Latest news with #JudgeArunSubramanian
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Juror dismissed from Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial over conflicting statements about residency
The judge presiding over the high-profile federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs dismissed a juror on Monday over conflicting statements about his residency. The juror, identified as Juror 6, reportedly claimed during jury selection that he lived in the Bronx, but last week, prosecutors said that he told a court staff member that he had been living in New Jersey, making him ineligible for a Manhattan federal jury. 'Taking these all together, the record raised serious concerns as to the juror's candor and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the jury,' Judge Arun Subramanian said in court on Monday. The judge's decision came after the prosecutors alerted the court to the juror's contradictory statements last week. The judge said on Friday that he found 'several inconsistencies' in the juror's statements. Combs's legal team opposed the juror's removal, arguing that Combs would be 'severely prejudiced' if Juror 6, who is a Black man, were removed. Juror 6 was one of two Black men on the jury, per Combs's lawyers. The alternate juror who will replace him is a white man from Westchester, New York. Entering its sixth week, the trial continued Monday with prosecutors showing jurors, for the first time, video excerpts of the sex sessions at the center of the case against the 55-year-old music mogul – referred to as 'freak offs'. Previously, jurors had only been shown still images pulled from the footage. A paralegal from the US attorney's office also walked jurors through evidence, including text messages and call logs and the prosecution presented text messages to the jury, as well as travel records linked to a male escort they say was hired to participate in the sex sessions with Combs and his former girlfriend, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, who who testified earlier in the trial. Combs, was arrested in September and is facing charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors are expected to rest their case later this week, after which the defense will begin calling witnesses. The trial is expected to continue for a few more weeks. If convicted, Combs faces up to life in prison.
CNN
5 days ago
- CNN
June 16, 2025 - Day 24 of testimony in the Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial
Update: Date: 1 hr 26 min ago Title: Content: Our live coverage has ended. You can scroll through the posts below to read more about today's testimony. Update: Date: 2 hr 7 min ago Title: Jury views videos of explicit sexual encounters for the first time Content: For the first time, the jury was shown actual video of the explicit sexual encounters. Previously, the jury had only seen still images and heard audio of the encounters. The jury was shown clips from three videos created in October 2012, October 2014, and December 2014, totaling just over two minutes. Jurors, the judge, the witness, and the parties wore headphones. The lawyers were not shown the videos because the monitors are visible to the gallery, where members of the public and press are seated. Most jurors remained stone-faced while the explicit videos played. One female juror put her hand over her eye, as she had done before, while another appeared to wince. Update: Date: 3 hr 10 min ago Title: Defense asks about what jury was told about dismissed juror Content: After the jury was let go for the day, defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro asked Judge Arun Subramanian what was said to the other jurors about juror No. 6, whom the judge dismissed this morning. Subramanian said he'd find out and tell the attorneys tomorrow morning. Update: Date: 3 hr 13 min ago Title: Jury dismissed for the day Content: The jury has been dismissed for the day. Special agent DeLeassa Penland will continue on direct examination Tuesday morning. The prosecution indicated that Brendan Paul, Sean 'Diddy' Combs' former assistant, will invoke his Fifth Amendment right Tuesday morning, so he'll be testifying under an immunity order. Paul will testify after Penland. Update: Date: 3 hr 15 min ago Title: Jury sees 2013 messages about a hotel room Content: The jury saw messages Cassie Ventura sent to a man called 'Dave' on October 21, 2013, asking him to come to a hotel room around 1 a.m. Dave texted her 'thanks lol' around 8 a.m. the following day. Shortly before 8 a.m., Ventura texted another man, Daniel Phillip, asking him to wait a few more minutes. On October 22, 2013, Ventura texted Combs, 'You didn't film anything on your phone, rt?' 'No,' Combs responded. 'No way.' Update: Date: 3 hr 20 min ago Title: Jury sees texts of Combs and Ventura arranging "Freak Off" Content: The jury saw text message exchanges of Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Cassie Ventura setting up a 'Freak Off' with four men in January 2013 to 'celebrate Christmas.' Combs texted Ventura, 'Wanna celebrate Christmas and have a freak off tomorrow or Friday?' Ventura texted with the man who runs an escort service to arrange for one escort and personally texted with others to set up staggered arrival times on January 11 and January 12, 2013. One of the escorts texted Ventura, 'Hello star … this is Santiago, I hope we can do another voyeur encounter again' and 'I really want to do this again with you guys.' Update: Date: 3 hr 42 min ago Title: Jury shown 2012 travel and hotel invoices, texts between Combs and Ventura Content: The jury was shown a travel invoice sent to Bad Boy Entertainment for a flight for Cassie Ventura from L.A. to NYC on October 10, 2012. Special agent DeLeassa Penland then read some messages between Ventura and Sean 'Diddy' Combs on October 13, 2012. 'You ready for tonight?' Combs asked her. Ventura responded 'yes,' but she needed to get something. 'Man, you had all day. All day. It's always something,' Combs wrote back in the messages. The jury then saw messages Ventura sent separately to two men discussing times to meet and giving them information for a hotel room in New York. The invoice for that hotel room was reserved under the name 'Janet Clark' and paid in cash. One of the men texted Ventura in the early morning hours of October 14, indicating he was in another room. The jury also saw the invoice for that room, which was reserved under the name 'Frank Black' and paid for both in cash and with an AmEx. Several videos recorded on October 14 were recovered from one of Ventura's devices. The jury watched some of these videos, but the public was not able to see them. Update: Date: 4 hr 5 min ago Title: Jury sees more records tied to purported 2009 "meeting" between Combs, Ventura and escort Content: With special agent DeLeassa Penland on the stand as a summary witness, the jury saw more records to support a purported December 2009 'meeting' between Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Cassie Ventura and an escort named Jules at the London Hotel in New York City. The records included those for flights and hotels for that weekend that were paid for with Combs' American Express card. The records showed that Combs paid for flights for Ventura and Jules, and a room at the hotel. Update: Date: 4 hr 29 min ago Title: The judge is back on the bench Content: The judge is on the bench, and DeLeassa Penland, a special agent with the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, is back on the stand. The jury is entering now. Update: Date: 4 hr 58 min ago Title: These are the key witnesses in the trial so far Content: While the prosecution has called over 30 witnesses, the case against Sean 'Diddy' Combs has primarily relied on a handful of people who have accused the hip-hop mogul of sex trafficking, prostitution, kidnapping, arson, forced labor and more. These people include: Here's a closer look at these key witnesses, what they said on the stand, how their allegations against Combs are tied to the charges and the defense's counterpoints. Related article These are the key witnesses who testified against Sean 'Diddy' Combs so far Update: Date: 5 hr ago Title: Jury is dismissed for lunch Content: The jury has been dismissed for a lunch break. Proceedings are expected to resume around 1:45 p.m. ET. The prosecution indicated the current summary witness will testify through today, and likely into tomorrow morning. Brendan Paul, Combs' former assistant, is expected to testify tomorrow and take most of the day. The prosecution's final witness, a law enforcement agent, is expected to testify most of Wednesday before the prosecution rests. The trial will take a day off on Thursday. Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo indicated three witnesses are lined up to begin the defense's case Friday. That is expected to include Vashta Dunlap, a human resources chief for Combs' company, the defense indicated. Court is expected to break for today around 3 p.m. ET. Update: Date: 5 hr 36 min ago Title: Summary witness testifies about travel records Content: Special agent DeLeassa Penland walked the jury through a summary chart that shows the date, location, attendees, and travel records related to different 'meetings.' One meeting in December 2009 involved Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Cassie Ventura and a man at the London Hotel in New York City. Ventura previously testified that man often joined them for 'Freak Offs.' Penland read aloud some messages between Combs and the man coordinating travel for the trip. Combs then sent an email to the personal finance director for his executive office saying he needed a flight booked under the man's name. The finance director then sent back a flight itinerary. Penland said the man's flight itinerary was found in records for Combs Global. Penland explained that flight records for the man and Ventura indicate they were both in the city at that time. Update: Date: 6 hr 6 min ago Title: The next person on the stand is another summary witness Content: DeLeassa Penland is now on the stand. She is another summary witness. Penland is a special agent with the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York. She testified her role in this case was to review charts and data and ensure the information is correct. Update: Date: 6 hr 8 min ago Title: Summary witness is off the stand Content: Defense attorney Teny Geragos finished her cross-examination of summary witness and paralegal specialist Ananya Sankar. Sankar is now off the stand. Update: Date: 6 hr 12 min ago Title: "If you cannot be honest with me, this doesn't work," Combs' chief of staff messaged him Content: The jury is seeing messages between Sean 'Diddy' Combs and his chief of staff Kristina Khorram from November 2023. 'If you cannot be honest with me, this doesn't work,' Khorram wrote in part. 'We all know what your Kryptonite is and where you don't make the best choices.' She said she felt like Combs was lying and said it wasn't sitting well with her. 'Come take my phone,' Combs wrote in response. Khorram responded that it wasn't about his phone. She said if he was starting to lie, 'that will break me.' Update: Date: 6 hr 13 min ago Title: Defense points to text about expense payments Content: With summary witness and paralegal specialist Ananya Sankar under cross-examination, defense attorney Teny Geragos highlighted a few messages from Faheem Muhammad to Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Combs' chief of staff Kristina Khorram and Combs' account manager. In the messages, Muhammad, Combs' head of security, asked for approval for a disbursement from 'PD personal' to pay a variety of expenses. Remember: A former Combs assistant testified last week that he sometimes used his company card to buy personal items for Combs, but didn't know whether these charges on the card were paid off with company funds or Combs' personal money. Update: Date: 4 hr 47 min ago Title: Jury sees texts showing Jane resisting pressure to make plans Content: Defense attorney Teny Geragos pointed to a text conversation between Kristina Khorram, Sean 'Diddy' Combs' former chief of staff, and Jane, who dated Combs from 2021 to 2024, on February 25, 2023. In the messages, Khorram twice asked Jane to call her and said Combs was pushing her to figure out plans. 'My answer to him is no and it is still no,' Jane responded in part. Khorram said she would let him know and told Jane to keep her posted if anything changes. Update: Date: 6 hr 25 min ago Title: Defense points to "I'm excited to surprise him" text from Jane Content: With summary witness and paralegal specialist Ananya Sankar under cross-examination, defense attorney Teny Geragos pointed to a message exchange between Kristina Khorram and 'Jane' around Valentine's Day 2022. In one of the messages, Jane, who dated Sean 'Diddy' Combs from 2021 to 2024, said: 'I'm excited to surprise him.' Jane later sent Khorram, then the chief of staff for Combs, photos of a hotel room decorated with rose petals and heart balloons. Remember: Jane, one of Combs' accusers who testified in this trial under a pseudonym, testified extensively about going with Combs to what she called 'hotel nights,' which she described as sexual encounters with a male 'entertainer,' typically in a hotel room. She testified last week about a Valentine's Day 2022 'hotel night.' Update: Date: 6 hr 54 min ago Title: Defense begins cross-exam of paralegal specalist Content: Defense attorney Teny Geragos is now starting cross-examination of paralegal specialist Ananya Sankar. Geragos read some messages in which Sean 'Diddy' Combs reached out to Mia, one of his former assistants. The messages showed that D-Roc told Mia that Combs wanted to speak with her and also told her that Combs didn't want anything from her. Geragos read a message Combs sent Mia on February 7, 2024: 'Hey. I don't wanna be blowing up your phone. Just needed to talk to you for 10 minutes. Just need my memory jogged on some things. You were my right hand for years, so I just to speak to you to remember who was even around me. And it would be good to hear your voice. But if you don't want to, all good. Just let me know. Love. Hope you're well.' Geragos confirmed with Sankar that after that, D-Roc told Combs that Mia's number was ringing as if she was out of the country. She also confirmed that there are no records that suggest Combs called Mia again after that. Update: Date: 6 hr 49 min ago Title: Jury sees texts attempting to get "Mia" to talk to Combs in 2024 Content: The jury continued to see a series of 2023-2024 texts between former Sean 'Diddy' Combs assistant 'Mia' and Combs security guard 'D-Roc.' Picking up after the February 2024 texts described earlier: D-Roc sent more messages over a few days, with Mia telling him she was out of the country on a scuba diving trip. In one message, D-Roc said, 'Let me know how I can send you something.' Mia responded that her debt was her problem and she would figure it out one day. The records showed D-Roc tried to get on the phone with Mia several times. 'Hey bro she hit me back I'm trying to call her now,' D-Roc texted Combs on February 4, 2024. He also sent Combs a copy of a previous message Mia had sent him. 'Let me know when you reach her,' Combs responded. Later that day, Combs texted Mia, 'Hey Mia it's Puff, let me know when you get 10 min to talk. Love.' Over the following days, Combs tried to call Mia several times. 'Hey. I don't wanna be blowing up your phone. Just needed to talk to you for 10 minutes. Just need my memory jogged on some things. You were my right hand for years, so I just to speak to you to remember who was even around me. And it would be good to hear your voice. But if you don't want to, all good. Just let me know. Love. Hope you're well,' Combs texted her on February 7, 2024. The same day, Combs sent D-Roc the same message he sent to Mia and told him it was the message he sent to her. 'I've been trying to reach her, she ain't picking up the phone,' Combs said to D-Roc. D-Roc then tried to call Mia twice. Remember: 'Mia,' a Combs assistant from 2009 to 2017, testified in this trial under a pseudonym that Combs had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. The jury heard that D-Roc began texting Mia in late November 2023 (for the first time since 2021), days after former Combs girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit against Combs, accusing him of rape and physical abuse.
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Judge dismisses juror in sex trafficking trial of music mogul Combs
A judge dismissed a juror in the sex trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs on Monday after concluding that his conflicting answers about where he lives might indicate he had an agenda or wanted to stay on the jury for a purpose. Judge Arun Subramanian made the ruling after rejecting arguments by Combs' attorneys that it would disrupt the diversity of the jury to replace the black man with a white juror. Advertisement Subramanian had first announced late on Friday that he was dismissing the juror after questions arose over whether he resided in New York or New Jersey most of the time, but multiple defence lawyers protested and the judge waited until Monday to announce his final decision. The judge said a review of the juror's answers to questions about his residency during jury selection, along with his subsequent responses to similar questions in the robing room, revealed 'clear inconsistencies'. 'Taking these all together, the record raised serious concerns as to the juror's candour and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the jury,' he said. Judge Subramanian said leaving the juror on the panel could threaten the integrity of the judicial process. Advertisement 'The court should not, indeed cannot, let race factor into the decision of what happens. Here, the answer is clear. Juror number six is excused,' Judge Subramanian said before the jury, minus juror number six, was brought into the courtroom for the resumption of testimony. The judge expressed disappointment that the defence again raised the racial issue in a letter to the judge over the weekend and tried to accuse prosecutors of misconduct. 'There has been no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct brought to the court's attention. Zero,' he said, rejecting a defence request for a mistrial. Prosecutors have said they expect to rest sometime this week. The trial is in its sixth week. Advertisement Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges. He has been active throughout the trial with his lawyers and nodded his head on Friday as his lawyers argued in the absence of the jury against dismissing the juror. Earlier in the trial, Combs was warned by the judge that he could be excluded from the courtroom if Judge Subramanian believed he was trying to influence jurors after the judge said he saw him twice nodding his head toward jurors as his lawyer carried out an aggressive cross-examination of a witness. Last week, prosecutors complained he was continuing to nod and shake his head at times with the jury in the room, although he was no longer looking toward jurors as he did it. Advertisement Combs was arrested last September at a New York hotel. He was denied bail multiple times and has remained incarcerated at a federal lockup in Brooklyn ever since.
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Judge dismisses juror over protests by lawyers for Sean 'Diddy' Combs
A judge dismissed a juror in the sex trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs on Monday after concluding that his conflicting answers about where he lives might indicate he had an agenda or wanted to stay on the jury for a purpose. Judge Arun Subramanian made the ruling after rejecting arguments by Combs' attorneys that it would disrupt the diversity of the jury to replace the Black man with a white juror. Subramanian had first announced late Friday that he was dismissing the juror after questions arose over whether he resided in New York or New Jersey most of the time, but multiple defense lawyers protested and the judge waited until Monday to announce his final decision. The judge said a review of the juror's answers to questions about his residency during jury selection, along with his subsequent responses to similar questions in the robing room, revealed 'clear inconsistencies.' 'Taking these all together, the record raised serious concerns as to the juror's candor and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the jury,' he said. Subramanian said to leave the juror on the panel could threaten the integrity of the judicial process. 'The court should not, indeed cannot, let race factor into the decision of what happens. Here, the answer is clear. Juror No. 6 is excused,' Subramanian said before the jury, minus Juror No. 6, was brought into the courtroom for the resumption of testimony. The judge expressed disappointment that the defense again raised the racial issue in a letter to the judge over the weekend and tried to accuse prosecutors of misconduct. 'There has been no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct brought to the court's attention. Zero,' he said, rejecting a defense request for a mistrial. Prosecutors have said they expect to rest sometime this week. The trial is in its sixth week. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges. He has been active throughout the trial with his lawyers and nodded his head Friday as his lawyers argued outside the presence of the jury against dismissing the juror. Earlier in the trial, he was warned by the judge that he could be excluded from the courtroom if Subramanian believed he was trying to influence jurors after the judge said he saw him twice nodding his head toward jurors as his lawyer carried out an aggressive cross-examination of a witness. Last week, prosecutors complained he was continuing to nod and shake his head at times with the jury in the room, although he was no longer looking toward jurors as he did it. Combs was arrested last September at a New York hotel. He was denied bail multiple times and has remained incarcerated at a federal lockup in Brooklyn ever since.
New York Times
5 days ago
- New York Times
Judge in Sean Combs Trial Dismisses Juror Over ‘Lack of Candor'
The judge overseeing Sean Combs's federal trial dismissed a juror on Monday after the man gave inconsistent information about where he lives, raising concerns that he had been seeking a spot on the jury of the high-profile case. Lawyers for Mr. Combs have acknowledged that the jury is diverse, but strenuously opposed the juror's removal, arguing that the dismissal of the man, who is Black, would unfairly disadvantage Mr. Combs. The alternate juror who will replace him is a white man. Prosecutors raised the issue last week after the juror, in casual conversation with a court staff member, said he had recently moved in with his girlfriend in New Jersey. During jury selection, the juror, who works in accounting for the Department of Corrections in New York, had said he lived in the Bronx with his fiancée. The prosecution said the inconsistency demonstrated a concerning 'lack of candor.' Judge Arun Subramanian said that during discussions with the man — Juror No. 6 — in his robing room, the inconsistencies about where he lived only deepened. The judge said Juror No. 6's explanations raised the concern that he was 'shading answers' to try to get on the jury originally — and to stay on the jury once his qualifications were questioned. 'There's nothing that the juror could say at this point that would put the genie back in the bottle,' the judge said on Monday. Mr. Combs, who is facing sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, is entering the sixth week of his trial in Federal District Court in Lower Manhattan. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have said that the case is based on consensual sex with long-term girlfriends. Last week, after prosecutors first raised concerns about the juror, a lawyer for Mr. Combs accused the government of making a 'thinly veiled effort to dismiss a Black juror.' The jury is racially mixed, but the defense has noted that Juror No. 6 was one of two Black men. Judge Subramanian quickly rejected the accusation, saying there was no basis for it. 'To be perfectly clear, from the outset of this proceeding to the current date, there has been no evidence and no showing of any kind of any biased conduct or biased manner of proceeding from the government,' he said. Anusha Bayya and Ben Sisario contributed reporting.
