The Manhattan judge presiding over Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial dismissed a man from the jury Monday for a “lack of candor.”
During jury selection in the case, Juror No. 6 said he lived in the Bronx, but in a recent offhand conversation with a court security officer from the jury department, he indicated he had moved in with his girlfriend in New Jersey. Prosecutors notified the court about the inconsistencies last week.
On Friday, federal court judge Arun Subramanian said the man, when probed about the discrepancies, shaded “answers or [tried] to provide an explanation in an attempt to stay on the jury.” Subramanian said Monday there were no circumstances that could restore his confidence.
“The juror started by saying that he had moved to New Jersey, moved in with his girlfriend, and that that is where he was staying for the last couple of weeks. And also saying that he stays there most of the time,” Subramanian said Friday.
“After the break, when the parties were discussing what further inquiry was appropriate, the juror said that actually he was spending four to five nights in his New York apartment, mostly during the week.”
Combs’ team had argued for keeping the man on the case, accusing the prosecution of trying to get him booted from the panel because he was Black. Subramanian did not entertain the argument, saying Friday it had “absolutely zero” basis.
“And so 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,” the judge said.
The juror was replaced with an alternate, a white man.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs. (Getty)
The feds are nearing the end of their case against Combs, 55, who could face decades in prison if convicted of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, transporting individuals for prostitution, and related counts. He’s pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office says that behind the veil of Combs’ larger-than-life public persona, he was for years brutalizing vulnerable women and coercing them into marathon sex parties dubbed “freak-offs.”
Prosecutors say he did so with assistance from members of a criminal enterprise, who, through crimes like arson and kidnapping, helped to keep his victims compliant and provoke fear in anyone perceived to threaten his power and control.
Jurors have heard from three women who say Combs sexually exploited them — two of them in “freak offs” — and subjected them to habitual violence. Staff members have testified about moving drugs for the mogul and setting up and cleaning hotel rooms where the sordid sex sessions occurred.
They’ve heard multiple references to the mogul’s assistant Kristina Khorram, including allegations she moved drugs for him, kept tabs on his victims, and sought to bury evidence of his crimes, like hotel footage of him beating Ventura. Law enforcement witnesses have testified about recovering AR-15s at Combs’ residences, ammunition, and copious amounts of baby oil and narcotics.
This story will be updated.
Originally Published: June 16, 2025 at 12:08 PM EDT
