The security supervisor from the hotel where Diddy’s notorious assault on Cassie Ventura took place testified on Tuesday (June 3).
According to Complex’s Shawn Setaro, Eddy Garcia was working at the InterContinental in Los Angeles during the March 2016 attack. The whole incident was caught on surveillance cameras. During his testimony, Garcia revealed that Diddy paid him $100,000 in exchange for the footage of the assault.
On the day it happened, Garcia came into work and was shown the video, noting he “was told Ms Ventura did not request the presence of police or medical attention.”
He later got a call from Diddy’s assistant, Kristina Khorram, who wanted to view the footage and get a copy, claiming Diddy was “intoxicated and didn’t remember” the events.
When Garcia explained she’d need to speak with hotel management, Khorram actually came to the InterContinental in person and asked to see the video again. “She said they were unaware what was on the video. They wanted to know what they were dealing with,” Garcia testified.
That same evening, Garcia had a direct conversation with Diddy. “He asked me if I knew who he was,” Garcia said. “Mr. Combs sounded very nervous, was talking really fast. [He said he’d] had too much to drink…If this got out, it could ruin him.”
Garcia contacted the general manager and head of security, explaining that Diddy wanted to arrange a “sit down meeting” with them. Khorram then repeatedly contacted Garcia, even calling his personal cell phone, leaving Garcia feeling “nervous” and “scared.”
During his conversation with Diddy, the security guard explained he didn’t have access to the server room to delete the footage. “[Diddy] said he believed I could make it happen. He said he would take care of me. I understood it to mean financially.”
Garcia reached out to Bill Medrano, the hotel’s head of security, who agreed to give Diddy the only copy for $50,000. “I told [Diddy] I talked to my boss, and he was willing to do it for $50,000. [Diddy] sounded excited. He referred to me as ‘Eddy, my angel.’ He said, ‘I knew you could help. I knew you could do it.'”
Medrano put the footage on a USB drive, and Garcia personally delivered it to Diddy. When they met, the now-incarcerated music mogul asked if this was the only copy of the incident, which Garcia confirmed. Diddy also FaceTimed Cassie in front of Garcia to make sure she wasn’t going to report the assault to police.
“She said she wanted it to go away,” Garcia recalled. Diddy requested IDs from Garcia, Medrano, and another hotel employee who witnessed the incident. Garcia then signed two NDAs, with penalties of $1 million if he violated them.
Diddy stepped out of the room and returned with a brown bag full of cash and a money counter. He counted out $100,000 total: $50,000 for Medrano, $20,000 for the responding officer, and $30,000 for Garcia himself.
While the Bad Boy Records founder thought he had secured the only copy of his attack on Cassie, he was wrong. Last May, CNN released the footage, showing Diddy grabbing Cassie, throwing her to the ground, and kicking her twice. The video also shows Diddy dragging Cassie across the floor before hurling an unknown object at her and appearing to corner her in the hallway.
Months before the video became public, Cassie had filed a civil lawsuit against her ex, accusing him of rape, sexual, and physical assault, among other charges. Within a day, Diddy settled with her for $20 million.
