Eddy Garcia, an InterContinental hotel security employee, was the first witness to take the stand today.
Garcia was a security officer at the hotel in 2016 and testified under an immunity order after invoking his 5th Amendment right not to self-incriminate.
Here’s what Garcia said today, so far:
The hotel incident: Garcia testified that he was working at the hotel in March 2016 when he was informed of a domestic dispute. After reviewing the surveillance footage, he didn’t initially realize the two individuals involved were Sean “Diddy” Combs and Cassie Ventura, only later learning it was them, he said.
Garcia said he believed that law enforcement was not called to respond to the dispute at the time because Ventura “did not request the presence of police or medical attention.”
The surveillance video: The same day of the incident, Combs’ chief of staff Kristina Khorram asked Garcia if it was possible for her to “get a copy” of the video. Garcia said he told her she’d have to reach out to “hotel management or get a subpoena.”
Garcia testified that Combs himself later called the security desk sounding “very nervous” and asked him to provide the video, saying that if the footage got out, he felt “it could ruin him.”
Combs called Garcia’s personal phone later that night and asked again to see the footage, telling Garcia he’d “take care” of him, which Garcia testified he understood Combs meant financially.
The handoff: Garcia testified that he called his boss Bill Madrano to tell him that Combs was willing to pay for the video. Madrano, Garcia said, asked if he’d pay $50,000 for it, which Garcia confirmed with Combs he would.
Garcia testified that the next day, Madrano downloaded the video onto a thumb drive that he gave to Garcia, who handed off the thumb drive to Combs in person. “Eddy, my angel, I knew you could help,” Garcia said Combs told him.
Garcia testified that he signed an NDA on Combs’ company’s letterhead and confirmed the footage he provided was the only copy. Garcia also testified that during that meeting with Combs he spoke with Ventura on FaceTime, who assured him that she “wanted this to go away too.”
The payment: Garcia testified that Combs gave him $100,000 cash after he signed the NDA. Garcia said Combs asked him how he was planning to spend the money and suggested Garcia not make any big purchases.
Garcia testified that he split the money with Madrano and Henry Elias, the other officer on duty at the time of the incident. He testified that he gave $50,000 to Madrano and $20,000 to Elias, and that he bought a used car in cash with the $30,000 he kept for himself.
He said he did not deposit any of the money into a bank account or report it on his taxes.
