Judge denies defense request for mistrial, addresses juror issue ahead of 'Jane's' cross-examination
An issue has arisen with a juror at the federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean Combs, Judge Arun Subramanian said Tuesday without disclosing what the issue is.
The issue was the subject of a conversation in the robing room Monday among the judge, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo and prosecutor Maurene Comey, a transcript of which is sealed. There was no immediate action taken and the juror in question remains on the panel.
Also Tuesday morning, Subramanian denied the defense request for a mistrial following testimony last week from Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Cassie Ventura's.
The defense accused prosecutors of knowingly introducing what they said was false testimony by Bongolan, who told the jury that Combs dangled her from the balcony of Cassie Ventura’s 17th floor Los Angeles apartment in 2016. The defense argued that hotel receipts put Combs in New York at the time Bongolan testified the incident occurred. After the receipts were presented, Bongolan testified that the incident occurred but that she was unsure of the date.
“This is not fodder for a mistrial. This is the adversarial process at work,” Subramanian said from the bench.
On Wednesday, Combs’ ex-girlfriend, who's appearing under the pseudonym “Jane,” is set to return to the witness stand for what is expected to be a days-long cross-examination. "Jane" testified Monday that she met with defense attorneys as recently as two months ago and that they were the first people she told of a fight she alleged she had with Combs that she testified left her with welts on her forehead and a black eye.
"Jane" told the jury that she started the fight by knocking Combs into a countertop and throwing candles at him before he allegedly chased her around her Los Angeles home. She further alleged that Combs kicked doors, placed her in a chokehold, lifted her by the neck, dragged her by the hair and arm, and punched and kicked her.
When the alleged fight was over, "Jane" testified that Combs told her to ice her injuries, put on lingerie and high heels and take ecstasy so that she could have sex with a male escort.
"Jane" read for the court multiple text messages that she'd sent to Combs, pleading with him to understand the physical and psychological toll the so-called “hotel nights” sexual encounters were taking on her, telling him in part, “I’m not an animal. I’m not a porn star.”
"Jane" told the court that Combs responded to her pleas by calling her “crazy” and threatening to stop paying her rent, and also to release video footage of her having sex during "hotel nights."