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The fifth week of Sean Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial revolved around testimony from the hip-hop mogul’s recent ex-girlfriend, who acknowledged that while she still loved Combs, she was still processing the “trauma” that came from their three-and-a-half-year relationship.
Testifying under the pseudonym “Jane,” the single mother said what began as a whirlwind romance with Combs in January 2021, bolstered by cute nicknames, a lavish trip to Turks and Caicos, and rapid declarations of love, deteriorated into “nightmares” by Combs’ arrest last September.
Considered Victim-2 in Southern District of New York’s case against the 55-year-old, Jane said after a few months of indulging in what she believed was harmless “fantasy talk” about being intimate with another man in front of Combs quickly spun out of control.
“I truly felt that that night just opened like a Pandora’s box in our relationship. It just completely set the tone for our relationship moving forward,” Jane testified during her first day on the stand. “It was just a door that I was unable to shut for the remainder of the relationship.”
From May 2021 onwards, Jane claimed she felt obligated to “perform” in ecstasy-fueled sex marathons with multiple male escorts as Combs watched. Even when Jane said she began to push back on what she knew as “hotel nights,” saying she was “not a porn star” and that she had “hit a wall,” Combs allegedly continued to push her into the sexual encounters.
Throughout her six days on the stand — the longest of any witness, including Combs’ longtime ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura — Jane sobbed as she recounted her experience. She grew testy when cross-examined by Combs’ defense attorney, Teny Geragos, who suggested Jane’s anger was fueled by jealousy over Combs spending time with his other girlfriends, gifting them designer purses, and taking them on luxurious island trips.
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“How much does my body cost?” an upset Jane shot back at Geragos after she asked how much a Bottega Veneta handbag that Combs had given her cost. But by the time Jane left the stand Friday afternoon, she hugged both Geragos and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey.
Amid Jane’s testimony, there was heightened excitement around what was happening outside the courtroom, with an appearance from Kanye West, online sleuths spotting a surprise connection to Britney Spears, and ongoing discussion of the removal of a juror, which could impact the jury’s verdict.
Here are the key moments from the trial’s second week:
Will Juror Number Six Be Dismissed?
A juror’s offhand, friendly comment to court staff sent both parties into a tailspin this week, as they debated whether the juror could continue serving due to uncertainty over his jurisdictional qualifications and inconsistencies with his statements.
The 41-year-old male corrections officer had casually mentioned that he recently moved to New Jersey to live with his girlfriend, which would have invalidated his ability to serve on a New York jury. When brought to the court’s attention, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian called the juror in for clarification, where the man said, “[the move] may not be permanent, but that is where I’ve been staying for the last couple of weeks.”
After a long break where both prosecutors and Combs’ defense counsel deliberated, the juror was pressed further on his residency.
Subramanian said the inconsistencies about where he lived and who he lived with could challenge the integrity of the proceeding. “The concern, even if we were to hear from the juror and have some explanation to reconcile the different answers, is that there would be an appearance and a reasonable perception that the process may have been tainted; that there may be a juror on the jury who has an agenda, who wants to be here and is not going to be either able or willing to follow the rules,” Subramanian said.
Subramanian said the juror would be removed and told not to return on Monday. But Combs’ attorney, Xavier Donaldson, made an impassioned plea to reconsider and allow the juror the chance to clear up the confusion. Donaldson noted this jury is exceptionally diverse and removing juror six, who is Black, would be “in my opinion, going backward.”
Subramanian said he’d take the request under consideration and let the parties know if anything on his stance had changed.
Kanye West and a Britney Spears Crossover
After a few days of rampant rumors swirling around a certain rapper making an appearance at the trial, Kanye West strode into the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse on Friday morning. Dressed in all-white denim, Combs’ youngest son, Christian, greeted the rapper and whisked him away to a little-used room that streamed the day’s proceedings.
The 48-year-old, who has been embroiled in his own controversy for the past few years, watched a few minutes of Combs’ former assistant testifying about setting up for “King Nights.” As word quickly spread of his arrival and spectators flocked to the room, West motioned to Christian that he was ready to leave. Within an hour, West had arrived and left the building.
West wasn’t the only celebrity name mentioned this week. Britney Spears was inadvertently brought into the discourse after it was revealed that Combs’ business accountant is Robin Greenhill, an executive at the same management team that worked with Spears during her controversial conservatorship from 2008 to 2021.
Spears accused the company, Tri-Star, and Greenhill of working with her father, Jamie, to control and monitor her. Greenhill was accused of “spying” on the singer and allegedly routinely declining Spears’ requests for harmless purchases, such as sushi for dinner, despite the superstar having a net worth of around $60 million.
Greenhill’s name first popped up in Jane’s testimony. Following a fight, Combs offered Jane a “love contract,” agreeing to give her a $10,000 monthly allowance, which she used on rent. Jurors were shown an email from Greenhill to Jane’s landlord in May 2023, confirming a wire transfer for rent.
Combs’ former assistant, Jonathan Perez, also mentioned Greenhill in his testimony on Friday, stating that he submitted reimbursement invoices to Tri Star and acknowledged that Greenhill was in charge of releasing funds to Combs and certain members of his team.
The Messages About $1 Million Jurors Won’t See
As the government prepares to wrap up their case next week, they attempted to insert some eyebrow-raising text messages. One exchange took place among Combs, his longtime friend and security member D-Roc, and Faheem Muhammad, another security guard whom the government described as the CFO of Combs’ finances. Combs wanted Muhammad to go into his personal safe and count out $1,137,000 in cash by hand. “This is about the defendant’s access to the cash that is used to facilitate his criminal conduct and his co-conspirators’ awareness of that and their role in securing that cash,” Assistant United States Attorney Christy Slavik argued.
Prosecutors also highlighted another conversation between Combs and his former head of security, whom staffers referred to as Uncle Paulie, in October 2015. Paulie sent Combs a dire warning about an apparent violent episode between Combs and his girlfriend Gina while the trio were in Atlanta. (Photos show Combs was in town to host the BET Hip Hop Awards Afterparty.)
“If anyone called the police, the police is a hundred percent going to lock you,” the lengthy text message from Paulie said in part. “Even if she begs them not to, it’s the law. So once they put the cuffs on you, your life and career is over. Puff, really all over her. Puff, really, your family is going to go down the hill.”
However, the judge ruled neither exchange could be entered as evidence, saying the $1 million cash conversation was too prejudicial, while the Gina message lacked context and the necessary foundation to be shown to the jury.
“Ain’t Nobody Threatening You”: Combs’ Voice Notes to Jane
Prosecutors played several voice notes that Combs sent to Jane in the aftermath of her backing out of a “freak-off” with several male escorts she’d suggested to Combs during an ecstasy-induced night of “fantasy talk.” After Jane canceled on him, Combs became furious, unleashing a stream of expletives at Jane and accusing her of playing “games.”
In the days following the fight, with several messages exchanged between the pair, Combs sent Jane a voice note in August 2023. “Hey, I really don’t know what’s going on with you, but I just wanted to give you a heads up that I’m really about to disappear on you, you feel me?” Combs casually says. “I’m not going to be playing these games with you. At all. I don’t know — you think you silent treating me? And you think I’m a be — nah. You’ll have a rude awakening. You’ll just have silence. Ain’t nobody threatening you.”
Combs later adds, “Me and you can be mad, we can have a spat, we can have whatever, and then after that — you better get on your job. That’s all it is. You got me on my job.”
When asked what Combs meant when he warned that Jane better get on her “job,” she said that she understood Combs was referring to his expectation that she continue participating in marathon sex sessions with male entertainers.
On Combs’ end, Jane said the mogul’s mention of him being on his “job” was a swipe at her for “taking care of me financially.” Earlier that year, Combs agreed to pay Jane a monthly allowance of $10,000 as part of a “love contract.” This voice note, Jane and prosecutors alleged, was part of a larger pattern of Combs constantly bringing up his financial support whenever they fought.
Combs Allegedly Attacks Jane Weeks After Saying He Was “Committed to Being a Better Man”
On May 17, 2024, Jane was lying in bed with Combs at his Miami mansion when one of his sons knocked on his door, alerting him to a crisis: CNN had just published a surveillance video of him attacking Ventura at the InterContinental Hotel in 2016.
Jane said she watched as Combs and his team quickly strategized and crafted an apology statement. “I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” Combs said in the since-deleted social media post. “I went, and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
But just a few weeks later, on June 18, 2024, Jane said she experienced similar violence. During what was supposed to be a romantic dinner at Jane’s home in Los Angeles, Combs allegedly flew into a rage after Jane confronted him with her suspicions that he had been on vacation with another woman.
After Jane shoved Combs’ head into a marble countertop and threw glass items at him, Combs chased her through the house, kicking down four locked doors. He allegedly punched her repeatedly in the head, kicked her as she curled up in a ball, and dragged Jane into the home by her hair before lifting her by the neck in a chokehold. He then allegedly forced Jane to participate in a freak-off that night.
The Week Ahead
After more than two dozen witnesses, prosecutors said they expect to rest their case next week. Their final witnesses are three summary witnesses, a law enforcement official, and Combs’ former personal assistant, Brendan Paul.
Paul was the lone person arrested during the simultaneous raids on Combs’ homes in March 2024. As Combs boarded a private plane bound for the Caribbean with his daughters and entourage, police said they found drugs in Pauk’s baggage. (Testimony from former assistants said they were expected to travel with an array of illicit substances for Combs.) Paul’s case was ultimately dismissed after he completed a drug diversion course.
The defense said they expect to bring their own witnesses to the stand as soon as Friday. They have not made public who they expect to call.
From Rolling Stone US
