Judge threatens to ban Diddy from courtroom
Sean 'Diddy' Combs was reprimanded in federal court Thursday after the presiding judge warned that the music mogul could be barred from the courtroom for allegedly trying to influence the jury.
Judge Arun Subramanian told the court that Combs had been 'vigorously nodding' and making expressive gestures toward jurors during the testimony of Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. The judge called the behavior 'absolutely unacceptable.' In response, Combs' legal team assured the court it would not happen again.
Bongolan is one of several witnesses testifying in the case, where Combs faces multiple charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
During her cross-examination, defense attorneys pressed her over inconsistencies in her prior statements regarding an alleged 2016 incident, in which she said Combs assaulted and threatened her on a balcony. Defense lawyer Nicole Westmoreland suggested Bongolan had exaggerated or fabricated elements of her story, including a claim of sexual assault that first appeared in legal correspondence and a lawsuit.
"You came in here and lied to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury," Westmoreland said during questioning.
"I can't agree with you," Bongolan replied.
To counter the defense's efforts to discredit Bongolan, prosecutors presented a text message from Ventura dated Sept. 30, 2016, in which she recounted Combs allegedly entering her apartment at night, choking Bongolan, and threatening to throw her off a balcony.
In a separate testimony, a woman referred to in court as 'Jane' took the stand to share her experience dating Combs between 2021 and 2024. She recounted the early phase of the relationship as glamorous and emotionally intense, with trips to luxury destinations such as Miami, the Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos. But that quickly shifted.
Jane told the jury about what prosecutors have described as 'hotel nights'—occasions in which Combs allegedly arranged for her to have sex with other men while he watched. The first such incident, she said, happened in Miami in May 2021.
"That night opened a Pandora's box in our relationship," she testified. "It was a door I was unable to shut for the rest of the relationship. There was so much of it after, and it was too much."
Jane claimed she often felt compelled to comply, despite voicing her discomfort multiple times. 'I just really loved him at that point and wanted to make him happy,' she said, though she later added, 'I felt frustrated. I felt just obligated.'
Starting in 2023, Combs allegedly began paying USD 10,000 a month to cover her housing expenses. Jane testified that the financial arrangement came with implied strings attached: Combs had made it clear he would not support a woman he was not involved with.
She also testified that Combs regularly supplied her with ecstasy, cocaine, and ketamine, substances she said she used during their encounters and 'hotel nights.'
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