of what could be quite a long litigation. We'll keep our eye on it. Thank you so much for joining us here on side. bar, everybody. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you should get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time.