Sean Combs trial updates: Prosecution expects to rest Tuesday; defense not calling witnesses

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.

Federal prosecutors in New York expect to rest their case against Sean Combs on Monday, relying on testimony of nearly three dozen witnesses and hundreds of exhibits to try to prove the hip-hop impresario ran a criminal conspiracy that trafficked women and transported prostitutes.

The final witness for the prosecution, Joseph Cerciello of Homeland Security Investigations, walked the jury through reams of travel records, hotel invoices and money transfers that prosecutors hope will convince the jury that Combs and his associates trafficked his ex-girlfriend, known by the pseudonym "Jane."

Combs' former assistant Brendan Paul told the jury he bought and carried drugs for Combs. Paul was arrested in March 2024 for cocaine possession while aboard a private plane with Combs.

"Was the cocaine yours, Mr. Paul?" prosecutor Christy Slavik asked. "No," Paul answered.

"Whose cocaine was it?" Slavik followed up. "Mr. Combs," Paul responded.

The criminal enterprise Combs is accused of operating committed drug offenses, according to federal prosecutors. Combs has conceded he used illicit drugs but has denied running a criminal enterprise.

Paul also told the jury that Combs wanted his assistants to "move like SEAL Team Six" and anticipate his every need. He testified it was part of his job to buy a pound of marijuana every two months and to score a powdery mix of ketamine and Molly called Tusi that was "dyed pink for the aesthetic."

Paul testified he set up hotel rooms for freak offs, which he knew as "wild king nights," stocking items like lubricant and baby oil. The jury saw photos of the items arranged in Combs' Los Angeles homes.

On cross-examination, Paul testified he never noticed "Jane" being hesitant or apprehensive about participating in what she called "hotel nights."

Once prosecutors rest, defense attorneys said their case would take a day or two.

A holiday and a juror's illness shortened the sixth week of the Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial as prosecutors nearly concluded their case, setting the stage for the defense presentation.

The first five weeks of the trial featured emotional testimony as prosecutors tried to prove the hip-hop mogul oversaw a racketeering conspiracy enabled by violence, drugs and money.

The sixth week introduced the jury to hundreds of documents, text messages and several sex videos of so-called "freak-offs."

Prosecutors say Combs forced two ex-girlfriends to have sex with male sex workers while he watched and recorded the dayslong events.

You can read more about last week's testimony by clicking here.