NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has warned a lawyer for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs to tame his public comments now that the rapper’s sex trafficking trial is underway, saying it was “outrageous” that he referred to prosecutors during a podcast as a “six-pack of white women.”
A transcript of a robing room meeting on Tuesday contained the conversation between Judge Arun Subramanian and attorney Mark Geragos.
Meanwhile, the judge on Wednesday said he will finish seating a jury on Friday. Opening statements are scheduled for Monday.
The trial in Manhattan federal court comes after the 55-year-old hip-hop promoter pleaded not guilty to racketeering and sex trafficking charges after his September arrest. He has remained jailed without bail since then.
On Tuesday, prosecutors asked the judge to instruct Geragos to follow local rules limiting what attorneys say about the case while the trial is proceeding. They noted that Geragos had not filed a “notice of appearance” to represent him in court during the trial, but a jury consultant and the defense team seemed to consult with him.
Later in the day, the judge asked in the robing room meeting if Geragos — whose high-profile clients 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 mother 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' legal team.
When it seemed that Geragos was about to criticize prosecutors over the issue of pretrial publicity, the judge cut him off, saying: “Let's just have some real talk.”
Then, the judge noted that Geragos had said on a recent “2 Angry Men” podcast he hosts with TMZ founder Mark Levin that the prosecution team was made up of six white women and he had referred to them as a “six-pack of white women.”
Subramanian then asked Geragos if he knew that was not something that anyone should 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 judge repeated his point, 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 told Geragos, who has attended much of the jury selection process, that he would be observing and listening to him.
“You have one more listener for your podcast,” the judge said.
“As long as you subscribe, I'm all for it,” Geragos shot back.
Before the trial, Combs’ lawyers blamed “false inflammatory statements” by federal agents 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 said dozens of lawsuits filed against Combs in the last year 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 past three days, the judge has been questioning prospective jurors one at a time to see who can be fair and unbiased. Combs has watched from his seat at the defense table as jurors were questioned.
On Friday, lawyers on each side will be permitted to eliminate several individuals from the panel of jurors — for reasons they usually do not have to explain. That procedure, which typically takes an hour or less, produces the final jury of 12 plus alternates.
Combs is charged with operating his businesses like a racketeering enterprise, using employees and other associates to help facilitate multiple crimes, including kidnapping, arson, bribery and sex trafficking.
Prosecutors say Combs used his fame and fortune as a power broker in the hip-hop world to force young women into sexually abusive situations, including “ Freak Offs,” drugged-up orgies in which women were forced to have sex with male sex workers while Combs filmed them.
Combs’ lawyers contend prosecutors are trying to police consensual sexual activity.
Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press
