A juror has been dismissed from Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ trial after he was accused of giving inconsistent answers about his residency during jury selection
A juror in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ trial has been dismissed after over a month of the rapper’s high-profile federal trial on charges that include racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, following concerns about his honesty.
Lead prosecutor Maurene Comey had raised issues last week calling for a dismissal due to a “lack of candour” from the juror.
Initially hesitant, US District Judge Arun Subramanian later determined the 41 year old male juror was not forthright about where he lived, having given conflicting statements regarding his residence in both the Bronx and New Jersey.
Judge Subramanian expressed reservations, commenting that he had “concerns about his candour and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the panel.”
Jurors partaking in the trial, located in Manhattan, must be residents from the Southern District of New York, encompassing Manhattan, the Bronx, and parts of the Hudson Valley.
Subsequently, the judge ruled that the juror be relieved of duty, appointing an alternate— a 57 year old white architect from Westchester County — in his stead.
Combs’ defence team, however, objected to the removal; one of his solicitors, Alexandra Shapiro, considered it a “thinly veiled effort to dismiss” a Black juror, while fellow counsel Xavier Donaldson contended that this change would result in a less diverse jury.
The identities of the jurors – a mix of eight men and four women whose ages range from their 30s to their 70s – are being kept under wraps. In addition, six alternate jurors were picked comprising four men and two women.
Sean Combs, better known as the founder of Bad Boy records, has strenuously denied any involvement in crimes of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution, pleading not guilty to all charges.
The potential penalties for these allegations are severe, with Combs facing anywhere from 15 years to a lifetime behind bars if found guilty.
Tensions rose earlier this month when the presiding judge gave a stark warning to Diddy during proceedings, admonishing him for an alleged attempt to communicate non-verbally with the jury by nodding at them during Bryana Bongolan’s testimony, a friend of his former partner Cassie Ventura.
With the jury absent from the courtroom over lunch, Judge Subramanian pointedly addressed Combs’ legal representative: “I was very clear there should be no facial expressions to the jury, and I could not have been clearer.
“There was a line of questioning where your client was nodding vigorously and looking at the jury … [This was] absolutely unacceptable.
“This can’t continue or I will give a limiting instruction you won’t like, or other measures including barring your client from the courtroom. Do you understand?”.
Marc Agnifilo, who is representing Combs, assured the judge that such conduct would cease immediately.
