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Associated Press
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Key moments from the sixth week of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial
NEW YORK (AP) — 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 watch videos of 'freak-off' sex marathons they had heard so much about 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. A juror is ejected from the panel by a judge who questions whether he has an agenda 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. A defense lawyer predicts a presentation measured in hours rather than days 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. Another former Combs' employee requires immunity to testify about working for him 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. Paul said he hadn't seen Combs since.
The Independent
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Key moments from the sixth week of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial
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 watch videos of 'freak-off' sex marathons they had heard so much about 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. A juror is ejected from the panel by a judge who questions whether he has an agenda 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. A defense lawyer predicts a presentation measured in hours rather than days 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. Another former Combs' employee requires immunity to testify about working for him 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. Paul said he hadn't seen Combs since.
CNA
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer complains about trial secrecy as a famous rapper's name goes unmentioned
A lawyer for Sean 'Diddy' Combs protested the rising tide of secrecy at the hip-hop icon's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial on Thursday (Jun 12) after Combs and the public were excluded from arguments over whether another famous rapper's name could be disclosed. Defence attorney Marc Agnifilo complained to Judge Arun Subramanian after Combs was excluded from a meeting outside the courtroom between lawyers and the judge. That meeting delayed the final day of weeklong testimony from a woman identified in court only by the pseudonym 'Jane', who dated Combs from 2001 until his September arrest. When her emotional testimony ended, she hugged a prosecutor, Maureen Comey, in front of the jury, which would have drawn an outcry from the defence except she hugged defence attorney Teny Geragos too. Her testimony likely helped both sides. She admitted still loving Combs, but she said she now resents that she felt forced to have sex with strangers to satisfy his sexual fantasies. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that carry a potential prison sentence of 15 years to life in prison. Prosecutors say he used fame, fortune, violence and threats to manipulate girlfriends into sex with paid sex workers in multi-day events that they later regretted. Defence attorneys say the government is prosecuting consensual sex between adults. Under cross-examination by Geragos, Jane testified Thursday that she flew to Las Vegas in January 2023 with a famous rapper and his girlfriend. Geragos didn't identify the rapper but asked Jane if he had recorded with Combs, 'an individual at the top of the music industry as well ... an icon in the music industry'. She also asked if Combs and the rapper were 'really close'. 'Yes,' Jane replied. Once in Las Vegas, Jane testified, she went with a group including the rapper to dinner, a strip club and a hotel room party, where a sex worker had sex with a woman while a half-dozen others watched. She said there was dancing and the rapper said, 'hey beautiful', and told her he'd always wanted to have sex with her. Jane said she didn't recall exactly when but she flashed her breasts while dancing. The testimony followed the closed-door session Thursday, when lawyers discussed what facts could be disclosed about the hotel room encounter. Agnifilo said the need for a public trial was 'an important issue, a constitutional issue' and objected to so much happening out of the earshot of his client. In response, the judge offered more secrecy, saying 'If your client wishes to be heard ... we can clear this courtroom if need be to address it.' Agnifilo rejected the offer. 'Part of the reason trials are fully public is so if other people realise they know something about an event discussed in a public courtroom, they can come forward and share their recollection of it,' the lawyer said, adding: 'That is kind of the practical side of the constitutional right to a public trial.' A monitor that is used to show exhibits to spectators has been shut off throughout Jane's testimony, although lawyers, the judge, Combs and jurors can view them. Some sidebar conversations between lawyers and the judge have been sealed. The judge also has banned the public from viewing any exhibits containing sexual content, even though the defence has said images from the group sex episodes proves they were consensual acts between adults, and not proof of crimes. And many of the letters to the judge from lawyers each day are filed under seal, preventing the public from quickly knowing, for instance, the details about why prosecutors want a black juror ejected from the jury in mid-trial. The judge has said he'll decide the juror's fate Friday. Defence attorney Alexandra Shapiro has called the prosecution's quest a 'thinly veiled effort to dismiss a black juror'. Jane and Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, who testified for four days in the trial's first week about her relationship with Combs from 2007 through 2018, both said they participated in the sex marathons for years, with Cassie calling them 'freak-off' nights and Jane referring to them as 'hotel nights'. Agnifilo said the defence consented to Jane testifying with a pseudonym but did not consent to other events related to her testimony and the testimony of other witnesses not being public.
BreakingNews.ie
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Combs' lawyer complains about secrecy as famous rapper's name goes unmentioned
A lawyer for Sean 'Diddy' Combs protested at the rising tide of secrecy at the hip-hop star's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial on Thursday, after Combs and the public were excluded from lengthy arguments over whether another famous rapper's name could be disclosed. Defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo complained to Judge Arun Subramanian after Combs was left out of an hour-long meeting in a private room outside the New York court, where lawyers and the judge discussed a hotel room 'event' in January 2024. Advertisement That meeting added a two-hour delay to the start of the sixth and final day of evidence from a woman identified in court only by the pseudonym 'Jane', who dated Combs from 2001 until his arrest last September. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that carry a potential prison sentence of 15 years to life in prison if he is convicted. Prosecutors say he used his fame, fortune, violence and threats to manipulate girlfriends into sex with paid sex workers in multi-day events that they later said they regretted. Defence lawyers say the government is trying to prosecute consensual sex between adults. Advertisement Under cross-examination, Jane said on Thursday that she flew to Las Vegas in January 2023 with a famous rapper and his girlfriend. Defence lawyer Teny Geragos did not identify the rapper, but asked Jane if he was 'an individual at the top of the music industry as well, an icon in the music industry?' 'Yes,' Jane replied. Once in Las Vegas, Jane said, she went with a group including the rapper to dinner, a strip club and then a hotel room party, where a sex worker had sex with a woman while half a dozen others in the room watched. Advertisement She said there was dancing in the room and the rapper said, 'hey beautiful', and told her that he had always wanted to have sex with her. Jane said she did not recall exactly when she did it, but said she flashed her breasts in the room as she danced. The evidence came soon after the closed-door session on Thursday, when lawyers discussed what facts could be disclosed about the hotel room encounter. Mr Agnifilo said the need for a public trial was 'an important issue, a constitutional issue' and objected to so much happening out of the earshot of his client. Advertisement In response, the judge offered more secrecy, saying: 'If your client wishes to be heard, we can clear this courtroom if need be to address it.' Sean 'Diddy' Combs in Los Angeles in 2022 (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP) Mr Agnifilo turned down the offer. 'Part of the reason trials are fully public is so if other people realise they know something about an event discussed in a public courtroom, they can come forward and share their recollection of it,' the lawyer said. He added: 'That is kind of the practical side of the constitutional right to a public trial.' Advertisement A monitor that is used to show exhibits to spectators has been shut off throughout Jane's evidence, although lawyers, the judge, Combs and jurors can view them. Some sidebar conversations between lawyers and the judge during the evidence have been sealed. The judge also has banned the public from viewing any exhibits containing sexual content, even though the defence has said images from the group sex episodes proves they were consensual acts between adults, and not proof of crimes. And many of the letters to the judge from lawyers each day are filed under seal, preventing the public from quickly knowing, for instance, the grounds under which prosecutors are trying to get a black juror ejected from the jury in mid-trial. The judge has said he will rule on the request on Friday. Defence lawyer Alexandra Shapiro has called the prosecution's effort a 'thinly veiled effort to dismiss a black juror'. Jane and Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, who gave evidence for four days in the trial's first week about her relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018, both said they took part in the sex marathons for years, with Cassie calling them 'freak-off' nights and Jane referring to them as 'hotel nights'. Mr Agnifilo said the defence consented to Jane giving evidence with a pseudonym but did not consent to other events related to her evidence and the evidence of other witnesses not being public. Assistant US attorney Maureen Comey attacked Mr Agnifilo's rationale for disclosing more information publicly with the risk that it would be easier for someone to guess Jane's identity, saying it was an 'attempt to harass and intimidate this witness'.
CNN
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘Jane' to return to the stand in Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' trial
Update: Date: 3 min ago Title: Judge and attorneys meet in robing room Content: Judge Arun Subramanian, lead counsel and Jane's attorney are now meeting in the judge's robing room. Update: Date: 7 min ago Title: Judge bars defense from playing Combs' December 2023 audio message to Jane for jury Content: Defense attorney Teny Geragos sought to play for the jury an audio message Sean 'Diddy' Combs sent to Jane, one of his accusers testifying under a pseudonym, in December 2023, in which he said he never knew how she felt about 'hotel nights.' Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey argued that by December 2023, after Cassie Ventura's lawsuit became public, Combs was aware of the record he was creating in his communications with Jane and may have been crafting a self-serving false narrative in the recording. Judge Arun Subramanian ruled that the recording cannot be admitted, but Geragos may ask Jane what Combs told her about his awareness of her feelings regarding 'hotel nights' in December 2023. Update: Date: 1 min ago Title: Lawyers debate text messages before jury comes in Content: Before the jurors come in, the lawyers are debating more text messages that defense attorney Teny Geragos wants to show the jury. Those messages are between Sean 'Diddy' Combs and 'Jane,' one of Combs' accusers who is testifying under a pseudonym and is expected to get back on the stand today under cross-examination. This will be Jane's sixth day on the stand. Jane, who dated Combs from 2021 to 2024 and is referred to in Combs' indictment as 'Victim-2,' began testimony under direct examination by the prosecution on June 5. Cross-examination of Jane began Tuesday. Update: Date: 40 min ago Title: Judge is on the bench Content: Judge Arun Subramanian is now on the bench ahead of today's testimony. Update: Date: 1 hr 2 min ago Title: Here's what happened in court yesterday Content: 'Jane,' one of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' accusers who is testifying under a pseudonym, continued her cross-examination yesterday. Before the jury was seated, the judge said he is considering whether to dismiss juror No. 6 and that he'll handle the issue tomorrow after hearing from both sides. The prosecutors said that upon review, they found there 'appeared to be a lack of candor with the court' from the juror. Here's what Jane said. Jane's cross-examination is expected to continue this morning.
