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Sean Combs— Case Archive
2025 Federal Trialtrial-daytrial-dayMaurene R. ComeyEmily A. JohnsonMadison R. SmyserMarc A. AgnifiloAnna M. EstevaoTeny R. GeragosBrian SteelJoshua CroftGeorge KaplanScott MescudiMylah MoralesFrederic ZemmourdirectcrossredirectDay 13 - May 22, 2025George Kaplan, Scott Mescudi, and Mylah Morales testified about events involving Cassie Ventura. Hotel records and laptop-extraction evidence followed, with the court ruling on disputed evidence.
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Day 13 - May 22, 2025

Kaplan, Mescudi, and Morales Testify; Hotel and Laptop Evidence Presented

Judge Arun Subramanian
13Proceedings
6Pages
5Witnesses
3,297Lines
3Sidebars
Day 13 of 39
Appearing:
Maurene R. Comey Emily A. Johnson Madison R. Smyser Marc A. Agnifilo Anna M. Estevao Teny R. Geragos Brian Steel Joshua Croft George Kaplan Scott Mescudi Mylah Morales Frederic Zemmour

George Kaplan, Scott Mescudi, and Mylah Morales testified about events involving Cassie Ventura. Hotel records and laptop-extraction evidence followed, with the court ruling on disputed evidence.

Full day summary

George Kaplan testified about incidents he said he witnessed while working as Sean Combs's assistant, including events involving Cassie Ventura and Gina, and said he left the job because he was unwilling to stand by the behavior he described. Scott Mescudi testified about his relationship with Ventura, the reported entry into his home, and damage to his Porsche; the court sustained an objection and instructed jurors to disregard his statement that Combs had something to do with the fire. Mylah Morales described seeing Ventura injured after a 2010 hotel incident. The government also presented L'Ermitage hotel records through Frederic Zemmour and laptop-extraction testimony from HSI agent Joshua Croft, who described preservation, recovered data, and limits caused by a damaged drive. The court ruled on disputed exhibits and addressed defense access arrangements for the four-day weekend.

1. Pretestimony Evidentiary Rulings

Before the jury returned on Day 13, the court set limits on anticipated testimony from George Kaplan and Scott Mescudi and resolved several defense-exhibit issues.

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Procedural
Pretestimony Evidentiary Rulings
112 lines

The court set limits on anticipated Mescudi testimony, deferred a text-message ruling pending foundation, and resolved several defense-exhibit issues.

2. George Kaplan — Direct/Cross/Redirect (Recall, Part 2)

Former executive assistant George Kaplan testified about handling cash, events involving Cassie and Gina, and observations he said contributed to his resignation; cross-examination addressed limits in what he saw, followed by redirect about why he left.

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Direct
George Kaplan — Direct George Kaplan Maurene R. Comey
343 lines

Kaplan described cash-handling duties, alleged violence involving Cassie and Gina, and why he later left Combs Enterprises.

Cross
George Kaplan — Cross George Kaplan Marc A. Agnifilo
639 lines

Kaplan described his complicated view of working for Mr. Combs, qualified several prior observations, and said he testified only after being subpoenaed.

Redirect
George Kaplan — Redirect George Kaplan Maurene R. Comey
54 lines

Kaplan explained why two incidents shook him, described reporting them to Kristina Khorram, and said he left because he would not stand by the behavior.

3. Scott Mescudi — Direct/Cross/Redirect

Scott Mescudi completed testimony about his relationship with Cassie Ventura, a reported entry into his home, and a fire that damaged his Porsche; the defense questioned the limits of his personal knowledge.

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Direct
Scott Mescudi — Direct Scott Mescudi Emily A. Johnson
477 lines

Scott Mescudi described his 2011 relationship with Cassie Ventura, a reported break-in at his home, fire damage to his Porsche, and later meetings with Sean Combs.

Cross
Scott Mescudi — Cross Scott Mescudi Brian Steel
426 lines

Scott Mescudi's cross-examination addressed the Porsche fire investigation, his relationship with Ms. Ventura, and the limits of his personal knowledge about the alleged incidents.

2 sidebars inside this proceeding
  1. Rule 412 Relationship QuestionsAt sidebar, the court considered whether questions about a witness's intimate relationship were relevant and permissible under Rule 412.
  2. California Investigation Question LimitsThe sidebar addressed the permissible scope and foundation for questioning about the California investigation into the car arson.
Redirect
Scott Mescudi — Redirect Scott Mescudi Emily A. Johnson
211 lines

Mescudi reinforced his account of Ventura's reported fear and abuse allegations; the court later struck a Rule 412 question and ruled on disputed defense photographs.

1 sidebar inside this proceeding
  1. Mistrial Motion Over Fear TestimonyDefense objected to anticipated testimony about why a witness feared Mr. Combs, while the government said its questioning concerned the end of the relationship.

4. Mylah Morales — Direct/Cross

Mylah Morales described seeing Cassie Ventura injured after a 2010 Grammys-weekend hotel incident; the defense noted that Morales had not seen inside the bedroom.

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Direct
Mylah Morales — Direct Mylah Morales Maurene R. Comey
259 lines

Morales testified that she heard yelling behind a hotel-room door in 2010 and later saw Ventura injured; she said fear kept her from calling police.

Cross
Mylah Morales — Cross Mylah Morales Anna M. Estevao
320 lines

Morales confirmed she did not see inside the hotel bedroom; the defense introduced photographs and questioned her about media interviews.

5. Frederic Zemmour — Direct

Frederic Zemmour described L'Ermitage Beverly Hills hotel records tied to a profile initially created under Sean Combs.

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Direct
Frederic Zemmour — Direct Frederic Zemmour Madison R. Smyser
188 lines

Hotel manager Frederic Zemmour authenticated L'Ermitage records and explained profile changes, reservation data, and guest notes associated with Sean Combs.

6. Joshua Croft — Direct/Cross/Redirect

HSI computer forensic agent Joshua Croft described data extracted from three laptops associated with Cassie Ventura, faced cross-examination about duplicate messages and review procedures, and clarified that a user partition was not searched until investigators obtained a warrant.

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Direct
Joshua Croft — Direct Joshua Croft Emily A. Johnson
158 lines

HSI forensic agent Joshua Croft described extracting and verifying data from three laptops associated with Cassie Ventura, including recovery limits and how chat data could appear in forensic reports.

Cross
Joshua Croft — Cross Joshua Croft Teny R. Geragos
70 lines

Croft described successful extraction from B-200, damage affecting B-300, possible iTunes-backup duplicates, and his limited post-extraction review role.

Redirect
Joshua Croft — Redirect Joshua Croft Emily A. Johnson
40 lines

Croft said a separate user partition on B-200 was preserved but not searched until a warrant was obtained; the court then addressed scheduling and defense-access requests.

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