Juror's Wild Living Situation Creates Drama In Diddy's Sex Trafficking Case
Source: Variety / Getty
A Black male juror was excused from Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial after 'inconsistent' answers about where he lives. Combs' lawyers opposed the decision, claiming in a motion filed over the weekend that 'Combs would be substantially prejudiced by the dismissal.'
On Monday, the judge made his decision final, telling Juror No. 6 to bounce.
And his living situation is wild.
According to Variety , the juror claimed on a questionnaire that he, his fiancée and his daughter lived in the Bronx. But after the trial began, he allegedly told another juror during a break, that he'd moved to New Jersey with his girlfriend.
When questioned about his living situation the juror claimed that he had an apartment in the Bronx where he stays during the week, but he also spends time with his daughter and her mother in New Jersey. Oh, at one point he also claimed that he lived with an aunt but didn't mention her again when questioned about where he resides.
Because the juror never explained his complex living situation (assuming that any of what he said was true,) Judge Arun Subramanian said there were too many 'inconsistencies' between the juror's answers in the court transcripts, which could be an attempt to 'shade answers' or 'be deceptive' just to get on the jury.
'There are serious questions about the juror's candor and the juror's ability to follow the court's instructions,' Subramanian said, Variety reports. The judge added that there are six alternate jurors on standby to preserve the 'integrity' of the court. 'Removal of the juror is required, in this court's view.'
Xavier Donaldson, one of Combs' lawyers, objected the judge's decision noting that it's 'very, very common' for New Yorkers to move around the city and New Jersey. Donaldson added that the court was 'equating inconsistencies with lying.'
'I do believe he will be able to follow instructions,' Donaldson said, adding that Juror No. 6 has been 'awake — I can't say they all have been awake.'
Wait, have jurors in the Diddy trial been falling asleep? Or does he mean 'awake' in the righteous sense of the word?
Who knows.
It appears that Diddy's lawyers were upset because they were losing a Black male juror from the Bronx (assuming that he actually lives in the Bronx) and the hope, I'm sure, was that this juror was going to be sympathetic to Diddy's plight. But I could be completely wrong.
Donaldson noted that this jury was a diverse group and he didn't want to lose that diversity over miscommunication.
'That part is important to me and my client,' Donaldson said, adding that dismissing the juror would be 'a step backward.'
'I don't generally play the race card unless I have it in my hand,' Donaldson said.
The prosecution was like, 'Look, fam. It's great that the jury is diverse but ol boy can't seem to figure out where he lives and that's why we have alternates.' I'm paraphrasing but you get the point.
Variety notes that this is the sixth week of the trial and the prosecution should be finished calling its case this week. The defense will then have a chance to call witnesses. If found guilty of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution, Diddy could face life in prison.
See the latest reactions to the case below.
SEE ALSO
Juror's Wild Living Situation Creates Drama In Diddy's Sex Trafficking Case was originally published on cassiuslife.com
Black America Web Featured Video
CLOSE
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Key moments from the sixth week of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial
NEW YORK — The sixth week of the Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial was shortened by a holiday and a juror's illness as prosecutors nearly concluded their case, setting the stage for a one- or two-day defense presentation next week. In the trial's first five weeks, jurors repeatedly heard testimony about drug-fueled marathon sex events described as 'freak-offs' by one of Combs' ex-girlfriends and as 'hotel nights' by another. In the sixth week, they were shown about 20 minutes of video recordings from the dayslong events.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs kept precious stash of baby oil, lube in apparent humidity-controlled case: photos
Sean 'Diddy' Combs kept his shockingly massive supply of baby oil and lubricant in cabinets, drawers and an apparent humidity-controlled case — similar to a cigar humidor, according to new photos. The evidence, which comes from the FBI's March 2024 raid on Combs' Los Angeles home, was shown during the disgraced music mogul's sex trafficking case on Friday, giving jurors an inside glimpse at Diddy's drug-filled 'swinger' lifestyle. Officials uncovered an array of weapons along with an overwhelming 200 bottles of baby oil and 900 bottles of lubricant that appeared to be kept in multiple corners of his home, including his bedroom. In addition to Combs' Los Angeles home, officials also raided his Miami mansion around the same time last year — the results of which were shown to jurors on May 20. The FBI discovered a slew of weapons, several boxes of high-platform heels typically worn by exotic dancers and lingerie, bottles of baby oil and lubricant, and various bags filled with narcotics. Most of the sexual-natured items were allegedly used to serve his infamous 'freak-off' parties. Jurors previously heard graphic testimony regarding the wild parties last month as Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura took the witness stand. The 'Me & U' singer, 38, shared that Combs introduced her to the wild, drug-fueled sex marathons when she was 22 years old and claimed that Combs viewed the sex performances as 'voyeurism.' She also alleged the 'freak-offs' would take place weekly and the longest one lasted up to about four days. Large amounts of baby oil would be used for the the events, which involved Ventura engaging in sexual behavior with various escorts while Combs would masturbate as he watched. Diddy was arrested in a New York City hotel on Sept. 16, 2024. Upon being taken into police custody, authorities revealed Combs had bottles of baby oil, pink ketamine and $9,000 in cash in the hotel with him. They also found a prescription bottle of clonazepam that was made out to Frank Black — an alias that Combs often used, according to Ventura and the Bad Boy Records founder's ex-assistant. A second prescription bottle that was recovered from the room had the name of the recipient scratched off. Homeland Security also took photos of the hotel room lamp, which Security Agent Yasin Binda explained to jurors was a 'lighting device' that was used to create 'mood lighting' in the living room. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
4 hours ago
Key moments from the sixth week of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial
NEW YORK -- The sixth week of the Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial was shortened by a holiday and a juror's illness as prosecutors nearly concluded their case, setting the stage for a one- or two-day defense presentation next week. In the trial's first five weeks, jurors repeatedly heard testimony about drug-fueled marathon sex events described as 'freak-offs' by one of Combs' ex-girlfriends and as 'hotel nights' by another. In the sixth week, they were shown about 20 minutes of video recordings from the dayslong events. Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Entertainment, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges in the trial, which continues Monday. Here are key moments from the past week: Jurors largely kept their reactions muted when they were shown about 20 minutes of recordings made by Combs of his then-girlfriends having sex with male sex workers at the elaborately staged 'freak-offs' or 'hotel nights.' Prosecutors say the events were proof of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges because Combs coerced his employees, associates and even his girlfriends to recruit and arrange flights for sex workers while his workers obtained drugs, stocked hotel rooms with baby oil, lubricant, condoms, candles and liquor and delivered cash. In her opening statement, defense lawyer Teny Geragos had called the videos 'powerful evidence that the sexual conduct in this case was consensual and not based on coercion.' Prosecutors played about 2 minutes of the recordings before the defense team aired about 18 minutes of the videos. The public and the press were unable to observe whether the prosecutors or defense lawyers had the better arguments after the judge ruled that neither the recordings nor the sound could be seen or heard by anyone except lawyers, the judge and the jury. Several jurors seemed to cast their eyes and sometimes turn their bodies away from the screens directly in front of them while the recordings played. The jurors listened through earphones supplied by the court, as did Combs and lawyers. Judge Arun Subramanian started the week by dismissing a juror whose conflicting answers about whether he lived in New Jersey or New York convinced the judge he was a threat to the integrity of the trial. Subramanian said the juror's answers during jury selection and in the week before he was excused 'raised serious concerns as to the juror's candor and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the jury.' 'The inconsistencies — where the juror has lived and with whom — go to straightforward issues as to which there should not have been any doubts, and the answers also go to something vital: the basic qualifications of a juror to serve,' the judge said. Residents of New Jersey would not be permitted to sit on a New York federal jury. A day before Subramanian ruled, defense lawyers argued fiercely against dismissal, saying that replacing the Black juror with a white alternate juror so late in the trial would change the diverse demographics of the jury and require a mistrial. The jurors are anonymous for the Combs trial. It wasn't the only issue regarding jurors for the week. The judge, angered by a media report about the questioning of another juror the week before that occurred in a sealed proceeding, warned lawyers that they could face civil and criminal sanctions if such a leak happened again. That juror was not dismissed. And Wednesday's court session had to be canceled after a juror reported "vertigo symptoms" on the way to the courthouse. Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo seemed to close the door on any chance Combs would testify when he said Friday that the defense presentation would be finished Tuesday or Wednesday the following week, even if prosecutors don't rest until late Monday. It is not uncommon for defendants to choose not to testify at criminal trials. Besides being exposed to cross-examination by prosecutors, the testimony can be used by the government against the defendant should there be a need for a retrial. Also, if there is a conviction, the judge can conclude that the jury believed the defendant lied on the stand. Brendan Paul, fresh off the college basketball courts where he once played in a cameo role for Syracuse University, joined Combs' companies as a personal assistant in late 2022 and was warned by a friend who had worked for Combs about what was ahead. 'He told me to get in and get out,' Paul recalled for the jury, citing the endless days and always-on-edge existence. 'If you have a girlfriend, break up with her. And you're never going to see your family.' The friend also instructed him to 'build a rolodex of clientele and get out,' he said. Paul said he worked 80 to 100 hours a week for a music power broker who received 'thousands and thousands' of text messages and emails a day. He was paid $75,000 salary initially, but it was raised in January 2024 to $100,000. He said Combs told him he 'doesn't take no for an answer' and wanted his staff to 'move like Seal Team Six.' Several times, Paul said, he picked up drugs for Combs and knew to keep his boss out of the drug trade because 'it was very important to keep his profile low. He's a celebrity.' The job came to an abrupt end in March 2024 when Paul was arrested at a Miami airport on drug charges after a small amount of cocaine that he said he picked up in Combs' room that morning was mistakenly put in his travel bag as he prepared to join Combs on a trip to the Bahamas. The charges were later dropped in a pretrial diversion program.
