Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing a pivotal 24 hours as a federal judge weighs whether to grant a mistrial in his ongoing sex trafficking and racketeering case, a move that could significantly shift the direction of the high-profile proceedings.
On Day 19 of the trial, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian told the court he won’t make a decision on the defense’s latest motion until Tuesday, despite growing tension surrounding the case. TMZ reports that Combs’ attorneys filed the motion over the weekend, accusing prosecutors of introducing misleading testimony from singer Cassie Ventura.
Cassie had previously told the court she witnessed Diddy allegedly holding his former employee, Bryana Bongolan, over a balcony. But text messages submitted by the defense appear to contradict her story. In a message to Diddy’s staffer Kristina Khorram, Cassie wrote, “I just found out some crazy sh**,” suggesting she only heard about the incident after the fact.
Prosecutors, however, also entered photo evidence showing Bongolan’s injuries, reportedly sustained during the same 2016 balcony incident in Los Angeles. But Diddy’s legal team claims the metadata shows a problem: The photos are timestamped for a day when the music mogul was allegedly on the East Coast.
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Before the jury entered the courtroom Monday, Judge Subramanian said the prosecution would have the opportunity to formally respond to the mistrial motion before he makes a ruling on Tuesday.
In the meantime, “Jane,” a former girlfriend of Diddy’s testifying under a pseudonym, is returning to the stand for her third day. Last week, she detailed heavy drug use, bizarre “freak-off” sexual encounters, and medical complications allegedly linked to her time with the Bad Boy Records founder.
This marks the second mistrial request from Combs’ legal team. Last month, they made a similar move over fingerprint evidence tied to a separate investigation involving Kid Cudi.
With the trial continuing to unfold in dramatic fashion, all eyes are now on Judge Subramanian as he prepares to make a crucial ruling.
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