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Jurors in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal trial will hear from a detailed ally of the rapper when former Syracuse basketball participant Brendan Paul takes the stand Friday.
Paul turned embroiled in Diddy’s authorized drama in April 2024, after he was named in a lawsuit filed by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones towards the disgraced mogul. The music producer claimed Paul labored as a “mule” for Combs, procuring and distributing “drugs and guns.” The previous school basketball star was then charged with felony cocaine possession, which was later dropped.
Paul was given immunity in alternate for his testimony in Diddy’s federal intercourse trafficking and racketeering trial.
Nicole Clean Becker defined that Paul could also be a vital witness to the federal government because it makes an attempt to tie up free ends and wrap its case towards Diddy.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs’ alleged drug mule, Brendan Paul, is predicted to testify Friday. (Getty Photographs)
“In this particular case, why [Brendan Paul] may be important is because he is allegedly one of the individuals who supplied the drugs,” Becker advised Fox Information Digital. “The distribution of drugs, giving other people drugs to make them intoxicated and possibly do more than they would do had they not been intoxicated – that’s a predicate felony.
“In different phrases, in an effort to show this specific cost of racketeering, there’s bought to be quite a lot of different felonies that they’ll join,” the attorney said. “Whether or not it is the coercion of ladies and/or they indicated about how … [Diddy] introduced [escorts] in. That is one strategy to show a predicate. You need to show two of them. So, one other strategy to show a predicate felony is deliver within the man who supposedly is the one who was supplying P. Diddy and or his individuals with what [the government is] gonna say, the medicine that he used [on others.]”
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Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy (RICO); sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution in a federal indictment unsealed Sept. 17.
Throughout two weeks of testimony, jurors heard allegations of “freak off” events involving male escorts and Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. The “Me & U” singer testified that drugs, including ecstasy, ketamine and cocaine, were in regular circulation during the “freak offs” for her to disassociate during the sessions.
Cassie admitted ecstasy made her feel euphoric and aroused, while ketamine would make her dissociative. She said cocaine made her heart race, mushrooms made her see things and GHB, also known as the date rape drug, made her feel drunk.
Another ex, who testified under the pseudonym “Jane,” told prosecutors there were times she felt coerced into hotel nights with Diddy and that the Bad Boy Records founder still pays for both her legal fees and rent.
Diddy’s alleged drug mule, Brendan Paul, appeared in court to testify in the rapper’s trial. (John Lamparski)
Brendan Paul was pictured in evidence submitted for Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal indictment. (United States Federal Court Southern District New York)
Jane recalled alleged instances of abuse while dating Diddy on and off for three years and up until the week before he was arrested in New York City on federal charges. Jane told the court Diddy asked her about coercion after he allegedly forced her to take drugs before having sex with a male escort. She testified about Diddy’s alleged violent behavior and said he once put her in a chokehold after kicking and punching her.
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Diddy’s criminal defense lawyer, Teny Geragos, questioned Jane about her relationship with the rapper and her participation in the allegedly forced “resort nights.”
Diddy paid Jane’s rent through their “love contract,” according to her testimony. The ex-girlfriend told the prosecution she felt obligated to perform at “resort nights” for the rapper because he had threatened to stop paying for her home. For “resort nights,” Jane claimed she was expected to dress in lingerie and have sex with other men in front of the rapper.
Audio released in Diddy’s sex trafficking and racketeering trial featured the rapper calling Jane a “crack pipe.” Jane claimed she was forced to continue having sex with multiple male escorts after becoming sick.
Cassie Ventura wiped away tears while testifying against Diddy. (Jane Rosenberg)
Audio released in Diddy’s sex trafficking and racketeering trial featured the rapper calling his Jane a “crack pipe.” (Jane Rosenberg)
Becker, who works as R. Kelly’s defense attorney, explained why the government might offer immunity to witnesses the government wants to testify. In Diddy’s sex trafficking case, Paul was the fifth witness granted immunity.
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“It is extremely frequent, particularly in federal instances, that immunity is given to witnesses if they’ve the knowledge or the perception that they want for his or her case,” Becker said. “Oftentimes, these people who’re given immunity, though they could have crimes that they’re both going through or confronted, they’re often so much much less within the hierarchy of crimes.
“They’re usually lower crimes in which the government says, ‘You know what, this information that this particular person has is so important that we are willing to forego whatever you’ve got going on in the criminal section or division now here so that we can have you testify in this bigger case.’
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“Their aim, i.e. the federal government, is to get in as a lot doable data from anyone who is aware of something.”
Nearly six weeks after the trial began, prosecutors indicated they’d rest their case by Friday. The rapper’s legal team recently told Judge Arun Subramanian it will need between two and five days to present its case, a stark contrast to its initial request of up to two weeks with witnesses on the stand.
Becker noted there were a lot of questions whether the government was “really proving something particular” to the charges Diddy faced.
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“Sure, there was home violence. Sure, there was some … relationships and bodily violence occurring, however does that rise to the extent of what he is really charged with within the federal court docket?” Becker said. “I feel initially there have been query marks in all places. Nevertheless, I feel as time goes on, what does the federal government do?
“They just throw up witness after witness. Although those individual witnesses have their own story, together they form what they are trying to form, which is this step beneath P. Diddy, who’s up here. And these individuals, each individual person has a role in what they’re calling the enterprise.”
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Becker mentioned this was the connection the federal government was trying to show to the 12 jurors.
Diddy was arrested and charged with a number of counts in September. (Shareif Ziyadat)
“In a vacuum, if we just had the first witness or we just had Jane, who just testified, people, I think, would be a little confused, like, ‘Wait a minute.’ Maybe call him a bad boyfriend, a bad person, a bad husband for sure, based on what we see, for example, in the video,” Becker mentioned. “But does that rise to the level that the government needs to get to in order for an ultimate verdict of guilty?
“I feel, like I mentioned, initially, it was a bit of shaky. Nevertheless, as time goes on, they can put of their completely different witnesses and actually form what they’re attempting to form, which is to mainly, you understand, this cost of RICO in the US. This has not, it was not initially made for functions of the way in which it is getting used now.”
