The legal storm surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs just took another unexpected turn.
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After more than three weeks of testimony in the federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial against the Bad Boy mogul, one of the jurors has officially been removed—and the move is already sparking backlash.
On Monday (June 16), U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian dropped Juror Number 6, citing “serious concerns” about whether the juror had been fully honest during jury selection. According to court records, the Black male juror initially claimed he lived in the Bronx with his fiancée and baby daughter. But during a break in the trial, he allegedly told another juror that he’d actually moved into a home in New Jersey with his girlfriend.
“The record raised serious concerns as to the juror’s candor and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the jury,” Judge Subramanian said from the bench. “There’s nothing that the juror could say at this point to put the genie back in the bottle.”
The juror’s removal leaves just one Black man remaining on the panel—a fact not lost on Diddy’s defense team.
Defense attorney Xavier Donaldson pushed back hard, arguing that pulling Juror Number 6 was a blow to fair representation and could have real consequences on how the case is decided. “Mr. Combs would be substantially prejudiced by the dismissal,” Donaldson argued, suggesting the removal sets things “backwards.”
But the judge didn’t budge.
Subramanian reminded the court that six alternate jurors were in place, and the removal was necessary to preserve the trial’s “integrity.” The first alternate? A 57-year-old white man from Westchester County.
“From the outset of this proceeding to the current date, there has been no evidence and no showing of any kind of any biased conduct or biased manner of proceeding from the government,” the judge added, trying to shut down any claims of discrimination or jury tampering.
Diddy is facing a mountain of charges, including five counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. He’s pled not guilty to everything.
This shakeup in the jury only adds more drama to an already explosive trial—one that’s being closely watched by both the hip-hop community and the industry at large. With high-stakes testimonies and a cultural icon on the line, all eyes remain on the Manhattan courtroom where this saga continues to unfold.
