Brendan Paul, considered Diddy’s assistant, recently pleaded not guilty to drug possession charges in Florida court. The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office charged Paul, 25, with felony cocaine possession. A second charge for possession of a controlled substance was subsequently dropped. Paul’s attorney, Brian H. Bieber, entered the not-guilty plea on Paul’s behalf. “We entered Brendan’s plea of not guilty in Court today. We will be dealing with this case in the courtroom, not the court of public opinion,” Bieber said in a statement.
Paul is a former Syracuse University basketball player. Didn’t see that one coming. He was taken into custody by officers at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on March 25. That was the same day Diddy’s mansions on both coasts were raided by Homeland Security agents. “The defendant had the contraband inside of his personal travel bags, which he claimed before being searched,” from an arrest affidavit. The next day, Paul was released on a $2,500 bond.
Get this: Paul is allegedly Combs’ “mule,” as referenced in the now notorious civil suit brought on by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr. against Sean Combs and Cuba Gooding Jr. It’s wild because Gooding Jr. had some other sex suit issues, not too long ago. Jones claimed in his amended lawsuit filed in U.S. federal that Paul allegedly “procured, transported and distributed ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana, mushrooms, and tuci by packing these substances in their carry-on luggage and going through TSA.” Paul was among one of Combs’ employees who “would negotiate the fees the sex workers received and would ensure that the workers are paid,” from Jones’ disturbing filing.
Guess it can’t stop, won’t stop when it comes to these revelations that keep on piling up.
Since Diddy was sued by Cassie in November 2023, the music mogul hasn’t caught a break. Although the two reached a settlement just a day later, that lawsuit had already opened the floodgates. Arguably the most damning of them all right now is the lawsuit filed by producer Rodney Jones. The document, however, doesn’t include Diddy’s name, but Brendan Paul as well, which has led fans to wonder just who he is.
Evidently, Diddy is the one under the most fire. However, the vitriol from onlookers has certainly rubbed off on most of the people named in Rodney Jones’ court documents. It alleges that Brendan Paul worked as a drug mule for Diddy. While that particular allegation is yet to be confirmed or denied, Paul has since received backlash online. He got further media attention after he was recently taken into custody following the raid on Diddy’s homes. Here’s what we know about the man who is at the receiving end of a pretty serious allegation.
Background
SYRACUSE, NY – OCTOBER 25: Brendan Paul #12 of the Syracuse Orange controls the ball against the St. Rose Golden Knights during the second half at the Carrier Dome on October 25, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeated St. Rose 80-49. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brendan Paul
Although his date of birth remains unknown, reports confirm that Brendan Paul is 25 years old. According to the police report obtained by New York Post, he is from Shaker Heights, Ohio, and still lives in the state. The report states that his current address is somewhere in Chagrin Falls, where he lives with his parents in an $829,000 four-bed, six-bath home.
For the first three years of high school, Paul reportedly attended Brewster Academy, a private boarding school in New England. The New York Posts states that he subsequently transferred to Hawken High, a private day school in Ohio where he completed his senior year of high school and later, was admitted into Syracuse University, New York, where he was popularly known as a basketball player. However, he was only there until his sophomore year, after which he allegedly transferred to Fairmont State University. It wasn’t until he finished University and got into the music industry that Brendan Paul met Diddy.
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 22: Sean Combs attends the ‘Killing Them Softly’ Premiere during 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 22, 2012 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Although Paul hoped to transition into pro basketball after college, that unfortunately didn’t work out. As a result, he chose to try his hand at music production. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, he began making beats on his laptop. That was the start of his journey as an amateur producer. Subsequently, according to New York Post, he linked up with Diddy to work on 2023’s The Love Album. Surprisingly, Brendan Paul is not credited as a producer on any song on the Diddy album. It remains unknown how and when exactly the two met. However, there are a handful of social media posts from Paul showing him in close proximity to Diddy.
On Monday, March 25, 2024, Rodney Jones amended his lawsuit against Diddy. The producer added 25 pages to the existing 73 pages of the document, including more allegations against Diddy, and mentioning Brendan Paul. According to the document, Diddy allegedly has a love for a substance called pink cocaine aka tuci. Allegedly, Diddy has a designated mule who supplies the drug to him, and this mule is Brendan Paul. “Plaintiff Jones personally witness [sic] Mr. Combs do a few lines of coke in his dressing room. Defendant Sean Combs wanted tuci but Brendan forgot it, so Defendant Kristina Khorram called Yung Miami. Who then brought it on the private jet from Miami,” reads the lawsuit.
Diddy had his homes raided on Monday in connection with a federal investigation into sex trafficking. Overall, these raids became the biggest story in the world. Fans began speculating on what was happening, while others went and decided to make jokes. Additionally, there were others who wanted to get front and center with the media by making false claims. On top of all of this, there were those connected with Diddy who faced consequences for the raids. One such person was a young man named Brendan Paul.
As we reported, Paul has been accused in the past of being a drug “mule” for Diddy. When the mogul was approached at the airport by Homeland Security on Monday, Paul was right there with him. However, after a search, Paul was arrested and hit with two drug charges. These charges were in connection with cocaine and marijuana possession. With Paul now in the news, many have been doing their research on him. As TMZ reports, Paul actually played college basketball at Syracuse, under Jim Boeheim.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – MARCH 21: A detailed view of shoes worn by Brendan Paul #12 of the Syracuse Orange are seen before taking on the Baylor Bears in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 21, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
While he didn’t get a ton of playing time, he still got into some games, which is impressive. Moreover, he played with Boeheim’s son in high school. He played for the Orange between 2018 and 2020. Needless to say, it was a respectable college basketball career for the young man.
Let us know what you think about all of this, in the comments section down below. What do you make of the Brendan Paul arrest? Do you believe these raids are the beginning of the end for Diddy’s career? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
In the aftermath of the raids, new footage is making its way to the internet. More specifically, TMZ has been able to obtain a whole bunch of images and videos. For instance, yesterday we reported on the video of Diddy pacing around a Miami airport. Now, TMZ has come through with another batch of images. In these photos, Diddy can be seen with his entourage outside of his private jet. The entourage is surrounded by Federal agents, and Diddy can be seen cooperating with them.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 27: (L-R) Wolfgang Puck, Sean Combs and Jessie James Combs attend the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
Brendan Paul can be seen in these images as well. For those who may not be aware, Paul is the former Syracuse basketball player who was arrested on drug charges. Paul is alleged to be a drug mule for Diddy, and he became a trending figure on social media last night. At this stage in the story, there is still a lot that is unknown. For instance, it remains to be seen if the investigation will even bring forth any evidence to what Diddy has been accused of. Regardless, the world is paying attention right now, and they are waiting patiently for updates.
We’re not permitted to post the images directly on HotNewHipHop, but if you’d like to see them, you can do so by clicking the Via link below. Let us know what you think about all of this, in the comments section down below. What do you think this means for Diddy and his career? Do you believe this spells the end for him? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.
: WSVN – 7 News) 
