A federal judge on Monday, dismissed a juror in the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs after determining the juror gave inconsistent answers about his residency, suggesting he may have had a hidden agenda or wished to remain on the jury for a personal reason.

Judge Arun Subramanian made the decision despite objections from Combs’ legal team, who argued that replacing the Black juror with a white alternate would negatively affect the racial diversity of the jury. The judge dismissed the concern, stating: “The court should not, indeed cannot, let race factor into the decision of what happens. Here, the answer is clear. Juror No. 6 is excused.”

The decision followed a weekend of deliberation, after Subramanian had initially signalled his intent to dismiss the juror late Friday due to uncertainty about whether he primarily resided in New York or New Jersey. A review of the juror’s statements during jury selection and subsequent questioning in chambers showed “clear inconsistencies,” according to the judge.

“Taking these all together, the record raised serious concerns as to the juror’s candor and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the jury,” Subramanian said. He declined to question the juror further, stating that doing so could result in “another set of shifting answers” and would not restore his credibility.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. He was arrested in September at a New York hotel and has been denied bail multiple times, remaining in custody at a Brooklyn federal facility.

The defence also used a weekend letter to accuse prosecutors of misconduct, alleging a coordinated effort “to try to destroy one of the most successful Black men in American history.” They claimed the case focused excessively on Combs’ personal life. However, Judge Subramanian dismissed the accusation, stating, “There has been no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct brought to the court’s attention. Zero.” He denied the defence’s third request for a mistrial.

During Monday’s proceedings, prosecutors called a summary witness to read aloud text messages previously unheard by the jury. These messages included communications between Combs and a woman identified in court as “Jane,” who dated him from 2021 until his arrest.

In the messages, Jane criticised their shared lifestyle, referring to their sexual encounters as part of a “hotel night” and “wild king night” routine. She also accused Combs of threatening to release explicit videos of her and expressed distress to his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram.

Following a lawsuit filed against Combs by his former longtime girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura, Jane told Combs via text on November 28, 2023, that she felt exploited and humiliated throughout their relationship, which she said had hindered her professional life.

In a subsequent message to Khorram, Jane said Combs threatened her about the sex tapes he allegedly kept on two phones, claiming he planned to send them to her child’s father. She said she rarely involved Khorram in such matters, but was compelled to do so due to what she described as Combs’ “evil-ass psychotic bipolar” episode, during which he not only issued threats but also said he would call the police on her. Jane claimed she was heavily drugged in the recordings.

The trial, now in its sixth week, is expected to see the prosecution rest its case later this week. (AriseNews TV)