Latest news with #JudgeSubramanian
CNN
3 days ago
- CNN
Judge denies Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' second request for mistrial, likens cross-examination to ‘Perry Mason moment'
The judge overseeing Sean 'Diddy' Combs' criminal trial has denied the defense's second request for a mistrial over their claims of 'prosecutorial misconduct.' Over the weekend, defense attorneys for Combs filed a letter renewing their request for a mistrial, accusing the prosecution of presenting false testimony from witness Bryana Bongolan, a close friend of Cassie Ventura who testified last week that Combs once dangled her over the 17th floor balcony at Ventura's home in 2016. Judge Arun Subramanian ruled on Tuesday that the defense was not prejudiced by Bongolan's testimony because they were able to conduct a vigorous cross examination of Bongolan, specifically pertaining to the timing of the alleged balcony incident. Bongolan underwent a tense cross-examination from Combs' defense in which they presented the jury with hotel records that showed Combs was in New York at the Trump Hotel on the date that Bongolan testified she was dangled over the balcony in Los Angeles – arguing that it was not possible for Combs to have engaged in the alleged incident. 'You agree that one person can't be in two places at the same time?' Combs' attorney, Nicole Westmoreland, asked Bongolan on the stand. On Tuesday, in denying the motion for a mistrial, Judge Subramanian likened Westmoreland's cross-examination of Bongolan to a 'Perry Mason' moment.' Bongolan said during her testimony that while the details and date of the alleged incident are murky, she has 'no doubt' that the incident occurred, even if she remembered the date incorrectly. She said that she had suffered from 'night terrors' ever since the incident, and the jury was shown photos of a large bruise on Bongolan's leg, which she said was taken the same day that Combs allegedly dangled her over the balcony. On Tuesday, prosecutor Madison Smyser said in court that Bongolan could have misremembered when she took the photos of her purported injuries, and that Bongolan testified that she did not remember all the details of the alleged incident clearly. In their letter, Combs' defense wrote 'the government knew or should have known this testimony was perjured, and that Ms. Bongolan could not possibly have been injured by Mr. Combs on a Los Angeles balcony in the early morning hours of September 26, or even the day before that.' 'The government has long known that Mr. Combs was on the East Coast in late September, and specifically at around the time of this alleged incident,' the filing continued. 'And it has had other evidence in its possession for some time showing Mr. Combs's travel schedule and proving that he was on the East Coast when it told the jury he dangled Ms. Bongolan over a balcony in front of Ms. Ventura.' Combs' defense also said that Ventura's testimony that she saw Combs dangle Bongolan over the balcony was also inaccurate, claiming that she did not actually witness the incident, but rather heard about it. 'Thus, the government left the jury with the false impression that Ms. Ventura saw Mr. Combs dangle her friend over the balcony and that this made her fearful of him, when in fact—if there was any incident—Ventura merely heard about it afterwards, considerably lessening any probative value as to her state of mind,' the defense wrote. Prosecutors introduced a text message that Ventura had sent in real time to Combs' former chief-of-staff, Kristina Khorram, stating that she had found out about the balcony incident. The text message from Ventura read: 'I just found out some crazy sh*t'Ventura then said, 'He came into my house while my friends were here and we were all sleeping and they woke me up because he was ringing the bell crazy at 3 am. and when he came in I went to my room and he went at Bona choked her and then dangled her feet off the balcony. This is crazy.' Prosecutors aimed to introduce this text message in an effort to prove the alleged incident did occur. Combs' defense now claims the text message proves that Ventura merely heard about the incident, but did not actually see it happen. In calling Bongolan to testify, prosecutors said in court Thursday that it showed the jury how Combs' violence extended beyond Ventura to other people close to her. 'The incident, as alleged, is disturbing and powerful evidence, and the government has used it to depict Mr. Combs in an extremely negative light, as an angry and dangerous man who terrified Ms. Ventura and her friends,' the defense wrote in its request for a mistrial. 'The prosecutors elicited evidence about this allegation from both Ms. Ventura and Ms. Bongolan that is demonstrably false in key respects.' This is the second request for a mistrial from Combs' team. The first attempt after the prosecution questioned a Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigator about the destruction of fingerprint evidence from Kid Cudi's home. Kid Cudi and other witnesses have testified that they believe Combs blew up his car. The arson investigator said he collected a card with fingerprints previously taken at Kid Cudi's home to compare to other evidence recovered from a Molotov cocktail bottle that was found inside of the rapper's Porsche. He testified the card was destroyed by an LAPD officer. The defense objected to the line of questioning, saying the prosecution's implications were 'outrageous.' 'They were suggesting to this jury that someone in this courtroom had something to do with the improper and suspicious destruction of these fingerprints,' defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said. The judge denied that request for mistrial, saying that he does not believe that the jury was prejudiced. However, the judge instructed the jury to not consider the testimony about the fingerprint card. In their filing, Combs' defense referenced their first attempt at a mistrial, adding that another prosecution witness was also questioned about the music mogul's influence over LAPD officers. 'Mia,' who testified under a pseudonym and has alleged that Combs was physically violent and sexually assaulted her, recalled an incident in which an LAPD officer did not ticket her for speeding after she told the officer who she worked for and put them on the phone with Combs.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy Trial Judge Says Mistrial Motion Will Be Addressed Tuesday
Sean "Diddy" Combs has a tense 24 hours ahead of him before finding out if his legal team will succeed in getting a mistrial declared in his federal sex trafficking and racketeering case. Judge Arun Subramanian started out day 19 of the trial by announcing he will not rule on the defense's motion for mistrial until Tuesday. As we reported, Diddy's attorneys filed docs Saturday, claiming the prosecution presented untrue testimony. Cassie Ventura testified earlier in the trial she had witnessed Diddy holding Bryana Bongolan over a balcony edge. But texts appear to show Cassie texted Kristina Khorram, a Diddy employee, that she didn't actually see the alleged incident but rather learned about it afterwards ... texting "I just found out some crazy sh**." Prosecutors also entered into evidence photos of Bongolan's injuries, allegedly at the hands of Diddy from the balcony incident ... the photo metadata show they were taken on September 26, 2016 -- a date Diddy's team says their client was on the East Coast, on the other side of the country from where the alleged incident occurred, in L.A. Before the jury was seated Monday morning, Judge Subramanian said prosecutors will get to respond today to the mistrial motion ... before he addresses it tomorrow. "Jane," a former girlfriend of Diddy's testifying under a pseudonym, is set to take the stand again today, her third day. Last week she told the jury about alleged drug use during her time with Diddy, and medical complications from her "freak-off" episodes with the music mogul and others. Saturday's motion was the second time Diddy's team has filed for a mistrial ... just last month his lawyers asked for a mistrial when it came to fingerprint evidence related to the Kid Cudi investigations.
The Sun
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Diddy judge threatens to throw him out of court over ‘unacceptable' gesture to jury a day after rapper mouthed message
THE judge in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial has threatened to throw the music executive out of the courtroom after he tried to interact with the jury. Judge Arun Subramanian singled out Combs before the jury returned from its lunch break, calling his behavior "absolutely unacceptable." 1 "There was a line of questioning where your client was nodding vigorously and looking at the jury," the judge told Marc Agnifilo, Combs' lead defense attorney. "I could not have been any clearer in terms of what I said." Judge Subramanian said he saw Combs looking and attempting to interact with the jury on two separate occasions during the testimony of Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura. "I looked and I saw you client looking at the jury and nodding vigorously," the judge added. "It is absolutely unacceptable." The judge then asked Agnifilo, "Is it going to happen again?" to which the defense attorney assured him it would not. "It cannot happen again," Judge Subramanian said, warning that if the issue continued, it could result in the "exclusion of your client from the courtroom." .
Washington Post
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Diddy trial live updates: Cassie Ventura faces more cross-examination in Sean Combs's sex-trafficking case
Today will be the fourth day of Cassie Ventura's testimony. We expect her cross-examination to take much of the day, followed by a rebuttal from prosecutors. Both sides reached a tentative agreement to wrap up the star witness's testimony by lunch, given that Ventura is in the late stages of her pregnancy, but the defense has said they could run longer. While Judge Arun Subramanian bristled at the idea, there is good reason to let the testimony run its course. Ventura is a key witness and any attempt to truncate testimony could create grounds for an appeal.
Fox News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Inside the Diddy jury room: A look at who's deciding the rapper's fate
Print Close By Tracy Wright Published May 13, 2025 Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial began Monday after a jury of eight men and four women was seated. The 12-person jury and six alternates was only finalized minutes before opening statements began in the disgraced music mogul's sex crimes case. Diddy's legal team was concerned about jurors getting cold feet over the weekend, and Judge Arun Subramanian agreed. Jurors, who range in age from 24 to 74, were questioned during the weeklong voir dire process about Mike Myers, beliefs regarding infidelity and their taste in music as the defense and prosecution narrowed down the potential pool to 12. MISSING KEY WITNESS CRIPPLES DIDDY PROSECUTION AS TRIAL HITS ROADBLOCKS BEFORE IT BEGINS: EXPERT Juror No. 2 is a massage therapist and actor from Manhattan. During the voir dire, the judge asked if he recognized any names from a "people and places" list. The juror noted "Michael B. Jordan" stood out as a recognized actor. In addition, Juror No. 2 had some familiarity with domestic violence and indicated his sister was a victim of assault, but that his experience wouldn't interfere with his ability to be impartial. WATCH ON FOX NATION: WHAT DIDDY DO? Juror No. 5, an investment analyst from Manhattan County, learned about the case from news media reporting and admitted to viewing the Cassie Ventura hotel assault video footage. Another juror seated, Juror No. 25, is a 61-year-old scientist and freelance graphic designer who was looking forward to getting a break from his "serious work." Juror No. 25 knew about Diddy as a "business person" and was aware of "violent behavior." He admitted to seeing the hallway video at the gym but had not formed an opinion about what he had seen. Juror No. 28, a 30-year-old woman from the Bronx who works as a deli clerk, noted that she gets news by word of mouth and doesn't read magazines or papers. She was aware that Diddy was arrested but didn't know why until recently and would be able to follow instructions. Multiple Bronx residents were picked to sit on the jury. Juror No. 58, a 41-year-old man who works as the head account clerk in corrections, said he enjoys '90s hip-hop and sports. Juror No. 184, a 39-year-old male, lives with his brother and is employed as a social worker program supervisor. The youngest juror selected at 24 years old, Juror No. 321, works in coffee services and prefers reading news through social media. Juror No. 55 was once ticketed for an open container and accidentally marked the wrong box indicating she knew about the allegations. When Subramanian heard about her prior ticket, he joked, "Well, shame on you." WATCH: SEAN 'DIDDY' COMBS ASSAULTS CASSIE IN 2016 LOS ANGELES HOTEL INCIDENT Juror No. 75 retired from J.P. Morgan and lives in Westchester. He watches both Fox and CNN and prefers the Discovery Channel. A 43-year-old female who was also from Westchester was seated as Juror No. 160. Her husband is a software developer, while she works as a physician's assistant. Juror No. 116 said he would have a difficult time remaining impartial when looking at violence. While he previously viewed the Ventura hotel footage, he mentioned having a difficult time watching videos of skateboarders falling but thinks he can handle the videos. LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Nothing could prevent Juror No. 217 from being impartial. The 74-year-old female from Manhattan likes classical music and art shows. She lives alone and used to be a treatment coordinator. Both Juror No. 201, a 67-year-old man, and Juror No. 230, a 57-year-old man, have children and reside in Westchester County. Juror No. 234, a 34-year-old man who lives with his parents and sister in Manhattan, doesn't watch the news and prefers reading video game magazines. Juror No. 247 loves to read and surf. The 40-year-old man from New York County is a physician scientist and has a master's degree and bachelor's degree in chemistry. Juror 292 mentioned she knew one location noted in the voir dire. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER The final juror selected in Diddy's sex crimes case was Juror No. 330, a 37-year-old man from New York County who works with the U.S. State Department and prefers watching "Andor" with his girlfriend, who works in the medical field. For the voir dire process, the jurors were given a list of people and places and asked to note if they recognized any. Comedian Mike Myers, Diddy's children – Justin and Christian Combs – Aubrey O'Day, actress Lauren London, actor Michael B. Jordan, musician Kid Cudi, Kanye West, singer Michelle Williams, Dawn Richards and Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, were among the names recognized by some of the potential jurors. While it's unclear why some of the celebrities made this list, USA Today reported there is a scene in Myers' "Austin Powers" that jokes about the disgraced rapper. Diddy has been charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution in a federal indictment unsealed Sept. 17. He has maintained his innocence. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison. Authorities allege Diddy ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others. He used "firearms, threats of violence, coercion and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse" to fulfill his sexual desires, according to prosecutors. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital's Maria Paronich and Kirill Clark contributed to this report. Print Close URL
