NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The jury at 鈥� sex trafficking trial got a glimpse Monday at some of the 鈥渇reak-off鈥� sex marathons at the heart of the case, with prosecutors showing excerpts of explicit videos that the hip-hop mogul recorded during the drug-fueled sessions.
Prosecutors played portions of three sex videos recovered from a Combs-linked account on a cellphone that his former longtime girlfriend Cassie provided to authorities, giving jurors a close-up view of the encounters they鈥檝e heard about repeatedly since testimony began May 12.
One video was from Oct. 14, 2012, the same day prosecutors say Combs had a 鈥渇reak-off鈥� in New York City with Cassie and sex worker Sharay Hayes, known as 鈥淭he Punisher.鈥�
Before playing the clip, prosecutors showed jurors an invoice for an Oct. 14, 2012, stay at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Manhattan that was booked under Combs鈥� alias, Frank Black. A note on the invoice said the guest requested to have the room at 3 a.m.
Prosecutors also showed jurors text messages in which Cassie, the R&B singer whose real name is Casandra Ventura, arranged the Oct. 14 meetup with Hayes. In one message, she wrote: 鈥淐an we actually do 3 a.m. at the Trump hotel, Columbus Circle?鈥� Hayes replied: 鈥淕reat. I鈥檒l text when I鈥檓 on my way,鈥� and told her his fee for the encounter was $200 cash.
Jurors were also shown excerpts of videos taken on Oct. 20, 2012, and Dec. 4, 2014. Collectively, the clips shown to jurors were several minutes long and although at least one juror winced at a video, their reactions mostly were muted. Defense lawyers have said the videos prove Combs was engaging in consensual sex rather than crimes.
Because of their graphic nature, the excerpts were available for viewing only for jurors, the prosecution and defense teams and Combs, all of whom wore headphones to hear the audio portion. Reporters and members of the public were not allowed to see or hear the videos.
The videos were the most notable part of an otherwise dry day in court as prosecutors wind down their case with so-called summary witnesses 鈥� government agents who are reading aloud heaps of text messages, travel records and other document-based evidence.
After six weeks of witnesses and evidence, prosecutors said they plan to rest on Wednesday. After that, Combs鈥� lawyers said they鈥檒l start calling witnesses.
Earlier in the trial, a forensic video expert retained by the prosecution to enhance the videos identified them by date. During that testimony, a prosecutor described the videos as 鈥渟ex videos.鈥�
Until Monday, jurors had only seen still images taken from the 鈥渇reak-off鈥� videos.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges after his at a New York hotel. He was denied bail multiple times and has remained incarcerated at a federal lockup in Brooklyn ever since.
Other text messages jurors heard Monday included Combs鈥� complaining to him about sex marathons and to his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, about his threats to release explicit videos of her.
Jane laid into Combs after Cassie sued him in 2023 for alleged sexual and physical abuse. He promptly settled.
Jane, who dated Combs from 2021 until his arrest last year, told Combs she felt he exploited her with their 鈥渄ark and humiliating lifestyle.鈥� A month later, Jane texted Khorram that Combs 鈥渏ust threatened me about my sex tapes鈥� and said he鈥檇 send them to her child鈥檚 father.
Jane told Khorram she needed her help because Combs was having one of his 鈥渆vil-ass psychotic bipolar鈥� episodes.
Before the jury entered the courtroom Monday, Judge Arun Subramanian dismissed a juror after concluding there were 鈥渃lear inconsistencies鈥� in his answers last week and during jury selection about whether he resided in New York or with a girlfriend in New Jersey.
鈥淭aking these all together, the record raised serious concerns as to the juror鈥檚 candor and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the jury,鈥� he said.
Subramanian had first that he was dismissing the juror, but he left open the possibility that he would question the juror a final time after defense lawyers protested, saying that dismissing the Black juror and replacing him with a white man might spoil an otherwise diverse jury.
The judge said he had decided not to question him further because it could lead to 鈥渁nother set of shifting answers. 鈥� In other words, there鈥檚 nothing that the juror can say at this point that would put the genie back in the bottle and restore his credibility.鈥�
Michael R. Sisak And Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press
