A facile one-pot synthesis of 3-trifluoromethylated piperazin-2-ones has been achieved by the treatment of trifluoromethyl 2-bromo enones with N,N'-disubstituted ethylenediamines in trifluoroethanol. The mechanism of this unexpected reaction is discussed in terms of multistep processes involving formation of captodative aminoenone as a key intermediate. The unique influence of trifluoromethyl group on the reaction path was demonstrated.