A federal decide has warned a lawyer for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs to tame his public feedback now that the rapper’s intercourse trafficking trial is underway, saying it was “outrageous” that he referred to prosecutors throughout a podcast as a “six-pack of white women.”
A transcript of a robing room assembly on Tuesday contained the dialog between Choose Arun Subramanian and lawyer Mark Geragos.
In the meantime, the decide on Wednesday stated he’ll end seating a jury on Friday. Opening statements are scheduled for Monday.
The trial in Manhattan federal courtroom comes after the 55-year-old hip-hop promoter pleaded not responsible to racketeering and intercourse trafficking costs after his September arrest. He has remained jailed with out bail since then.
On Tuesday, prosecutors requested the decide to instruct Geragos to observe native guidelines limiting what attorneys say in regards to the case whereas the trial is continuing. They famous that Geragos had not filed a “notice of appearance” to signify him in courtroom through the trial, however a jury guide and the protection crew appeared to seek the advice of with him.
Later within the day, the decide requested within the robing room assembly if Geragos — whose high-profile shoppers have included Michael Jackson and the Menendez brothers — was advising Combs “in any way, shape or form?”
Geragos responded that he represents the entertainer’s mom in a matter and has represented Combs and “I do talk with him with great — with great frequency.” The lawyer’s daughter, Teny Geragos, is a key member of Combs’ authorized crew.
When it appeared that Geragos was about to criticize prosecutors over the problem of pretrial publicity, the decide minimize him off, saying: “Let’s just have some real talk.”
Then, the decide famous that Geragos had stated on a current “2 Angry Men” podcast he hosts with TMZ founder Mark Levin that the prosecution crew was made up of six white ladies and he had referred to them as a “six-pack of white women.”
Subramanian then requested Geragos if he knew that was not one thing that anybody ought to say “as an officer of the court and a member of the bar.”
Geragos responded: “I think when you’ve got a black man who’s being prosecuted and the client feels like he’s being targeted, it’s a — it’s an observation.”
The decide repeated his level, saying: “I think this is ridiculous. I think referring to the prosecution in this case as a six-pack of white women is outrageous.”
Subramanian advised Geragos, who has attended a lot of the jury choice course of, that he can be observing and listening to him.
“You have one more listener for your podcast,” the decide stated.
“As long as you subscribe, I’m all for it,” Geragos shot again.
Earlier than the trial, Combs’ attorneys blamed “false inflammatory statements” by federal brokers and Combs’ fame for “a pervasive ripple effect, resulting in a torrent of allegations by unidentified complainants, spanning from the false to outright absurd.”
They stated dozens of lawsuits filed in opposition to Combs within the final yr and their “swirling allegations have created a hysterical media circus that, if left unchecked, will irreparably deprive Mr. Combs of a fair trial, if they haven’t already.”
For the previous three days, the decide has been questioning potential jurors one after the other to see who might be honest and unbiased. Combs has watched from his seat on the protection desk as jurors have been questioned.
On Friday, attorneys on both sides will probably be permitted to eradicate a number of people from the panel of jurors — for causes they often don’t have to clarify. That process, which usually takes an hour or much less, produces the ultimate jury of 12 plus alternates.
Combs is charged with working his companies like a racketeering enterprise, utilizing workers and different associates to assist facilitate a number of crimes, together with kidnapping, arson, bribery and intercourse trafficking.
Prosecutors say Combs used his fame and fortune as an influence dealer within the hip-hop world to drive younger ladies into sexually abusive conditions, together with “ Freak Offs,” drugged-up orgies wherein ladies have been pressured to have intercourse with male intercourse employees whereas Combs filmed them.
Combs’ attorneys contend prosecutors try to police consensual sexual exercise.
