'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A potential juror for Diddy's trial was reportedly questioned over shoplifting from a Harry Potter World store as a teenager. On Monday, May 5, the highly anticipated trial for Diddy (born Sean John Combs) began with jury selection. As per a report from TMZ, both sides — the federal prosecutor and the defense team — were allowed to pick 12 jurors and six alternates.
The multi-millionaire music mogul was arrested on September 16, 2024, and charged with s*x trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in pr*stitution. As of writing, he is imprisoned at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn.
Several alleged victims have also filed lawsuits against him, claiming that they were drugged, intimidated, and assaulted. The rapper's legal team has pleaded not guilty to all the abovementioned lawsuits.
As per a report from the BBC, a 30-year-old prospective juror was questioned over an alleged crime he committed as a 16-year-old. She was reportedly caught shoplifting a wand from a Harry Potter World store at Universal Studios. For her crime, the former school teacher was fined and banned from entering the shop for a year.
Trending
The woman also admitted to liking a post on Instagram related to the rapper. When asked to elaborate, she explained that it was about a comedian joking about Combs and baby oil. The FBI had previously discovered over a thousand bottles of baby oil while raiding his residences.
As per the BBC report, the conversation with this potential juror elicited a few chuckles inside the courtroom.
Judge cracks Lord of the Rings joke during the process of jury selection for the Diddy trial
The jury selection for the trial was presided over by Judge Arun Subramanian. He was heading the entire selection process, which reportedly consisted of over 600 applicants filling up the form.
Referring to the long list of prospective candidates early in the day, he commented:
“I read through the people and places list, which is several pages long. I felt I was reading an appendix from, like, The Lord of the Rings.”
The jury selection also included interrogating the candidates to check their knowledge about people who were potentially linked to the case. These included Michael B. Jordan, Mike Myers, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Lauren London, Dallas Austin, Harve Pierre, Laurieann Gibson, Dawn Richard, Michelle Williams and Diddy's former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
On the first day of the jury selection process, Combs presented himself in a blue blazer with gray hair and beard. The Bad Boy Records founder also requested Judge Subramanian to grant him a bathroom break in the middle of the trial. Although denied initially, he was eventually granted a two-minute hiatus.
As per TMZ, the Judge also referred to Diddy by his multiple monikers on the first day of trial. These included Puff Daddy, Love, and the like.
