Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial updates: Jury shown 'freak-off' videos before court adjourns for the day
This story may contain accounts and descriptions of actual or alleged events that some readers may find disturbing.
This is week six of testimony in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs.
When court ended for the day, the defense asked Judge Arun Subramanian to explain what, if anything, the jury was told about the dismissal of juror No.6 following questions about his candor.Judge Subramanian said he would find out and inform the parties before court begins on Tuesday.The judge did not address an issue with a second juror, which was the subject of a discussion when the courtroom was briefly closed to the public Friday.The issue was not disclosed but involves alleged 'communications with his former colleague' regarding his jury service, according to a letter from prosecutors.The jury donned headphones and spectator screens went dark while the prosecution played excerpts of "freak-off" videos for the jury.The videos were taken from a laptop turned over to prosecutors by Cassie Ventura, Sean Combs' former girlfriend.The jury saw the footage after federal prosecutors sought to establish Ventura's presence in hotels in New York City, to which they say travel was also arranged for male escorts for the purpose of participating in "freak-off" sex encounters.One video lasted 39 minutes, 10 seconds, though the jury saw only a portion.The jury also was shown a text exchange from 2013 between Combs and Ventura in which he texted, 'Want to celebrate Christmas and have a 'freak-off?''The prosecution also presented subsequent text messages that summoned four escorts to the L'Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.Court has adjourned for the day.Credit card statements presented by the prosecution showed that Sean Combs used his American Express card to pay for Cassie Ventura and a male escort, Jules Theodore, to fly separately to New York in December 2009.The jury saw a bank statement that encompassed the entirety of the bill. The account holder is Bad Boy Entertainment Worldwide.Federal prosecutors contend that Combs intermingled his business and his personal interests as part of an alleged criminal enterprise that he has denied.The jury also saw a series of messages and invoices from October 2012. Bad Boy Entertainment was listed on the travel invoice for a ticket to New York for former Combs girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Prosecutors also presented a reservation at the Trump International Hotel in Columbus Circle which was made under the name Janet Clark, an alias for Ventura seen in text messages.'Janet Clark 408,' Ventura messaged an escort known as The Punisher, asking him to arrive at 3:30 a.m.Combs messaged Ventura, 'You ready for tonight' and Ventura messaged back 'I just gta get stuff.''You had all day,' Combs' reply said. 'It's always something.'A summary witness for the prosecution, SDNY Special Agent DeLeassa Penland, is showing the jury a series of text messages, emails and documents pulled from one of Sean Combs' electronic devices that they say relate to travel arrangements for a male escort named Jules, whom former Combs girlfriend Cassie Ventura has previously testified was hired to participate in so-called "freak-off" sexual encounters.
Text messages show Combs and Jules arranging a date and Combs sending him an itinerary for a Dec. 11 flight from Los Angeles to New York and instructions for 'pickup inside baggage claim to London Hotel.'An email from Combs shows him telling someone at his company to book the flight.The court is now taking a lunch break.Prosecutors have said they may rest their case as soon as Wednesday. Once they do, the defense has signaled it has as many as three witnesses lined up to testify beginning Friday, with additional witnesses possible. Among the first defense witnesses expected to be called is Vashta Dunlap, who was a vice president at Combs' company, Bad Boy Entertainment.On cross-examination of the government's first summary witness, paralegal Ananya Sankar, defense attorney Teny Geragos highlighted messages that the defense contends downplay the role of Sean Combs employees in allegedly procuring drugs for him.In one such text message, Kristina Khorram, Combs' former chief of staff, said that she doesn't talk to Guido, whom the prosecution said is a drug dealer, but that Combs talks to Guido himself.
Sankar is now off the witness stand.The next witness is Special Agent DeLeassa Penland of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, who reviewed charts and data. She is a second summary witness for the prosecution.The jury is seeing more text messages that the prosecution is presenting with the intent to show how Sean Combs and his team reacted to former Combs girlfriend Cassie Ventura's lawsuit against him.Combs' former assistant, who previously testified under the pseudonym 'Mia,' told the jury that Combs' bodyguard Damian Butler, known as D-Roc, repeatedly called and texted her in the days and weeks after news of the lawsuit became public, urging her to talk to Combs.D-Roc is not testifying but a summary witness read for the court some of the call and text logs from his phone that appear to show him in close communication with Combs while he is chatting with "Mia.""Mia" testified that the outreach from D-Roc and Combs 'terrified' her. The messages appear to show that "Mia" brushed off D-Roc's repeated offers to 'send my sister a gift.'Federal prosecutors allege that Combs orchestrated a criminal enterprise with the assistance of his bodyguards to pressure witnesses like "Mia" through attempted bribery 'to stay silent and not report what they experienced or knew.'The jury is seeing and hearing a disjointed smattering of text and audio messages meant to try and reinforce testimony from other witnesses about hotel rooms, drugs and travel.Prosecutors presented one group of messages between Sean Combs' chief of staff Kristina Khorram and Combs' travel arranger Jessica Ruiz discussing a flight for "Jane," a prior witness and ex-girlfriend of Combs who testified under a pseudonym, and a male escort named Paul.Another group of messages involved discussions of paying a drug dealer, and Combs' request for 15 molly pills.Prosecutors also presented a text from one of Combs' assistants that read, 'got to reup on baby oil and s---' after receiving instructions to set up a hotel room for a "freak-off" sex session with former Combs girlfriend Cassie Ventura.The prosecution told the court that the messages were taken from electronic devices seized from Khorram, who has not testified during the trial. Khorram has denied any wrongdoing.In a 2018 exchange presented to the jury, after Ventura texted Khorram 'I can't do the violence,' Khorram messaged back, 'stay focused, not worth derailing.'The racketeering and sex trafficking trial of Sean Combs begins a sixth week of testimony today with a pair of summary witnesses meant to help the jury organize the hundreds of exhibits they have seen so far.We've been told it is possible that Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, will make another appearance early this week, as he did last Friday.The last substantive witness for the prosecution is expected to be a former assistant to Combs, Brendan Paul.Prosecutors have said they expect to rest their case as soon as Wednesday and no later than Friday. There will be no court proceedings Thursday, which is the Juneteenth federal holiday.Judge Arun Subramanian declined on Monday to change his mind about juror No.6, upholding his decision to remove the juror and replace him with an alternate.'The record raised serious concerns as to the juror's candor and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the jury,' Subramanian said. 'There's nothing the juror could say at this point to put the genie back in the bottle.'The first alternate juror is a 57-year-old architect from Westchester.The judge said he took seriously the defense concern about race -- juror No.6 is Black -- but he said, 'this jury does not raise those concerns.' He also said it is 'inappropriate to consider race' in deciding whether the juror's responses to questions about where he lived were appropriate.At the conclusion of court on Friday, Judge Subramanian dismissed juror No.6 over what he said were "inconsistencies" in statements the juror made about where he lived, saying that the alleged inconsistencies raised questions about the juror's candor and ability to follow instructions.Testimony in the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs will resume on Monday for its sixth week.Federal prosecutors have said that they expect to rest their case no later than Friday and possibly as soon as Wednesday.
Click here to read the rest of the blog.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
26 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
War-weary Syrians and Lebanese watch from the sidelines as missiles fly in Israel-Iran conflict
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — In a park overlooking Damascus, 25-year-old Khaldoun Hallak has spent the past few evenings with his friends, drinking yerba mate, snacking on nuts, smoking hookah pipes and watching the sky for missiles streaking overhead. 'We've been through 14 years of war , and this is the first time Syria has nothing to do with it and we're just spectators,' Hallak said. Since Israel launched a barrage of strikes on Iran last week and Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against Israel, neighboring countries have been in the flight path. Outside the scope Downed missiles and drones have fallen in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, damaging houses, causing fires and reportedly killing one woman in Syria. But those countries have so far not been dragged directly into the conflict — which had killed at least 224 people in Iran and 24 in Israel as of Tuesday — and many in their war-weary populations are hoping it stays that way. In Lebanon, which is still reeling from last year's war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, videos making the rounds on social media have shown revelers dancing and drinking on rooftops while projectiles flash across the sky in the background. Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group, a New York-based risk consultancy organization, happened to be visiting Lebanon when the conflict broke out and was attending a wedding when a parade of missiles began lighting up the sky as the DJ played ABBA's disco hit 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)'. He posted a video of the scene that went viral. 'Certainly most in Lebanon and also Syria are very satisfied to be outside the scope of this,' Maksad said. No longer in the spotlight, a sense of relief For some in the region, there is also measure of schadenfreude in watching the two sides exchange blows. There's a Syrian expression that literally translates as, 'The fang of a dog in the hide of a pig.' It means that two people perceived as despicable are fighting with each other. The phrase has surfaced frequently on social media as Syrians express their feelings about the Israel-Iran conflict. Watching from a park Many Syrians resented Iran's heavy-handed intervention in support of former President Bashar Assad during the country's civil war, but are also angered by Israel's incursions and airstrikes in Syria since Assad's fall. The Sunni-majority Syrian population also widely sympathizes with the Palestinians, particularly with civilians killed and displaced by the ongoing war in Gaza. 'May God set the oppressors against each other,' said Ahmad al-Hussein, 18, in Damascus, who was sitting in a park with friends waiting to see missiles pass overhead Monday night. 'I hope it continues. We've been harmed by both of them.' Hallak echoed the sentiment. 'Every time we see a missile going up, we say, may God pour gasoline on this conflict,' he said. 'If one side is hit, we will be happy, and if the other side is hit, we will also be happy. We will only be upset if there is a reconciliation between them.' In Lebanon, where last year's Israel-Hezbollah war killed more than 4,000 people, including hundreds of civilians, and left destruction in wide swathes of the country's south and east and in Beirut's southern suburbs, some see retribution in the footage of destroyed buildings in Tel Aviv. Hezbollah remains largely quiet A U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal brought an end to the latest Israel-Hezbollah war in November. The Lebanese militant group — which lost much of its senior leadership and arsenal in the conflict — has remained largely quiet since then and has given no indication that it intends to join the fray between Israel and Iran. Israeli forces have continued to occupy several border points in southern Lebanon and to carry out regular airstrikes on what Israel says are Hezbollah facilities since the ceasefire. 'Of course I am against the Israeli occupation, and Iran is an Islamic country standing up to it,' said Hussein al-Walid, 34, a welder in the southern coastal city of Sidon. Iran's axis Despite the dramatic scenes of buildings reduced to rubble in Israel, Tehran and other Iranian cities have taken a worse pounding — and other regional countries, including Lebanon, could still be pulled into the conflict. Caroline Rose, a director at the Washington-based New Lines Institute think tank said that while it seems 'clear that Iran-backed proxies across the region — particularly Hezbollah—just do not have the capacity' to enter the fray, Israel could decide to expand the scope of its offensive beyond Iran. One of the goals announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to eliminate Iran's 'axis of terrorism' — the coalition of Tehran-backed armed groups across the region known as the 'Axis of Resistance.' That goal 'is ambiguous and offers Israel the operational space to expand this war to countries it deems are hosting Iran-backed proxies, no matter how weak they may be,' Rose said. Al-Walid shrugged off the possibility of a new war in Lebanon. 'The war is already present in Lebanon,' he said. 'Israel isn't abiding by the agreement and is striking every day.' Shouts of jubilation Hassan Shreyf, a 26-year-old student from the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has a strong base of support, said that after last year's war in Lebanon and the heavy losses suffered by the militant group, many of its supporters 'were clearly anguished and didn't feel vindicated.' 'So anything, even a window breaking in Tel Aviv, is (now) a victory for them,' he said. Every time Iranian missiles pass overhead, he said, people in the area break out in shouts of jubilation. At the same time, Chreif said, 'there's always a silent group hugging the wall as we say in Arabic, treading carefully and praying we stay out of it.' ___ Abby Sewell reported from Beirut. Mohammad Zaatari contributed to this report from Sidon, Lebanon. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Associated Press
35 minutes ago
- Associated Press
War-weary Syrians and Lebanese watch from the sidelines as missiles fly in Israel-Iran conflict
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — In a park overlooking Damascus, 25-year-old Khaldoun Hallak has spent the past few evenings with his friends, drinking yerba mate, snacking on nuts, smoking hookah pipes and watching the sky for missiles streaking overhead. 'We've been through 14 years of war, and this is the first time Syria has nothing to do with it and we're just spectators,' Hallak said. Since Israel launched a barrage of strikes on Iran last week and Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against Israel, neighboring countries have been in the flight path. Outside the scope Downed missiles and drones have fallen in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, damaging houses, causing fires and reportedly killing one woman in Syria. But those countries have so far not been dragged directly into the conflict — which had killed at least 224 people in Iran and 24 in Israel as of Tuesday — and many in their war-weary populations are hoping it stays that way. In Lebanon, which is still reeling from last year's war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, videos making the rounds on social media have shown revelers dancing and drinking on rooftops while projectiles flash across the sky in the background. Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group, a New York-based risk consultancy organization, happened to be visiting Lebanon when the conflict broke out and was attending a wedding when a parade of missiles began lighting up the sky as the DJ played ABBA's disco hit 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)'. He posted a video of the scene that went viral. 'Certainly most in Lebanon and also Syria are very satisfied to be outside the scope of this,' Maksad said. No longer in the spotlight, a sense of relief For some in the region, there is also measure of schadenfreude in watching the two sides exchange blows. There's a Syrian expression that literally translates as, 'The fang of a dog in the hide of a pig.' It means that two people perceived as despicable are fighting with each other. The phrase has surfaced frequently on social media as Syrians express their feelings about the Israel-Iran conflict. Watching from a park Many Syrians resented Iran's heavy-handed intervention in support of former President Bashar Assad during the country's civil war, but are also angered by Israel's incursions and airstrikes in Syria since Assad's fall. The Sunni-majority Syrian population also widely sympathizes with the Palestinians, particularly with civilians killed and displaced by the ongoing war in Gaza. 'May God set the oppressors against each other,' said Ahmad al-Hussein, 18, in Damascus, who was sitting in a park with friends waiting to see missiles pass overhead Monday night. 'I hope it continues. We've been harmed by both of them.' Hallak echoed the sentiment. 'Every time we see a missile going up, we say, may God pour gasoline on this conflict,' he said. 'If one side is hit, we will be happy, and if the other side is hit, we will also be happy. We will only be upset if there is a reconciliation between them.' In Lebanon, where last year's Israel-Hezbollah war killed more than 4,000 people, including hundreds of civilians, and left destruction in wide swathes of the country's south and east and in Beirut's southern suburbs, some see retribution in the footage of destroyed buildings in Tel Aviv. Hezbollah remains largely quiet A U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal brought an end to the latest Israel-Hezbollah war in November. The Lebanese militant group — which lost much of its senior leadership and arsenal in the conflict — has remained largely quiet since then and has given no indication that it intends to join the fray between Israel and Iran. Israeli forces have continued to occupy several border points in southern Lebanon and to carry out regular airstrikes on what Israel says are Hezbollah facilities since the ceasefire. 'Of course I am against the Israeli occupation, and Iran is an Islamic country standing up to it,' said Hussein al-Walid, 34, a welder in the southern coastal city of Sidon. Iran's axis Despite the dramatic scenes of buildings reduced to rubble in Israel, Tehran and other Iranian cities have taken a worse pounding — and other regional countries, including Lebanon, could still be pulled into the conflict. Caroline Rose, a director at the Washington-based New Lines Institute think tank said that while it seems 'clear that Iran-backed proxies across the region — particularly Hezbollah—just do not have the capacity' to enter the fray, Israel could decide to expand the scope of its offensive beyond Iran. One of the goals announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to eliminate Iran's 'axis of terrorism' — the coalition of Tehran-backed armed groups across the region known as the 'Axis of Resistance.' That goal 'is ambiguous and offers Israel the operational space to expand this war to countries it deems are hosting Iran-backed proxies, no matter how weak they may be,' Rose said. Al-Walid shrugged off the possibility of a new war in Lebanon. 'The war is already present in Lebanon,' he said. 'Israel isn't abiding by the agreement and is striking every day.' Shouts of jubilation Hassan Shreyf, a 26-year-old student from the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has a strong base of support, said that after last year's war in Lebanon and the heavy losses suffered by the militant group, many of its supporters 'were clearly anguished and didn't feel vindicated.' 'So anything, even a window breaking in Tel Aviv, is (now) a victory for them,' he said. Every time Iranian missiles pass overhead, he said, people in the area break out in shouts of jubilation. At the same time, Chreif said, 'there's always a silent group hugging the wall as we say in Arabic, treading carefully and praying we stay out of it.' ___ Abby Sewell reported from Beirut. Mohammad Zaatari contributed to this report from Sidon, Lebanon.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Eric Dane Reveals Why His ALS Diagnosis Makes Him 'Angry' as a Dad of 2 Teenage Girls
Eric Dane is sharing what makes him angriest about his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis. In his first sit-down television interview after revealing he has ALS, the Grey's Anatomy alum, 52, was asked by Diane Sawyer for Good Morning America what makes him angry about his diagnosis. "I don't think this is the end of my story," Dane says. "I just don't feel like, in my heart, I don't feel like this is the end of me," he continues. "I'm fighting as much as I can. There's so much about it that's out of my control." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Sawyer then asks how angry the illness makes him. "Very angry. I'm angry because my father was taken from me when I was young," Dane says. "And now there's a very good chance I'm going to be taken from my girls while they are very young. I mean, I really at the end of the day just all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit, if I can." "And make sure that you tell them that you love them," Sawyer tells the actor. "Every day. Every day. They're loved. They know it," Dane says. Dane shares his daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, with wife Rebecca Gayheart. In April, the actor told PEOPLE exclusively that he'd been diagnosed with the incurable disease. "I have been diagnosed with ALS,' he shared at the time. 'I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.' 'I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week,' he told PEOPLE. 'I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time.' ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rare degenerative disease that causes progressive paralysis of the muscles. Patients first experience twitching or weakness in a limb, often followed by slurred speech. According to the Mayo Clinic, because the disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spine that control muscle movement, patients slowly lose their ability to speak, eat, walk, and breathe independently. There's no cure for ALS, and people usually live three to five years after diagnosis, according to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. However, some patients can live decades. Read the original article on People
