Sick juror derails Diddy trial as rapper's ‘drug mule' was set to testify
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' bombshell sex-trafficking trial was derailed Wednesday because of a sick juror — as the rapper's alleged 'drug mule' had been poised to begin testifying.
Manhattan federal Judge Arun Subramanian informed Combs, his lawyers and prosecutors just after 9:00 a.m. that a juror had been experiencing 'vertigo symptoms.'
'I don't see how we can proceed today,' the judge added.
4 Trial was derailed Wednesday because of a sick juror as Sean 'Diddy' Combs' alleged 'drug mule' had been set to testify against him.
REUTERS
Brendan Paul, a former college basketball player who allegedly supplied Combs with drugs — arrived in court Wednesday morning as he was slated to begin testifying as the last major witness in the prosecution's case against the hip-hop mogul.
The closely watched trial will now be on hold until Friday morning because of the Juneteenth federal holiday on Thursday.
Paul, 25, was arrested on March 26, 2024, around the same time the feds raided the Bad Boy Records founder's Miami and Los Angeles homes.
Paul was found with cocaine and marijuana candy when he was cuffed just as he was about to board Combs' plane in Miami.
The feds dropped the case against Paul in December after he completed a drug treatment diversion program.
On Tuesday, when the jurors were not in the courtroom, Paul briefly took the witness stand to plead the Fifth and exercise his right not to incriminate himself.
However, prosecutors then said they would grant him immunity if he testified truthfully in the case.
4 Paul was expected to testify as the last major prosecution witness and he is expected to testify under an immunity deal with prosecutors.
REUTERS
In a $30 million lawsuit filed by producer Rodney 'Lil Rod' Jones against Combs last year, the hooper-turned-amateur-music-producer was accused of being Combs' 'drug mule' who also supplied him with guns.
Paul — an Ohio native — played Division I basketball at Syracuse University from 2018 to 2020 before he transferred to Fairmont State University to play for a Division II team for his last two years.
The baller is expected to be the last major witness in prosecutors' case against the 'I'll Be Missing You' rapper.
After Paul, only two more law enforcement witnesses are scheduled to testify before the prosecution rests its case.
4 Combs has pleaded not guilty to sex-trafficking and racketeering charges.
REUTERS
Combs' lawyer Marc Agnifilo on Monday indicated that the defense case would last as little as two days.
He said he planned to call at least three witnesses, including two former employees of Combs and a paralegal at Agnifilo's firm.
The scheduling announcement by the attorney suggested that Combs will not testify in his own defense.
Combs, 55, is accused of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and prostitution related charges.
4 Paul was arrested last year as he was about to board Combs' plane in Miami and he was allegedly carrying cocaine and marijuana candies.
REUTERS
Prosecutors claim he forced women to have sex with male prostitutes while they were high on drugs and while he watched, recorded and pleasured himself during so-called 'freak-offs.'
Combs has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have argued that the women who partook in the drugged-and-lubed-up sex marathons were his gal pals and willing participants.
But jurors have heard testimony from two women, including Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie Ventura, that he was physically and emotionally abusive and that their participation in the sex sessions was coerced.
Combs — who has been behind bars since his September arrest — faces up to life in prison if convicted on the top charge.
With Post wires
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In February 2024, music producer and Combs' collaborator Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones Jr. mentioned Paul in his civil lawsuit against Combs that alleged sexual assault and harassment. A month later, on the afternoon of March 25, 2024 — the same day Combs' homes were raided in Miami and Los Angeles — Paul was arrested by local police at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. Per an arrest affidavit obtained by USA TODAY at the time, Florida prosecutors leveled two felony charges of possession of a controlled substance against him, alleging he'd packed cocaine and marijuana-laced candy in his luggage. "Brendan Paul: Works as Mr. Combs' Mule," Jones' lawsuit said, adding two photos of Paul and Combs together for reference. Jones claimed Paul allegedly "procured, transported and distributed" drugs including ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana and mushrooms. Jones also said Paul would acquire and distribute guns for Combs and "negotiate the fees the sex workers received and would ensure that the workers are paid" on Combs' behalf. On Dec. 17, 2024, prosecutors declined to proceed with the one outstanding charge of cocaine possession, and the case was closed. Paul had "completed a pre-trial diversion course sometimes offered for first-time offenders," his attorney told USA TODAY at the time. The videos were shown in three to four-minute increments on June 17. Jurors were all wearing earphones, and the monitors that had been used during testimony were cut off to the courtroom gallery. At one point, the gallery could hear the faint sound of heavy breathing, and the judge reminded jurors to make sure that their headphones were fully on because the microphone feed appeared to be picking up the video. Throughout the roughly 20 minutes of footage, DeLeassa Penland, a special agent for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, looked uncomfortable on the stand and at one point appeared to close her eyes and wince. Phone and text records unveiled June 17 showed Combs pleaded with former girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine to return to the Los Angeles-area hotel where surveillance footage captured him attacking her in a hallway. "I went and checked everything and spoke to security. Jules left so you're good and as long as you don't disturb the other guests, they'll leave you be," Ventura Fine texted him, referring to a sex worker they hired for an alleged "freak off." "I am about to be arrested," Combs texted Ventura Fine after she left the hotel, saying police were at the building. Records showed he called her five times in 22 minutes, but there's no evidence law enforcement was involved in the incident. Penland on June 17 provided more detail about the roles that Combs' then-chief of staff Kristina "KK" Khorram and bodyguard Damion "D-Roc" Butler played in the much-discussed 2016 incident where Combs physically assaulted Ventura Fine at a now-closed luxury hotel in Los Angeles. The evidence showed Khorram and Butler were directly involved in responding to the incident, and Khorram spoke to the hotel security in an effort to obtain video footage of the assault. For example, Khorram texted Combs' former assistant Elie Maroun, "I'm going to ask just to cover damages" after the rapper checked out of the hotel room. Butler also called Ventura Fine several times after she left the hotel. The next day, he texted Combs when Ventura Fine was eating breakfast, saying, "Her face don't look bad. She good." Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling case that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry. He was arrested in September 2024 and later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him. Diddy on trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges. Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity. Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have video of. The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings. USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates. Contributing: USA TODAY staff If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (4673) and and en Español If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.
