On Thursday, a federal judge reprimanded Sean “Diddy” Combs for apparently interacting with jurors during witness testimony.
Judge Arun Subramanian admonished Combs for “vigorously nodding” and directing his gaze towards the jury during Bryana Bongolan’s testimony. Subramanian emphasized to the defense that such conduct is strictly banned — warning that Combs might be expelled from the courtroom if it recurs, as reported by The Washington Post.
“There was a later moment at a sidebar where I observed your client making eye contact with the jury and nodding aggressively,” stated the judge. “This behavior is completely unacceptable.”
Bongolan, a friend of Cassie Ventura, claimed that Combs held her over a 17th-floor balcony in 2016. She testified, stating that she was unaware of Combs’ reasons for this act, and she never received an explanation.
The 2016 incident Bongolan testified about was also mentioned in Ventura’s November 2023 lawsuit against Combs. However, Ventura’s lawsuit did not name the woman who Combs allegedly held over the balcony.
Combs was arrested on September 16, 2024, outside a Manhattan hotel on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has been denied bail three times, as Judge Andrew L. Carter determined there was a “serious risk” of witness tampering in this case.
Federal authorities raided Combs’ homes in Holmby Hills, California, and Miami in March 2024. Reports indicated that the raids were connected to an ongoing sex trafficking investigation that resulted in his arrest months later.
The raids also occurred four months after Ventura accused him of sex trafficking and abuse. In a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, she alleged that Combs drugged her and forced her to have sex with other men. The pair settled the lawsuit a day after its filing.
However, in May 2024, CNN publicized hotel surveillance footage allegedly showing Combs assaulting Ventura. Two days later, Combs released a video expressing remorse for his behavior.
“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,” he said.
Two more accusers came forward a week after Ventura’s lawsuit. One of the women claimed Combs drugged and raped her at Syracuse University in New York in 1991. Combs denied those allegations before a third accuser, Liza Gardner, levied similar allegations against him.
Days after footage of the Ventura assault was publicized, two more women filed lawsuits against Combs. One of those women was April Lampros, a New York Fashion Institute of Technology student who reportedly met Combs in 1994. Lampros accused Combs of sexually assaulting her on four occasions between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s.
[Feature Photo: Elizabeth Williams via AP]
