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Diddy's former employee George Kaplan says part of his work as an executive assistant at Combs Enterprises called for him to set up hotel rooms for his boss ... complete with some staples for a "freak-off" -- like lube, baby oil and candles.

Kaplan testified Wednesday in Diddy's federal criminal trial in NYC, telling the jury he booked rooms for Diddy at hotels in New York, Miami and Los Angeles -- including at the InterContinental Hotel, where Diddy was later seen on video beating Cassie in March 2016 -- although Kaplan said he only worked for Diddy from 2013 to 2015.

He told jurors he would book rooms for Diddy using the alias Frank Black ... which he says was derived from one of The Notorious B.I.G.'s nicknames, Frank White.

Sharay Hayes, an exotic male dancer known as "The Punisher," tells us he's unsure why federal prosecutors called him as a witness in the Diddy trial ... because he says he never saw Diddy do anything that seemed illegal and thinks his testimony may have actually helped the defense.

"The Punisher" joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we asked him if prosecutors gave him any indication why they wanted to get him on the stand, because his testimony Tuesday left many people wondering how prosecutors thought it related to any of the charges against Diddy.

Hayes says he is still confused as to why his testimony was necessary ... telling us he let prosecutors know from the jump he didn't see anything that looked criminal during his sexual interactions with Diddy and Cassie.

Prosecutors are calling an expert witness in the Diddy trial, a clinical and forensic psychologist who is telling the jury about why victims stay in abusive relationships, how they cope, the obstacles they face in leaving, and how their memories are affected by trauma.

Dawn Hughes took the stand Wednesday morning as the 11th witness called by the feds.  Prosecutors are presenting her as an expert witness who specializes in trauma and traumatic stress.

Hughes told jurors it's quite common for victims to remain in abusive relationships ... explaining there's all sorts of mechanisms that make victims feel trapped, and it's not just reserved to physical violence.

Testimony continues Wednesday in Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in NYC, where Homeland Security Investigations Agent Gerard Gannon has taken the stand to continue Tuesday afternoon's questioning.

After some back-and-forth between attorneys regarding proceedings, prosecutors announced Mr. Mescudi -- AKA Kid Cudi -- will not testify Wednesday ... he's expected to take the stand Thursday.

As the hearing got underway, Gannon was asked on the stand by the prosecution about details of the 2024 raid on Diddy's mansion on Star Island in Miami -- pictures from the raid were released into evidence overnight depicting drugs, guns and bedroom items.

Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial is well into its second week in NYC ... and, more photos detailing Cassie's injuries have been entered into evidence -- capturing the brutal bruising she alleges Diddy caused.

The photos show Cassie sporting black, blue and yellow-green markings ... some on her thighs and upper arm.

In one pic, Cassie's rolling up her shorts ... showing an angry purple welt on the top of her thigh.

Chris Brown can breathe a sigh of relief because he was just granted bail after his arrest for assault in the United Kingdom, TMZ has confirmed.

The R&B singer did not appear for a hearing in London's Southwark Crown Court Wednesday ... but a judge signed off on releasing him from jail, paving the way for him to begin his world tour in a few weeks.

The judge ordered Chris — who has not yet entered a plea -- to pay 5 million in British pounds as a security fee to the court, which translates to roughly $6.7 million in American dollars. We don't know the details of his bail conditions, but we'll update you once we get word.

Jimmy Clabots says he and other escorts were well aware of what went on in Diddy's bedroom for a long time ... and he's not surprised some of his ex-costars are now wrapped up in the trial.

Clabots, who appeared on "Gigolos" Seasons 1 and 2 as Jimmy Dior, tells us he was on hold a few times for Diddy, but was never ultimately booked.

He did, however, know other escorts at the agency who were ... and some of the guys told him they did see "chemicals" -- or drug use -- while others did not.

Prosecutors seemed to be getting more testimony geared towards the racketeering charge against Diddy in the seventh day of witnesses on the stand ... but there were still some outlandish stories told in court too.

The wildest testimony came courtesy of a male exotic dancer nicknamed "The Punisher" ... he told the jury about his first meetings with Cassie and Diddy and talked about a book he wrote about erectile dysfunction, "In Search of Freezer Meat."

The 'Punisher' had a lot to say about kinky sex ... but there wasn't a whole lot of meat on the bone when it came to the criminal charges ... even though we'll give him his due as a very entertaining character.

Frightening video shows the bomb going off outside a Palm Springs, California fertility clinic Saturday morning ... sending a fiery plume of smoke into the air.

TMZ obtained video ... nothing seems out of the ordinary on the sunshine-filled day, when all of a sudden a muffled blast goes off, followed by a tall puff of dark smoke aggressively shooting upward.

One person, the suspect, was killed in the explosion outside American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, with 4 injured.

Sharay Hayes, an exotic male dancer known as "The Punisher," included his sexual experiences with Cassie and Diddy in his memoir about erectile dysfunction ... and it's very graphic.

Hayes took the stand Tuesday in Diddy's federal criminal trial in NYC and he told the jury he wrote about Diddy and Cassie in his book, "In Search of Freezer Meat."

He testified he did not name Cassie or Diddy in the book, instead referring to them as a married wealthy couple ... and we found the six pages where he talks about their sexual encounters -- and it's vivid, to put it mildly.

Erik and Lyle Menendez will have to bite their nails a little longer before finding out whether they'll get released from prison ... because the parole board has kicked their hearing date down the road.

The Menendez brothers were slated to go before the California parole board on June 13 after a judge resentenced them earlier this month to 50 years to life for the infamous 1989 shotgun murders of their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez.

After two trials, Erik and Lyle were finally convicted in 1996 and originally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Kid Cudi's been name-dropped several times in witness testimony in the Diddy trial in NYC ... and the rapper will soon take the witness stand himself.

Federal prosecutors said Tuesday they plan to call Kid Cudi as a witness, possibly as early as Wednesday ... though based on the witness list for Wednesday, there's a chance Cudi's testimony may be pushed back to Thursday.

Cassie mentioned Kid Cudi a few times during her four days on the stand ... telling the jury Diddy freaked out when he found out she was seeing Kid Cudi.

Homeland Security Investigations Agent Gerard Gannon is detailing the March 2024 raid on Diddy's Miami estate ... and he testified the feds found assault rifles, loaded magazines, sex toys and some brand-name lubricant.

Gannon told the NYC jury he was the special agent in charge on the ground for the raid ... and the operation was assigned to his unit because the investigation featured human trafficking allegations.

He said about 80 to 90 agents were involved in the search of Diddy's 20,000-square-foot property on Star Island ... with the feds using an armored vehicle to break through the front gate, and deploying boats to make sure nobody tried to flee the waterfront home.

Ryan Reynolds has had enough of the "utterly frivolous claims" from Justin Baldoni's team in their ongoing legal war ... and now RR is asking the judge to ding them financially -- but JB is pointing the finger back at them.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ ...  lawyers for the "Deadpool" star on Tuesday hit JB and his team with a request for monetary sanctions -- which they say is a reaction to the "preposterous" defamation lawsuit that makes a mockery of the legal system.

As we previously reported, RR claimed Baldoni took his "thin-skinned outrage over a movie character" and decided to go after Ryan in court ... a reference to the satirical, "woke" Nicepool character from the new "Deadpool" movie, which JB thought was an obvious shot at him.

Sharay Hayes, an exotic male dancer known as "The Punisher," is testifying for the prosecution in the Diddy trial ... telling the jury about the first encounter he had with Diddy and Cassie ... saying the couple hired him to create a sexy erotic scene for them.

Hayes says he was first hired in 2012, when a woman called and booked him for a midnight gig at the Trump International Hotel in New York City. He says he was hired to perform a striptease for a group of people but when he got to the room, he says it was just Cassie in a bathrobe and a wig.

He told the jury Cassie told him that she and Diddy -- neither of whom he recognized at the time -- didn't want him to dance and instead wanted him to create a sexual scene with baby oil.

Regina Ventura, Cassie's mother, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday to testify in Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in NYC ... and she revealed some shocking details about her daughter's relationship with the incarcerated defendant.

On the stand, Regina confirmed her daughter dated Sean "Diddy" Combs after the singer had signed with Bad Boy Records -- she recalls meeting Diddy in 2006, and says her daughter and Diddy started dating, then moved to Los Angeles.

Prosecution asked Regina to read a December 2011 message to her from her daughter. Regina related Cassie informed her Diddy had threatened to release a sex tape and intended to go after Cassie and Mr. Mescudi -- AKA Kid Cudi, who Cassie began seeing during a break in her relationship with Diddy.