Who’s who in the trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

Opening arguments in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution begin on Monday, May 12 (US time) in New York’s District Court. The trial is expected to last at least eight weeks. These are the key personalities who will appear at the trial.

The defendant

Sean “Diddy” Combs is a 55-year-old New York-born recording artist, record producer and record company executive.

As a rapper, he was also known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy. He has been indicted by a federal grand jury on criminal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The presiding judge

A former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Judge Arun Subramanian graduated with a bachelor of arts from Case Western Reserve University in 2001 and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2004. He worked for Ginsburg between 2006 and 2007 and was appointed to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York in March 2023. He was nominated by former US president Joe Biden.

Judge Subramanian has already warned a member of Combs’ legal team, Mark Geragos, to tame his public comments now that the rapper’s trial is under way, saying it was “outrageous” that in a recent podcast he referred to prosecutors as a “six-pack of white women”.

Geragos responded: “I think when you’ve got a black man who’s being prosecuted and the client feels like he’s being targeted, it’s a – it’s an observation.”

Judge Subramanian replied: “I think this is ridiculous. I think referring to the prosecution in this case as a six-pack of white women is outrageous.” He told Geragos he would be monitoring him.

“You have one more listener for your podcast,” the judge said.

“As long as you subscribe, I’m all for it,” Geragos shot back.

The alleged victims

Cassie Ventura is the 38-year-old Connecticut-born singer whose relationship with Combs is central to the case. Ventura is known as Victim-1 in the indictment. She has chosen to testify under her real name.

Victim-2, Victim-3 and Victim-4 are three key witnesses in the trial; they have been given permission by Judge Subramanian to testify under a pseudonym, to protect their privacy. Forcing them to reveal their identities in court would, according to prosecutors, impose “real costs on the victims and the public”.

According to the indictment, Combs trafficked Victim-2 and Victim-3 and forced them into sex with male prostitutes. Combs denies that. His lawyers say these victims are “former long-term girlfriends ... involved in consensual relationships”. The identities of Victim-2, Victim-3 and Victim-4 are known to Combs and his legal team.

The prosecution

Madison Smyser is the federal prosecutor leading the case against Combs. Smyser graduated from Harvard Law School and holds the position of Assistant US Attorney at the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Her role is to present the prosecution’s arguments and evidence; it was Smyser who confirmed last week that Combs had been offered a plea deal but had declined it.

The defence

If Marc Agnifilo’s name sounds familiar it might be because he also represents Luigi Mangione – the man accused of shooting United Healthcare chief executive Brian Thompson. Agnifilo is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and worked at the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and as a Manhattan assistant district attorney before becoming a criminal defence lawyer. He has also represented “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli, the founder of cult NXIVM Keith Raniere, and former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng.

The prosecution noted this week that Mark Geragos had not filed a “notice of appearance” to represent Combs in court during the trial, but the defence team seemed to consult with him.

Judge Subramanian asked in a robing room meeting if Geragos – whose clients have included Michael Jackson and the Menendez brothers – was advising Combs. Geragos said he represents Combs’ mother, has represented Combs and speaks with him “with great frequency”. His daughter, Teny Geragos, is a key member of Combs’ legal team.

The expert witness

Dawn Hughes is a forensic psychologist who has appeared at a number of high-profile trials, including the 2019 prosecution of NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere and the 2021 prosecution of singer R. Kelly and the defamation trial involving actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Hughes will be called to testify by the prosecution. Hughes specialises in interpersonal violence, traumatic stress and anxiety disorders. Hughes is also scheduled to testify at the Harvey Weinstein trial, which is now under way.

The jury

The trial officially began on May 5, but much of the first week was spent selecting jurors. US District Court juries are selected randomly from voter registration lists and driver’s licence records. Potential jurors are then sent a summons to report to the courthouse.

The potential jurors are questioned by the judge and lawyers for both sides – a process known as voir dire (to speak the truth) to assess for impartiality.

In this case, Judge Subramanian asked for 12 jurors and six “alternates”. An alternate juror sits with the regular jurors but does not deliberate on the evidence or vote on its outcome, unless a regular juror needs replacing.

Numerous possible jurors were disqualified on Tuesday after answering questions in ways that left lawyers and the judge to believe they could not be fair and unbiased. One man was dismissed after expressing doubt that he could follow an order by the judge not to smoke marijuana for the duration of the trial.

Several who were eliminated from the jury pool had seen or heard media reports related to the case, including some who said they saw a video in which Combs was hitting and kicking one of his accusers in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.

But one man who had said the video left him with the “impression of an angry hostile person who is entitled” was not dismissed.

With AP

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