Diddy Trial Update: George Kaplan Testifies on Drug Runs and Hotel Cleanups

And just like that, testimony took a major turn as George Kaplan, the ex-personal assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs, began dropping some major bombshells on the witness stand.

During a dramatic courtroom appearance in New York on Wednesday, George Kaplan described just what it was like to work under the hip-hop mogul-and it was anything but normal.

Kaplan, who spent two years working for Combs Enterprises and about 15 months working directly as one of Diddy’s personal assistants, testified that his work went far beyond scheduling meetings or grabbing coffee. He was often ordered to clean up hotel rooms after Diddy’s stays-an activity that was all about protecting the rapper from potential scandals. “I tidied them. I made it as close as I could to the way it was found when he came in,” Kaplan told the court.

He said Diddy would have “guests” in his suites, typically a “female partner,” and when the visit was finished, the rooms were a disaster. Kaplan described discovering “lots of empty bottles” and baby oil “on the table, on the floor, on the bed.” Once, he even found a crystallized powder left on the bathroom sink. Yet despite hotel staff being an apparent option, Kaplan insisted he was always handling it himself. Asked why, he said, “I think that it was implied in the role as you continued to work closely with Mr. Combs that you protected him.”

Kaplan added that he could imagine how footage or images might be leaked by staff at hotels and said he wanted to avoid that at all costs. It wasn’t just about room service; it was about managing a celebrity image which could easily be shattered by a video or photo leak. This isn’t paranoia, he suggested; this is standard practice.

But the testimony didn’t stop at hotel cleanups: Kaplan went so far as to say Diddy asked him to procure drugs, namely MDMA, at least two different times. He testified that, on one occasion in Miami, the rapper gave him cash and a telephone number. “He gave me a number to call and some cash to pick up what he wanted. The guy came, and I paid him for drugs,” Kaplan said candidly. He testified it was MDMA he delivered to Combs.

Yet another incident took place at the Bel-Air Hotel in Los Angeles. Kaplan remembered a nearly identical exchange: “Call this number, meet this person, bring this back to me.” Kaplan testified that he met the man in Hollywood, handed over the money, got a bag, which he said he did not inspect, and delivered it to Diddy.

Kaplan could only testify so candidly because he’d been granted immunity against prosecution. It’s said that before testifying, he intended to plead the Fifth Amendment, which protects citizens from being forced to incriminate themselves. With immunity, he spilled the beans. He also testified that he was regularly threatened with the loss of his job, monthly, in fact, and while putting in grueling weeks of 80 to 100 hours, earned just $125,000 a year.

Additional testimony from Kaplan is expected to continue into Thursday, and if that’s not enough drama, rapper Kid Cudi is expected to take the stand next. The court is bracing for what could be more revelations involving the inner circle of one of the most powerful figures in hip-hop.

Meanwhile, Sean “Diddy” Combs has pleaded not guilty to an extensive list of serious charges, including racketeering, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Kaplan’s testimony is just one part of a much larger case-one that is getting immense media scrutiny and attention from the public eye.

With Kaplan painting a behind-the-scenes picture of chaos and ultra-secrecy, the big question now is how many more of Diddy’s former inner circle will come forward-and what they’ll have to say.