Latest news with #sexTraffickingTrial
Daily Mail
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Diddy's wild confession to sketch artist who drew him during sex trafficking trial
Sean ' Diddy ' Combs had some strong words for the sketch artist who drew him during his months-long sex trafficking trial. The 55-year-old music mogul was depicted in court sketches visibly panicking when jurors announced earlier this week that they had reached a verdict on four of the five charges against him. Diddy was later seen collapsing in his chair when jurors declared that he was not guilty of racketeering conspiracy - the top charge against him - and sex trafficking. He was, however, found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The images - some of which were commissioned by Jane Rosenberg - provided rare glimpses into the rapper's mood and demeanor during the high-profile proceedings. But Combs was not always satisfied with the way Rosenberg was portraying him, even criticizing her work during a break in proceedings last month. She recounted to PEOPLE how the I'll Be Missing You singer returned to the Manhattan federal courtroom and mouthed something at her. At first, Rosenberg said she could not make out what Combs was trying to tell her. But when he repeated himself, she could hear that he wanted her to make him look 'softer' as he pointed to his mouth. 'And he said, "You made me look like a koala bear,"' the artist said. She apparently took the criticism in stride, noting that later that same day, she found herself in the elevator with Combs' mother, Janice Combs, along with his sons. 'In the elevator, they were saying "Thank you for being such an unbiased artist,"' Rosenberg said. 'And I told them, "Today, Diddy said I made him look like a koala bear." And they all started chuckling.' In her remarks to PEOPLE, Rosenberg admitted it took her some time to figure out how to properly draw the hip hop artist. 'He was not a simple likeness to do,' she said, adding that she had to learn how to draw his jaw. 'He's got an unusual look. And he doesn't look anything like he used to.' Drawing celebrities at their high-profile criminal trials is a difficult task in general, Rosenberg said, as they are widely known and people have a perception of how they are supposed to look. At times, even the celebrity has comments, like Diddy did. '[Rudy] Giuliani told me I made him look like a dog, [Harvey] Weinstein told me to give him more hair, John Gotti asked me to trim down his chin,' said Rosenberg, who has been working as a professional sketch artist for 45 years and wrote a memoir entitled. ' Drawn Testimony: My Four Decades as a Courtroom Sketch Artist.' 'And [President Donald] Trump once stood over one of my sketches and said, "I need to lose some weight,"' she recounted. The worst criticism Rosenberg ever faced came in 2015, she said, when she drew former Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady during an NFL hearing on the 'Deflategate' scandal - which claimed the team illegally deflated footballs in their 2014 AFC Championship victory over the Indianapolis Colts. She said she did not know who the star quarterback was when she sketched him. But when she returned home from work, she said she found she had received hundreds of emails. Fans of Brady panned her for making the handsome quarterback look like he was 'put in one of those machines that crushes cars,' while those who disliked him celebrated her depiction of him. 'I didn't know what memes were,' Rosenberg said. 'But I certainly learned the what memes were' as netizens put the sketch in place of ET on the poster for the classic movie, or the face in The Scream, by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. In the end, Rosenberg was forced to apologize as she had 'nightmares' about her viral fame. 'I didn't make Tom Brady look as handsome as he is,' she told WBZ Boston. 'I apologize to Tom Brady. And all the NFL fans.' She added: 'He's a very handsome guy. It's very hard in a very short time to get somebody so good- looking to look as good as they look [in person].' Fortunately, her second effort at drawing the star football player passed without so much attention.
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Diddy's team slapped down by judge over bizarre Iran defense as monster trial nears verdict
Sean ' Diddy ' Combs' legal team was slapped down by the judge presiding over his trial because of their alleged attempt to use the escalating conflict with Iran in their upcoming closing argument. As the disgraced hip-hop mogul's bombshell sex trafficking trial nears a verdict, his team of attorneys reportedly planned on bringing up the escalating tensions between the US and Iran in court in a bid to relate it to his case, TMZ reported Monday. Sources told the outlet the 55-year-old's defense 'may invoke the recent conflict' in their closing argument, and specifically go after the Homeland Security Investigators who raided his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles in March. They were allegedly planning to say that the agents 'instigated' their client on his baby oil and lubricant use in the bedroom when they should really focus more on the conflict with Iran, the source noted. On Monday and day 28 of Combs' trial, Iran launched at least 10 missiles at US military bases in Qatar after Donald Trump bombed Iran's nuclear facilities Saturday. In response to reports of the defense's bizarre plan, prosecutor Maurene Comey told U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian 'I would object' if they chose to bring up politics, the 'propriety of this prosecution' and the use of government resources on Thursday - when closing arguments are set to begin. In reference to the possibility that the defense might try to relate Iran or any other current political affairs to Combs' trial, his lead attorney Marc Agnifilo said: 'Nothing to worry about, judge.' Combs' defense lasted just 23 minutes Tuesday after he officially confirmed he will not be testifying at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse in New York City. The three-time Grammy winner denies racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Not only did Combs announce he will not testify, but he also took a moment to schmooze the judge as he did so. Agnifilo told the court they had 'discussed at length' the prospect of him giving evidence. Combs stood up in court as Judge Subramanian asked him: 'Mr Combs, how are you feeling today?' Speaking in a clear and confident voice, Combs said: 'I'm doing great. I wanted to tell you thank you, you're doing an excellent job.' Combs denied he had taken drugs in the last 48 hours and confirmed his mind was clear, adding he had spoken to his lawyers 'thoroughly' about testifying. As the judge tried to confirm Combs had made the decision by himself, Combs cut in and said: 'That is solely my decision. It's my decision with my lawyers'. Combs appeared at ease with his decision as he was seen smiling and hugging his lawyers afterward. He spoke briefly to a friend in the public gallery and appeared optimistic, saying: 'We'll see what happens.' The prosecution brought 34 witnesses to the stand over the span of the trial and portrayed Combs as the head of a 'criminal enterprise' which covered up his 'freak offs' with ex-girlfriends, where they were allegedly forced to have sex with male escorts while he watched. While his team wrapped up their defense quickly, prosecutors spent more than six weeks laying out their case against the embattled rapper. Earlier in the day, the final witness for the prosecution was Joseph Cerciello, a Special Agent with the US Department of Homeland Security Investigations. He walked the jury through summary charts showing text messages, hotel and flight reservations and financial records related to freak offs. Combs' lawyer Teny Geragos attempted to show that the charts were not exhaustive and missed out evidence that painted a different picture. The jury heard messages sent by Jane, one of Combs' ex-girlfriends who testified she was forced into freak offs out of fear he would stop paying her rent, from September 2021. In the messages Combs wrote: 'That s*** was so f****** sexy the other night damn.' The prosecution brought 34 witnesses to the stand over the span of the trial and portrayed Combs as the head of a 'criminal enterprise' which covered up his 'freak offs' with ex-girlfriends, where they were allegedly forced to have sex with male escorts while he watched Jane replied: 'I haven't stopped thinking about it… Did you love it baby?' Combs responded: 'Loved it' as Jane replied with a heart emoji. In her testimony Jane broke down in tears while claiming that Combs threatened to release the videos of the freak offs. But in texts from May 2023 she appeared to complain that he didn't record their sessions. Jane wrote: 'The last time at the London (hotel) when I was super hot and you were (multiple emojis). 'We didn't film, you forgot it, you promised you wouldn't' forget.' The jury was also shown more freak off videos - the fourth set they have seen. During this time, Combs was seen leaning over in his seat, nearly standing up, as the final video played. He was then spotted writing notes after looking over to the table in front of him where the clip played on the monitor. Jurors were told to turn down the volume on their headphones to stop the audio being picked up by the courtroom microphones, which the judge asked to be muted. The jury was dismissed Tuesday and are due back in court Thursday. Closing arguments are anticipated to take place both Thursday and Friday from 9am to 5pm. A charging conference, a meeting between the judge and the lawyers - usually held outside the presence of the jury - is taking place Wednesday starting at noon. During this time, they will discuss and finalize the jury instructions - the rules of law the jury must follow when deciding the case. Both sides will be able to propose instructions and object to others before the judge makes final decisions on what will be given to the jury. The racketeering and sex trafficking charges against Combs, who is currently locked up at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, carry a minimum sentence of 15 years each. Transportation to engage in prostitution carries a maximum of 10 years behind bars.
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Diddy supporter dragged out of courtroom by cops after profanity-laden outburst
A supporter of Sean 'Diddy' Combs was dragged out of a New York courtroom by cops after making a profanity-laden outburst. It's the fourth week of testimony in the rap mogul's sex trafficking trial and, on Tuesday, the federal court experienced its first significant disruption. A woman in the court's gallery yelled, 'Diddy, these motherf***** laughing at you' and 'it's not right what they're doing to him!" according to reports by CNN and NBC News. The judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian, told court officers to 'escort her out right now!' Combs turned around after Subramanian ordered her removal. The outburst came shortly after prosecutors complained about the real identity of Comb's former assistant, known as ' Mia,' who is a witness in the case, being publicly shared. Prosecutors said a man had violated a pseudonym order by referring to 'Mia' by her real name on his YouTube channel, CNN reported. The man was in the courtroom on Monday, and was also seen recording outside. Prosecutors asked Subramanian to ban the man from the courtroom, which the judge agreed to. According to The Washington Post, the woman removed from courthouse said she believed people were unfairly mocking Combs. 'I wanted to make my voice heard,' she said. The Post reported that the woman got angry when approached by a reporter and started cursing. 'I'm tired of seeing everyone treating Diddy the way they are. I said my piece,' the supporter said. Diddy stands accused of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors have accused Diddy of threatening, abusing, and coercing victims 'to fulfill his sexual desires' from 2004 to 2024.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Diddy's ex Cassie Ventura goes into LABOR just days after testifying in sex trafficking trial
Diddy 's ex Cassie Ventura has gone into labor just days after testifying in the disgraced rapper's sex trafficking trial. Ventura, 38, is expecting her third child with husband Alex Fine with sources telling TMZ she was rushed to a New York hospital on Tuesday and is currently in the labor and delivery unit. Breaking story - more to follow.
