Diddy Trial Juror Dismissed by Judge Over Residency Issue
Diddy's federal jury in NYC is bringing in an alternate ... because a juror has just been dismissed by the judge after hearing more than three weeks of testimony.
Judge Arun Subramanian dismissed Juror Number 6 Monday morning after hearing arguments from the prosecution and the defense regarding where the juror lives.
While the jury was out of the room Friday, the judge explained he went back to the voir dire portion of the trial and found this juror had said at different times that he lives in the Bronx, at other times in New Jersey.
The judge added the court has alternate jurors for a reason -- and, there's no point in keeping one around with so many question marks attached.
The alternate juror replacing Number 6 is a 57-year-old Westchester County resident.
Friday, Diddy's attorney Xavier Donaldson stood up and said the court was taking a big step backward by getting rid of a juror of color ... asking the judge to bring him back into the court to give him the chance to explain.
During the jury selection phase, Juror No. 6 revealed he was a 41-year-old Black Hispanic man who works for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. One of the main reasons the defense said they didn't want him dismissed is because he's one of the few Black jurors.
He's the head accountant clerk at Edgecombe Correctional Facility -- a prison in Upper Manhattan. He told the court he processes payroll for corrections guards.
Juror No. 6 had his fair share of legal issues before the trial ... suing and later settling with the Port Authority after allegedly injuring his back on an escalator.
He also said he was arrested for insurance fraud related to a doctor's appointment after a car accident.
Despite living in the Bronx, Juror No. 6 apparently isn't a New York Yankees fan ... telling the court he roots for the New York Mets instead. He's a fan of reggaeton music and '90s hip hop.
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Sean 'Diddy' Combs probably won't testify as defense says its case could be less than 2 days
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CNN reached out to Watkins and his former representatives for comment. Watkins, like others once close to Combs, has seemingly moved on. Watkins married and had kids. His infrequent social media presence is a collection of tributes to other entertainment artists, sponsored posts from brands like Lego and the occasional inspirational message. 'How your life feels is much more important than how it looks,' an Instagram post from Watkins, shared last year, reads. Of course, Watkins' time in Combs' circle was, at least then, very important to him. It was Watkins' distinct style - tailored three-piece suits and colorful ties - that sparked his introduction to Combs. During a 'Shade 45 Morning Show' conversation in 2009, Watkins recalled bumping into Combs at events around 2001 in New York City, where Watkins had moved from Atlanta and was then working at Ralph Lauren's flagship store. The two would talk fashion and those interactions led to them exchanging numbers. Watkins decided to appeal to the entrepreneur's shared sense of ambition, he said. (Combs had clawed his way up himself by leaving Howard University to intern for Uptown Records). 'I just picked up the pager (and wrote), 'You remember that guy that traveled from Howard University to intern with (Uptown Records head) Andre Harrell? I'm that guy in 2001,'' Watkins told the radio show's host Angela Yee. Combs told him to come to work and sent him an address, according to Watkins. 'I literally started training that day as his assistant,' he added. 'The rest is history.' There may not be anyone more visibly linked to Combs at the height of his success and the tabloid culture of the early 2000s than Watkins. 'Fonzworth Bentley' was a nickname from Combs and one of his associates that became a public persona, as Watkins was photographed with Combs at events and appeared on the MTV reality show 'Making the Band 2.' He was also deridingly compared in some press to a 'manservant,' a term Watkins disliked. Critics of their professional dynamic believed seeing Watkins 'subservient' to the mogul was a painful reminder of a time when those types of positions were all that were available to African Americans. In a 2004 interview with the New York Times, Watkins brushed off the criticism as handedly as he would lint on a lapel. 'A pioneer always looks crazy until he finds dry land,' he told the publication. 'He was never a manservant. He had a very respectable job, and when he held up an umbrella for me, that was his idea, because it's entertainment,' Combs said in a 2017 interview. 'And he knows I don't like to get hot.' Watkins' post-assistant projects included hosting MTV's 'From G's to Gents,' a makeover series for aspiring gentlemen. He appeared in rap duo OutKast's 'The Way You Move' and 'Roses' music videos and had a small role in the 2006 film 'Idlewild.' Watkins also had parts in the movies 'Honey' and 'Fat Albert.' He launched a line of high-end umbrellas and authored the etiquette book, 'Advance Your Swagger: How to Use Manners, Confidence and Style to Get Ahead.' His former boss helped influence him getting into the music industry. Watkins rapped on Da Band's 2002 album 'Too Hot for TV' and in a skit on Outkast's famed album 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.' He released his debut album 'C.O.L.O.U.R.S' in 2011, but it was Kanye West who gave him the most visibility in the music industry. West featured Watkins on his album 'The College Dropout' and gave him a songwriting credit on the 2013 album 'Yeezus.' He has continued contributing to creative projects in the entertainment industry, more recently on shows like 'Black-ish.' In a 2022 interview with Forbes, Watkins described how he works with fellow artists. 'It's really about listening and being aware, and being present, but also being able to understand that artist and understand their fears and insecurities,' Watkins said. 'It's also about being able to see something in them that they may not see in themselves that I help unearth.' He also reflected on his time working for Combs two decades prior. 'How Sean Combs runs his life is like a consigliere,' Watkins said. 'He really does live like the 'Godfather, Part II.'' CNN's Eric Levenson, Lauren del Valle, Nicki Brown and Kara Scannell contributed to this report.
