What to know about the sex trafficking trial

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• Ye, the controversial rapper formerly known as Kanye West, made a surprise courthouse appearance today. He told reporters he was in attendance to show his support for Sean “Diddy” Combs.
• Special Agent Andre LeMon, Jonathan Perez and Ananya Sankar are expected to be called to the witness stand next, a day after Combs’ former girlfriend “Jane” wrapped up about a week of testimony.
• Combs faces five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has vociferously denied the allegations against him.

Court is in session

Court is now in session for Day 23 of Combs’ trial.

Combs is in court today wearing light pants and a brown long-sleeved sweater.

Judge wants to settle juror issue

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said he wants to settle the government’s objections to one of the jurors, though there doesn’t appear to be enough evidence yet to remove the panelist.

Subramanian revealed the issue could be about where the juror lives.

The government, earlier this week, said that panelist should be removed over “lack of candor.”

“My preference would be to hear from the juror and it is likely we will hear a perfect innocent explanation,” Subramanian said, adding that he wants to “quickly resolve this issue” and “put it to bed.”

Defense wants to limit or bar testimony about guns

The defense told the court that it’ll likely object to questions about guns found during raids during Combs’ arrest.

Combs attorney Marc Agnifilo called firearms a “divisive issue” that he’d rather not have on the minds of jurors.

“I am not seeing how guns in a security room are relevant to any of the charges in this case,” Agnifilo said.

Government calls its first witness of the day

The government called Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Andre LeMon to the witness stand, presumably to discuss details of Combs’ arrest last year.

Combs wore light-colored pants and a brown long-sleeve sweater to court this morning.

Hundreds of bottles of lubricants found at Combs’ L.A. home, witness testifies

Federal agents found 900 bottles of Astroglide and 200 bottles of baby oil when they raided the defendant’s home in Los Angeles last year, LeMon said.

The lubricants were frequently used during “hotel nights” and “freak offs,” when Combs directed women to have sex with other men as he watched, witnesses have testified at this trial.

In a nightstand, agents also found six envelopes marked with “K” on them all, LeMon said. Those envelopes tested positive for ketamine, attorneys stipulated.

Large number of guns found at Combs’ L.A. home, witness testifies

Combs kept an arsenal of firearms and ammunition — designed to pierce armor — according to the federal agent who led the raid on his L.A. home.

Long guns, AR-15-style weapons, Smith & Wesson rifles, a Ruger rifle and a Glock pistol were among the firearms discovered at Combs’ Mapleton Drive home, LeMon testified.

Agents also found 59 rounds of green tip ammunition, which is manufactured to penetrate body armor, the witness said.

Prosecutor complains to judge about Combs ‘nodding emphatically’

Maurene Comey, one of the prosecutors, complained to Judge Arun Subramanian that Combs was “nodding emphatically” as his ex-girlfriend “Jane” and the Homeland Security agent testified. Brian Steel, one of Combs’ lawyers, pushed back on that characterization, saying his client has been “nothing but professional.”

Subramanian, who scolded Combs’ team last week after the rapper apparently made facial expressions at jurors, told Comey it would be “impossible to police” everyone in the courtroom but made clear “we will keep an eye out” for any inappropriate behavior.

Ye arrives at the courthouse

Ye came to the courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

Bystanders shouted, “Thanks for the support, Kanye,” as the rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, entered the building.

Ye confirmed to a reporter he was there to support Combs.

Oils were a surprising find for agent

The agent said he’d never found large amounts of baby oil in his previous human trafficking investigations.

Asked if he’d ever walked out of a trafficking raid with boxes of baby oil, LeMon told Combs’ defense: “It’s only been this one.”

“That’s what I thought,” Combs defense lawyer Agnifilo said, perhaps insinuating that the presence of lubricants signals consensual sex acts.

Ye has kept quiet lately

Grammy Award-winning rapper Ye has been keeping a relatively low profile in recent weeks before making his surprise appearance at the courthouse today to show his support for Combs.

Former Combs assistant takes the witness stand

Jonathan Perez, a former personal assistant to Combs, took the witness stand for prosecutors.

The 35-year-old native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, wore a brown suit, black shirt and black tie.

The many names of Combs

Perez worked for Combs between December 2021 and this past September, addressing his boss by several names.

The witness said he, at different times, addressed Combs as “Diddy,” “P. Diddy” and “Mr. C Love.”

Ye leaves the courthouse

Ye walked out of the front doors of the federal courthouse, got into a car and was driven away.

He spent about 40 minutes in the courthouse but never made it into Judge Subramanian’s courtroom to show support for the defendant, Combs.

Assistant testifies staff had to prepare for a ‘king night’

Combs’ staff would typically get between two to 24 hours to prepare for a “king night,” an evening their boss would spend in a hotel with a woman, the witness said.

Food, a change of clothes, condoms, lubricants and red lights were among the items commonly packed, Perez said.

Witness testifies he found sex tape on iPad

Perez recounted how he found a sex tape — showing “Jane” engaged with another man as Combs watched in the background — on a company iPad.

The employee said he immediately brought the issue to Combs and his chief of staff Kristina Khorram.

Judge Subramanian declared a recess and asked jurors to return to court before 1:30 p.m. ET.

Combs is engaged with his defense today

Combs seemed to be paying very close attention to the testimony of a federal agent describing the raid on his home in Los Angeles. Combs even handed his attorney a note while the lawyer was cross-examining the agent.

Combs could be fighting some congestion, perhaps an allergy, today as he grabbed tissues and forcefully blew his nose at one point in the morning.

Ye spent a few minutes in an overflow room

Ye caught a few minutes of Perez’s testimony in an overflow room on the 23rd floor.

He and Combs’ son Christian were close to the monitor and Ye removed his glasses, a local reporter said, to follow along with Perez describing his job with Combs.

Ye left without speaking to anyone else gathered in the room.

Drugs and cash carried in a Gucci bag, witness testifies

The defendant kept cash, cocaine, ketamine, Adderall, Xanax and molly in a Gucci pouch, Perez said.

That bag was a must-have for Combs when he traveled for “king nights,” the witness said.

Scoring drugs was part of the job, witness says

Buying drugs for Combs was an element of the job, according to Perez.

The witness said he’d get cash from Combs’ top security guard, Faheem Muhammad, in order to score cocaine, Xanax or molly.

He testified Muhammad would submit receipts for the money he used to buy these drugs.

‘Jane’ appeared to be willing participant in ‘king night’ outings, witness says

Under cross-examination, the witness said he never got the feeling that “Jane” was unhappy or was an unwilling participant in Combs’ “king night” evenings.

Jane even asked him for advice on fashion so she could look her best for Combs, the witness said.

Defense lawyer Brian Steel also got Perez to agree with him that these “king nights” were on Combs’ personal, non-work time. That kind of distinction could be key for jurors as they weigh whether Combs used his resources to run a criminal enterprise.

Perez ‘feels great’ about Combs

The witness said he left Combs’ company but harbors absolutely no ill-will toward his former boss.

Perez said he wanted to avoid any kind of legal entanglement and thought working for Combs could put him into such a situation.

The last time he spoke with Combs was the day the music mogul was arrested last year, he testified.

“I feel great about him, the same way I did when I was leaving my employment,” Perez said.

‘Jane’ took active role in planning ‘king night’ outings, witness testifies

“Jane” was not just willing participant in “king nights,” but also helped coordinate them, the witness said.

She enjoyed wearing Tom Ford shorts and underwear during these getaways and made sure to visit a salon to make sure her hair was in the best shape, Perez said during cross-examination by the defense.

End of the day, jurors going home

Judge Subramanian thanked jurors for their time during this “long week” and sent them home.

“Thank you for your attention, it was a long week and we appreciate it,” he said. “Do not speak about the case with anyone.”

Juror thrown off panel

A juror was dismissed from the panel after he allegedly gave conflicting answers about where he lives.

The man had given different answers to questions about where he primarily lives, in either New York or across the Hudson River in New Jersey with his girlfriend.

Earlier in the day, Judge Subramanian had said he was leaning against dismissing the juror, saying there was likely an innocent explanation for any conflicting answers.

But by the end of the court day, Subramanian said there were “serious question about his candor and ability to follow instructions.”

S: NBC News