Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial updates: Court adjourned for the day; prosecution to rest Tuesday

During cross-examination of Special Agent Joseph Cerciello of Homeland Security Investigations, defense attorney Teny Geragos attempted to highlight how certain expenses for alleged “freak-off” sexual encounters appeared to have been paid from Sean Combs’ personal account. The defense has argued that “freak-offs” were how Combs spent his personal time and were separate from his business, which prosecutors have alleged Combs ran like a criminal enterprise.

Geragos also showed additional video excerpts to jurors. The public could not hear or see the clips.

Court has adjourned for the day. The defense will finish cross-examining Cerciello on Tuesday morning, after which the government will rest its case.

Judge Arun Subramanian will then hear a defense motion for a directed verdict of acquittal, a proceeding for which the jury won’t be present. If that motion is denied, the defense will present its case. The defense has said they will not call any witnesses but there are exhibits that the defense wants to enter into the record.

The charge conference will take place on Wednesday morning and the jury will hear closing arguments on Thursday. The prosecution and defense are each expected to take about four hours to present their arguments.

The jury will hear the judge’s charge on Friday before deliberations begin.

Through a combination of text messages, travel records, hotel receipts and other records, the prosecution showed the jury what they argue were the logistics involved in the alleged arrangements made for male escorts for Sean Combs to participate in sexual encounters.

“Hey in NYC have entertainment for after midnight?” Combs wrote in a text message to a woman at a male escort service.

“Will be there in ten mins with the cash,” one of Combs’ bodyguards wrote in a message to “Jane,” a former Combs girlfriend who testified under a pseudonym. "Jane" messaged back: “OK great. Room 508. Do you have a key?”

The jury was shown invoices from hotels where prosecutors said the alleged sexual encounters occurred. The jury saw one bill for $2,490.17 from the Trump International Hotel from a stay there in September 2023.

In one audio message, Combs allegedly said, “There’s no more baby oil.”

The jury was shown records from “Jane’s” travel, including a car service and a Jet Blue flight arranged by a woman who handled travel for Combs.

The jury also was shown messages about IV fluids Combs and “Jane” received to help them recover from the sexual encounters. “Extra Benadryl,” Combs’ former assistant, Brendan Paul, said in a text message. The IV drip also included sodium chloride, B12, zinc, vitamin C and amino acids, according to the messages presented by prosecutors.

The jury also saw a text to Combs from his then-chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, from September 2023. “Next time you leave when you’re randomly partying you have to tell us. Can’t just uber lit with a guest. That’s when bad s--- happens. You know this,” the message said. “Puff, seriously that is reckless.”

Combs responded in part, “I love you to death, but you have to stop.”

Federal prosecutors said they were able to identify more than 40 arranged sexual encounters with male escorts -- referred to at various times during testimony as “freak-offs,” “hotel nights” or “wild king nights,” depending on the witness -- that allegedly took place between 2021 and 2024, including one prosecutors say happened just weeks before Combs’ arrest in September 2024. Combs has maintained that all encounters were consensual.

Given that the defense said this morning that it will rest its case without calling witnesses, that likely implies that Sean Combs will not testify in his own defense.

It is likely that Judge Arun Subramanian will ask Combs at some point to formally confirm the choice.

The jury at Combs’ trial is now seeing sexually explicit videos depicting him, his former girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym “Jane,” and a male escort.

Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Joseph Cerciello, a summary witness for the government, testified that he reviewed “multiple hours” of explicit videos

Federal prosecutors said they were able to identify more than 40 arranged sexual encounters with male escorts -- referred to at various times during testimony as “freak-offs,” “hotel nights” or “wild king nights,” depending on the witness -- that allegedly took place between 2021 and 2024, including one prosecutors say happened just weeks before Combs’ arrest in September 2024. Combs has maintained that all encounters were consensual.

The jury was shown video excerpts along with travel records, hotel invoices and money transfers collected during the investigation. Federal prosecutors are hoping to convince jurors that the sexual acts depicted in the videos were the result of alleged coordinated criminal activity by Combs, his chief of staff, his assistants, his travel manager, his finance people and his bodyguards, all of which Combs has denied.

Federal prosecutors said Monday that they now expect to rest their case on Tuesday once special agent Joseph Cerciello of Homeland Security Investigations concludes his testimony.

The defense said it plans to rest without calling any witnesses, only submitting some evidence.

Given the revised schedule, the judge will hold a charging conference Wednesday followed by summations on Thursday.