Sean “Diddy” Combs admitted that he was a “little nervous” as he approaches his criminal trial, while the hip-hop magnate looked in the eyes of potential jurors who will make a verdict on sex traffic and racketeering accusations against him.
The founder of Bad Boy Entertainment made the confession of the American district judge Arun Subramanian earlier this week after his team asked for a quick bathroom break on the first day of questioning potential jurors on their history.
Prosecutors of the South New York district said that for decades, Combs used its $ 1 billion Empire as a criminal company which included acts of criminal fire, corruption, kidnapping and sex trafficking of two friends between 2009 and 2024. Combs.
Combs took front with a quick trial, rejecting a plea agreement for prosecutors disclosed last month. He strengthened his already stacked criminal defense team, adding three other lawyers to his list of stars, including the lawyer for Young Thug, Brian Steel, who helped secure the rapper of Atlanta a favorable agreement in a case of Rico separated last October.
Handedless since his arrest in September, Combs has undergone a radical change of appearance. The age of 55 is completely gray and it has a matching goat. Instead of its generally perfectly adapted feeding combinations, impose dark sunglasses and heavy diamond accessories, the combs only have access to five buttoned shirts, five pants, five sweaters and two shoes dressed without laces. Raising in court, the combat pants have grown slightly because it is not able to wear a belt, because it could be used as a potential weapon.
But despite his initial nerves, Combs seemed in a good mood throughout the week. He hugged and discussed with his lawyers and agitated his self-written “Godbrother”, the music producer Charlucci Finney, who arrived in court with a hooded sweatshirt “Free Puff”.
Here are the main highlights of this week’s jury selection:
Final selection of the delayed jury
After the prosecutors’ defense team agreed to meet on Friday morning to reduce the remaining 43 jurors to 12 jurors and six substitutes, the last section was postponed until Monday morning.
The two lawyers for judge Subramanian and Combs said they were concerned about the fact that some jurors could obtain “cold feet” during the weekend and ask to be excused from the high-level celebrity affair. The two parties will select the last members of the jury on Monday before immediately presenting the opening arguments.
Combs was actively involved in the jury selection process, whispering and conferring its lawyers. He rocked his head in disapproval when a potential juror admitted to having watched a recent documentary about him, laughs when a man admitted that he would find it difficult to pass the whole trial without using marijuana and nodded when he approved some people, including a 30 -year -old woman who was arrested for the display of a Harry Potter World wand.
Celebrities names
Usually, an unanswered process, the jury selection made the headlines in the first minutes of the first seated juror. Before the potential jurors entered the courtroom, they received a long list of names, entities and places that can be mentioned in the trial. The jurors were invited to consult the list in case they had a personal link with the person, the company or the place.
The first juror told judge Subramanian that he had recognized Michael B. Jordan and Mike Myers on the list, later clarifying that he did not personally know the actors, only that they were famous.
Throughout the day, the jurors have continuously mentioned that they had recognized Jordan’s name. Roller Confirmed that Jordan will not be called as a witness in the trial. Roller Also learned that Jordan’s ex-girlfriend and Combs, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, spent time together in 2015 and that he referred to the continuation of Ventura in November 2023 against Combs.
During a break in the combines relationship with the R&B singer, Ventura “started a flirtatious relationship with an actor” – now revealed to be Jordan – in 2015, according to his trial. When Combs discovered it, he “called the actor and threatened him”.
“The actor called Ms. Ventura and said to him:” You really have to call (Mr. Combs), “said Ventura’s trial. (A representative of Jordan refused to comment on the file. Combs had previously denied charges in the Ventura trial, which was settled in the day of his case.)
Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Yung Miami, Michelle Williams by Destiny Child, actress Lauren London, songwriter Dallas Austin, former CEO of Bad Boy Entertainment, Harve Pierre, and the role of Aubrey O’Day by Danity Kane, if the notable name can play in the trial. (Kid Cudi, Richard and O’Day have already been linked to accusations and prosecution involving combs.)
“An overwhelming evidence”
It was almost impossible to find jurors who had not seen or read news concerning Combs and its criminal case. Even those who said that they generally did not follow the news of celebrities said that they had been exposed to reports via a spouse obsessed with TMZ, group discussions with friends, by scrolling social networks and “cooler speeches” among colleagues.
At least two potential jurors admitted to having reacted on social networks in the same on Combs, with a woman saying that she had liked an actor’s position jokingly on the dozens of bottles of baby oil found in combat houses that would have been used during breakdowns.
When pressed by the prosecutors’ defense team and combat on what they had heard or read on the case, many jurors said they saw Video Video Video Sequences in 2016. A potential juror described it as “overwhelming proof” before it was hit the pool for the cause. The video should play a dominant role during the test. Combs’ principal lawyer Marc Agnifilo said it was “most important” proof and opposed potential jurors who had seen the video and trained a negative opinion on the Combres.
However, all the jurors who would be sworn in on Monday told court that they could put everything they could have heard about the case and be impartial when they listened to the government’s evidence against Combs.
‘Victim-3’ Mia
Combs won a last-minute victory when the prosecutors said they no longer planned to present certain evidence related to a woman identified as a victim-3 in the indictment. Earlier this year, Combs filed a request to prevent some of these evidence from the trial, arguing that “” has no impact on the accused offenses “.
We do not know the exact scope of the role of the victim-3 in the case. However, it was mentioned in the accusation act replaced in January under transport to engage in accusations of prostitution. The prosecutors also said that the experience of the victim-3 was a statement of racketeering and that Combs would have forced him to sexual acts.
This week, the prosecutors reported to the judge that despite the victim-3 saying that she would testify under her real name, they suddenly had trouble getting in touch with the woman, as well as her lawyer. It is still not known if the victim-3 will testify in court.
The judge rumbles and makes jokes
Subramanian did his best to keep the atmosphere light, make jokes and rifle with potential jurors. When a juror said that she had been arrested for the display flight of Harry Potter World, an amused subramanian asked what she had taken. “A wand,” she replied.
Subramanian has taken a more serious tone when he reprimanded the Combres defense team after prosecutors complained about the comments that fame for celebrity Mark Geragos made on his podcast 2 angry men With Harvey Levin de Tmz. Geragos – whose daughter Teny is co -avocate for Combs – has not officially seized in the criminal case, but he advises combs. During the episode of the Podcast, Geragos said that the prosecutor’s team – six women – seemed to “continue a cause”.
During a private conversation on Tuesday, Subramanian urged Geragos, warning him of making new, similar comments. “I think that referring to the accusation in this case as” six pack of white women “is scandalous,” said Subramanian, according to a transcription obtained by the New York Post. “This would not be tolerated in any court of a lawyer anywhere across the country.”
Subramanian warned that he will continue to listen to the podcast in case Geragos makes other incendiary remarks, but Geragos has been introduced. “As long as you subscribe, I am absolutely for that,” replied Geragos.
The coming week
After the conclusion of the jury selection on Monday morning, the opening declarations will launch what should be an eight -week intensive trial. During the first week, the days will start at 9:00 a.m. and will end at 5 p.m., before being shortened at 3 p.m. in the following weeks.
The prosecutors did not disclose the names of witnesses who testify, but they informed the court that they expected to put first “two small witnesses” on the stand, with one of these witnesses described as a male escort. A third witness “sensitive to time” will follow and their testimony should resume the rest of the first week. It is not confirmed by who is the third witness, but the prosecutors built an important part of their case around the victim-1 AKA Ventura, who is several months in his third pregnancy.
The Ventura Bombshell sex traffic trial against Combs from November 2023 served as a roadmap for prosecutors, many alleged incidents in his trial reflecting in the indictment. She allegedly alleged that throughout his decade relationship with Combs, he controlled and was physically abusive. She said that Combs had forced her to have sex with male workers in several days and sexually fed meetings that the comb called “freak-offs”.
Combs denied the accusations of Ventura and quickly settled the trial within 24 hours.
