NEW YORK (Reuters) -The jury in Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trialon Monday asked the judge overseeing the case for guidance as to what to do about one juror who they warned may not be able to follow the judge's instructions about the law.
About two hours after the jury began deliberating in Manhattan federal court, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian asked prosecutors and Combs' defense lawyers for their suggestions on what he should do in response to the jury note.
The note, which Subramanian read aloud in open court, read in part, "We have a juror, number 25, who we are concerned cannot follow your honor's instructions."
The note did not elaborate on which instructions the juror cannot follow. The jurors are anonymous, which is not the norm in U.S. criminal trials but is common in high-profile cases in which jurors could face harassment or threats.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and two counts each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. A former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture, Combs could be sentenced to life behind bars if convicted on all five counts.
Over more than six weeks of testimony, two of Combs' former girlfriends - the rhythm and blues singerCasandra "Cassie" Venturaand a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane - toldjurors that he forced them to take part in the performances with paid male escorts, sometimes known as "Freak Offs," while he watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed.
Both women testified that Combs beat them, and jurors saw a hotelsurveillance videoshowing Combs attacking Ventura in a hallway in 2016.
"Cassie repeatedly told you that the defendant's violence was in the back of her mind whenever he proposed a Freak Off," prosecutor Christy Slavik said in herclosing argumenton Thursday. "The whole point was to control Cassie, to make her afraid to say no to the defendant. And it worked."
Combs' lawyersacknowledgedthat he was at times violent in domestic relationships, but argued that Ventura and Jane took part consensually in the performances. During cross-examination, the defense highlighted tender and sexually explicit text messages the women sent Combs over the course of their years-long relationships with him.
"If he was charged with domestic violence, we wouldn't all be here," defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said during hisclosing argumenton Friday. "He did not do the things he's charged with."
The founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs lived a lavish lifestyle in his Miami and Los Angeles mansions and was feted for turning artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars.
He has been held in federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Alistair Bell, Mark Porter and Marguerita Choy)
