A judge has threatened to remove Sean “Diddy” Combs from the courtroom for “nodding vigorously” at jurors during his sex trafficking trial.
Judge Arun Subramanian admonished Combs for reportedly interacting with the jury during testimony given by fashion designer Bryana “Bana” Bongolan, a longtime friend of his former long-term partner Cassie Ventura.
“Mr Agnifilo, your client was looking at jurors and nodding vigorously,” Subramanian said, referring to Combs’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo. “This can’t continue or I will give a limiting instruction you won’t like, or other measures including barring your client from the courtroom. Do you understand?”
Subramanian asked Agnifilo if it would happened again. “No your honor, it’s not going to happen again,” Agnifilo responded.
The judge then emphasized: “This cannot happen again.”
The court artist who has been sketching Combs for more than a month told NBC News that the mogul has “been making facial expressions at jurors since the start of the trial.”
Combs has been visibly reacting to testimony throughout the trial, shaking his head and passing notes to his lawyers.
He has also been seen blowing kisses to his mother as she watches from the courtroom gallery.
On occasions, he has made eye contact with jurors, The New York Times reports.
When his lawyers were conferring with the judge on one occasion, Combs gestured that it was cold in the courtroom by rubbing his hands together, The Times noted. He then looked to the jury to see one of them rubbing his arms to keep warm. “Cold,” Combs mouthed while a smile, and the juror responded by nodding and smiling, according to the outlet.
Bongolan told jurors Wednesday that she had been left traumatized after Combs dangled her over a 17th-story balcony of Cassie Ventura’s Los Angeles home. The defense questioned her timeline of the incident during cross-examination Thursday.
Testimony continues Thursday.
Combs is facing sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy charges.
He was arrested in September 2024 as federal authorities alleged he threatened, abused, and coerced victims “to fulfill his sexual desires” between 2004 and 2024.
Combs has denied any accusations of wrongdoing.
