On Wednesday, New York federal prosecutors asked the court to remove a presiding juror in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial.
According to NBC, prosecutors first sought to have Juror #6 step down during Tuesday’s court proceedings, which transpired while the jury was not present. Prosecutor Maurene Comey said “a lack of candor with the court” was their reason for seeking the juror’s removal, though specifics were not provided.
Combs’ attorneys have contested the motion — with Alexandra Shapiro calling it a “thinly veiled effort” to oust a Black juror, CNN reported.
Judge Arun Subramanian said he will address the issue on Thursday.
The defense’s cross-examination of Combs’ ex-girlfriend will continue on Thursday. The accuser, who is using the pseudonym “Jane,” dated Combs from 2021 to 2024, said Combs forced her to have sex with other men while he watched. Combs allegedly also insisted that protection was not used during these encounters, which Jane described as “hotel nights.”
Jane is one of three victims who have accused Combs of physical or sexual abuse. Ventura, who dated Combs from 2007 to 2018, previously testified that Combs “stifled” her music career while forcing her to participate in “freak offs,” which often entailed her having sex with other men in Combs’ presence. Ventura said the drug-fueled ordeals left her sleep-deprived and dehydrated, as they would last for days on end.
Another victim, who used the alias “Mia,” worked as Combs’ assistant for eight years. She accused Combs of forcing her to perform oral sex and sneaking into her bed to penetrate her without her consent. She also claimed Combs hurled objects at her and threw her against a wall.
Combs was arrested on September 16, 2024, outside a Manhattan hotel on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has been denied bail three times, as Judge Andrew L. Carter determined there was a “serious risk” of witness tampering in this case.
Federal authorities raided Combs’ homes in Holmby Hills, California, and Miami in March 2024. Reports indicated that the raids were connected to an ongoing sex trafficking investigation that resulted in his arrest months later.
The raids also occurred four months after Ventura accused him of sex trafficking and abuse. In a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, she alleged that Combs drugged her and forced her to have sex with other men. The pair settled the lawsuit a day after its filing.
However, in May 2024, CNN publicized hotel surveillance footage allegedly showing Combs assaulting Ventura. Two days later, Combs released a video expressing remorse for his behavior.
“I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry,” he said.
Two more accusers came forward a week after Ventura’s lawsuit. One of the women claimed Combs drugged and raped her at Syracuse University in New York in 1991. Combs denied those allegations before a third accuser, Liza Gardner, levied similar allegations against him.
Days after footage of the Ventura assault was publicized, two more women filed lawsuits against Combs. One of those women was April Lampros, a New York Fashion Institute of Technology student who reportedly met Combs in 1994. Lampros accused Combs of sexually assaulting her on four occasions between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s.
Combs has been accused of committing or facilitating sexual abuse in at least 30 other lawsuits — including one, filed in October, which alleges he and Jay-Z raped a 13-year-old girl in New York in 2000. The accuser in that case had her lawsuit dismissed in February.
Combs turned down a plea deal days before jury selection began. His trial is expected to last two months.
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[Feature Photo: Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File]
