Derek Ferguson, an ex-executive at Combs Enterprises and Bad Boy Entertainment, has taken the stand in Sean “Diddy” Combs’s sex trafficking trial.
Ferguson served as the chief financial officer for Bad Boy Entertainment and worked for Combs from 1996 to 2017. Ferguson said he reported directly to Combs and spoke to him multiple times per week.
Eddy Garcia, a security guard at the Los Angeles hotel where Combs was captured in security footage attacking his longtime girlfriend Cassie Ventura, testified earlier today. Combs asked Garcia for the footage, saying it could “ruin him,” the security guard testified.
Garcia said his boss offered Combs the footage for $50,000. Garcia testified that he delivered the footage to Combs, who handed him $100,000 in a paper bag and asked him to sign an NDA with a $1 million penalty.
Combs’s former assistant “Mia,” who was given a pseudonym to protect her identity, returned to the stand for a third and final time on Monday. She testified that she did not report Combs’s alleged sexual abuse because she was “terrified and brainwashed” by him.
Combs is facing sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy charges. Combs was arrested in September 2024 as federal authorities alleged he threatened, abused, and coerced victims “to fulfill his sexual desires” between 2004 and 2024. Combs has denied any accusations of wrongdoing.
Former CFO says Diddy used company card for personal purchases
Former Bad Boy Entertainment CFO Derek Ferguson testified that Sean “Diddy” Combs used the company card for personal purchases “from time to time.”
Ferguson said he also sometimes managed Combs’s personal finances, such as helping him plan his yearly budget.
Katie Hawkinson3 June 2025 17:32
Who is Derek Ferguson?
Derek Ferguson worked for Sean “Diddy” Combs from 1996 to 2017, he testified today.
Ferguson worked across Combs’s companies, including as head of finance for Combs Enterprises and chief financial officer at Bad Boy Entertainment.
Ferguson said he reported to Combs and met with him multiple times a week. Ferguson said he and Combs both had access to company bank accounts.
Katie Hawkinson3 June 2025 17:27
Derek Ferguson says Diddy was sometimes his supervisor
Derek Ferguson, the former head of the finance department for Combs Enterprises, said Sean “Diddy” Combs sometimes acted as his supervisor.
Ferguson would talk to Combs multiple times a week, he testified.
Katie Hawkinson3 June 2025 17:13
Combs’s head of finance testifies
Derek Ferguson, the former head of the finance department for Combs Enterprises, is now testifying.
Ferguson worked for Sean “Diddy” Combs from 1998 to 2017, he testified. Ferguson confirmed he’s testifying because he was subpoenaed.
Katie Hawkinson3 June 2025 16:59
Court resumes
Judge Arun Subramanian has called the jury back into the courtroom after a short break.
Derek Ferguson, the former lead of finance for Combs Enterprises, is now set to testify.
Katie Hawkinson3 June 2025 16:52
Defense reviews NDA on cross-examination
Sean “Diddy” Combs’s attorney Brian Steel briefly cross-examined Eddy Garcia, focusing on the NDA he signed.
Steel pointed out the NDA said Garcia could disclose information to police without having to pay the $1 million penalty, as long as he notified Combs’s company.
Prosecutors then launched their re-direct examination, noting that the company could try to prevent disclosure if Garcia notified them.
The jury is now on a short break.
Katie Hawkinson3 June 2025 16:22
Garcia bought a used car with cash from Diddy
Eddy Garcia said he bought a used car with the $30,000 he took from Sean “Diddy” Combs’s payout.
Combs suggested Garcia not make any big purchases with the cash, he testified. Garcia said Combs handed him $100,000, half of which he gave to his boss. He also gave $20,000 to a fellow security guard on duty.
Katie Hawkinson3 June 2025 16:05
Diddy followed up about hotel footage weeks later, security guard testifies
Eddy Garcia testified that Sean “Diddy” Combs contacted him around Easter, several weeks after he delivered the assault footage, and asked if anyone contacted him about it.
“He said Happy Easter, Eddy my angel, God is good, God put you in my way for a reason,” Garcia testified.
“He proceeded to ask if anyone has asked about the incident or the video,” he continued.
Garcia said he was truthful when government prosecutors later contacted him about this case.
Katie Hawkinson3 June 2025 16:03
Diddy paid Eddy Garcia $100k in a brown bag, he testifies
Eddy Garcia said Sean “Diddy” Combs handed him $100,000 in a brown paper bag after he delivered the assault footage.
Garcia said he assumed half of it was for his boss, whom Combs agreed to pay $50,000 for the footage.
Garcia gave $50,000 to his boss and $20,000 to a fellow security officer on duty, he testified.
Katie Hawkinson3 June 2025 15:57
Eddy Garcia says he signed an NDA
Eddy Garcia, a security guard at the InterContinental Hotel, said Sean “Diddy” Combs had him sign a non-disclosure agreement after he delivered footage of the March 2016 assault.
Garcia said he didn’t read the NDA: “I was nervous, I was in a rush to get out of there.”
The NDA said Garcia must pay $1 million if he breaches the agreement.
Katie Hawkinson3 June 2025 15:43
