Accused hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs’ former assistant George Kaplan briefly took the stand on Wednesday, May 21. As part of his testimony during the ongoing Diddy trial, he shed light on often being tasked with setting up hotel rooms where the controversial rapper’s alleged notorious sex activities dubbed ‘Freak-Offs’ would take place.
The 34-year-old man in question said that it was merely the beginning, as his assigned duties didn’t end there. Combs’ former assistant claims to have also shouldered the responsibility of cleaning up after his then-boss’ alleged scandalous activities to protect his public image.
Kaplan specifically name-dropped locations like the InterContinental in Los Angeles and the Trump Hotel in Columbus Circle, and the SLS in South Beach while divulging details of his own role as Diddy’s so-called bag man. The former hotel is where the Bad Boy Records founder was caught on cam physically assaulting Cassie Ventura.
He said that commands would either come from Combs himself or his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram hours ahead of the reported ‘Freak-Offs,’ as he would be asked to ready hotel rooms in cities like LA, NY and Miami.
George Kaplan knew about Diddy’s assault on Cassie Ventura?
Kaplan is believed to have worked 80 to 100 works a week on several occasions, with his shift running as late as 7 am. The former executive assistant testified that he was offered $125,000 for his first year of employment. According to Page Six, he was tied to the Diddy employment circle from 2013 to 2015.
The former assistant finally quit his job after he saw Diddy viciously beat his ex-girlfriend Cassie, according to her previous testimony. George Kaplan has since been granted immunity, compelling him to truthfully speak up about the rapper’s alleged misconduct without any inhibitions or fear for his life. The prosecutor also warned him that he could be prosecuted for perjury if he lies.
What do we know about ex-Diddy assistant George Kaplan?
The rapper’s former worker is said to have been initially hired to complete basic chores for Combs, such as getting his food and toiletries or stocking up on household items. As time passed, Puff Daddy “trusted [him] a bit more,” leading his unprecedented involvement in booking rooms for Diddy’s ‘Freak-Offs.’
While testifying in Manhattan federal court, he said that one day he was handed a bag containing his former boss’ personal possessions, including clothes, baby oil, liquor, a speaker and the lubricant Astroglide. Eventually, it became his job to restock these very supplies with a Combs Enterprise corporate credit card at his disposal.
George Kaplan testified that, as part of his executive assistant duties, he was required to book rooms just hours in advance using the pseudonym “Frank Black”, a play on the late Notorious B.I.G.’s nickname, Frank White. “My understanding was that he would have guests or a [female] partner” in the rooms, he told the jury.
After the ‘Freak-Offs’ concluded, Kaplan said that he would have to get rid of a hefty chunk of Gatorade, liquour and baby oil bottles from the hotel rooms so as to avert alarms of suspicion from the staff.
“Yes, bottles of baby oil, Gatorade,” he told the jurors when asked if he cleaned up after Combs. He even said, “There was a single occasion where I came across some brown crystalized powder and I didn’t know what it was and I got rid of it.”
Adding that he did what Diddy asked him to do, the former employee said that he was even ordered to collect drugs for his then-boss. He is said to have come across a bag with “tons” of medications, including Advil, Tylenol, Wellbutrin, Ketamine, and he was reportedly asked to pick up MDMA, aka ecstasy, for the Revolt founder.
During his testimony, he also claimed that he was subjected to “monthly threats” as Combs threatened to kick him out of his job because he wanted to “be surrounded by the best and [that] those around him at the time were not performing at that level.” First of these threats happened when Kaplan was asked to get a gallon of water in a BPA-free bottle. When he didn’t find it at Whole Foods, he ended up bringing back two half gallon bottles, BPA-free.
The government witness, who’s also in focus due to a yet-to-be-revealed text exchange between him and Ventura, will continue testifying on Thursday, May 22.