Judge Dismisses Juror on Sean Combs Trial

The sixth week of Sean Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial started with a dramatic moment Monday when the judge dismissed a juror whose credibility was contested after he gave inconsistent statements about where he lives.

The juror, a 41-year-old corrections officer, initially said he lived in the Bronx but then casually mentioned to court staff during trial that he recently moved to New Jersey to live with his finacée and child. When the issue was brought to the court’s attention, the man he said the move to New Jersey “may not be permanent” and that he still had a New York driver’s license and received his mail in the Bronx.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said he was concerned the man was “shading answers or trying to provide an explanation in an attempt to stay on the jury.” (According to CNN, the man said during jury selection that he was a fan of 1990s hip-hop but that he didn’t know much about the case. The alternate juror, per CNN, is a 57-year-old architect who lives with his wife and kids in Westchester County.)

Combs’ camp vigorously fought the juror’s removal. On Friday, Combs’ attorney, Xavier Donaldson, said it would be a “step backwards” to remove the Black juror. In a letter to the court filed Sunday, the defense team said Combs wanted a mistrial if the juror was excused.

“The fairness of the trial depends in part on having jurors with backgrounds similar to Mr. Combs share their perspectives on the evidence with other jurors from diverse backgrounds during deliberations,” the 14-page letter, authored by Alexandra Shapiro, said. “Removing this particular juror will deprive Mr. Combs of that important perspective and it is no answer to simply say that there are other Black jurors, or other males, on the jury.”

On Monday, Judge Subramanian said it would be “improper” to consider the race of the juror in making a decision to excuse the man, according to CNN. The judge said he took the weekend to consider the issue and that he was comfortable with his decision considering the alternate jurors were selected in a fair process agreed to by both sides.

Combs, 55, was arrested in September and has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy. If convicted as charged, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Combs’ lawyers say he was a “swinger” who indulged his “kinky” proclivities with other his longtime girlfriends. He has acknowledged he kicked and dragged Casandra “Cassie” Ventura in the hallway of the InterContinental hotel in 2016, but he vehemently denies he coerced her or another ex-girlfriend into sex trafficking.

Prosecutors claim Combs ran a criminal enterprise that manipulated the women into drug-fueled, highly orchestrated sex marathons with male escorts that Combs directed and recorded. The encounters were known as “freak-offs,” “hotel nights” and “king nights.”

Prosecutors say Combs relied on members of his inner-circle to fulfill his sexual desires through crimes including sex trafficking, physical assault, threats, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.