The prosecution in the Sean Combs sex trafficking trial played several audio messages on Monday, highlighting the mogul’s tone. The Southern District of New York was reportedly buzzing with rumors of a potential appearance by former Bad Boy artist G. Dep as the prosecution nears the end of its case against Combs. He faces charges including racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Homeland Security special agent joseph Cerciello continued his testimony on Monday,with the prosecution spending hours presenting messages between Combs,Cassie Ventura,Jane,and former employees. The jury was shown additional videos of “freak-offs,” but the monitors were turned off during this time.

During cross-examination, Teny Geragos questioned travel invoices, noting they were for Combs personally, not his businesses.

Candace Kelley, a legal analyst and professor of media law at Rowan University, noted that digital footprints have evolved significantly over the past 15 years. she stated that expert witnesses like Cerciello, who verify texts, videos, and audio messages, have been particularly impactful, especially given the absence of key employees from the witness list. “The weight of this evidence had been extraordinary,” Kelley saeid.

Despite Kristina Khorram‘s absence from the witness stand, Kelley believes that the digital evidence has lessened the impact of her absence. “we certainly heard from her in text messages,” she said.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday, with jury deliberations potentially begining as early as Friday. The defense has reportedly decided not to call the witnesses they had initially planned.

On Wednesday, the prosecution and defense are scheduled to meet for a charge conference. According to Law School Research, a charge conference involves both sides meeting with the judge to determine the instructions given to the jury before deliberations.

Kelley, who covered a 2001 court case involving a shooting at a nightclub involving Sean Combs and rapper Shyne for BET News, suggests that the defense may be preparing for an appeal.

Kelley noted that in February 2025, Combs’ attorneys argued that “This case is unprecedented in many ways, but perhaps most notably, and most disturbingly, no white person has ever been the target of a remotely similar prosecution.” She believes this could be beneficial for the appeal process.

The defense may cite racial bias in the dismissal of Juror No. 6 as grounds for appeal. Kelley quoted Justice Thurgood Marshall, “When Justice thurgood Marshall was alive, he argued that the only way to truly eliminate racial discrimination in jury selection, which he saw as inherent in the use of peremptory challenges, was to abolish them entirely,” adding, “we have to hold the jury system accountable in real time.”

The defense believes that if race is a factor in the case,”If there is a mistrial in this case,such as,the next potential jury pool will already be exposed to both the defense and prosecution’s interpretation of the law.”

The defense’s multiple attempts to have the judge declare a mistrial have been unsuccessful.

“All you have to do is look out your window or turn on the news to see how racism continues to shape all facets of American life,” Kelley stated. “Some may say this is just playing the race card, but these racial disparities manifest across multiple dimensions of the justice system.”

Cerciello read aloud several messages between Combs and Jane, where Combs would send money to Jane, often through Khorram, sometimes after “hotel nights,” similar to Cassie Ventura’s experiences with “freak-offs.”

Kelley noted that Regina Ventura, Cassie’s mother, was a significant factor in Cassie’s decision to testify.

Jury Selection Controversy

“The weight of this evidence had been extraordinary.”

The defense team has expressed concerns regarding the racial makeup of the jury, particularly after the dismissal of a Black juror. They argue that this could impact the fairness of the trial, as jurors with similar backgrounds to Mr. Combs may offer unique perspectives on the evidence.

According to the defense’s letter, “The fairness of the trial depends in part on having jurors with backgrounds similar to Mr. Combs share their perspectives on the evidence with other jurors from diverse backgrounds during deliberations.”

the dismissed Black juror was replaced by a 56-year-old white man. additionally, issues regarding another jury member have surfaced, though unrelated to the previous dismissal. The potential impact of this new issue on the jury’s composition remains undetermined.

Evidence Presented in Court

paralegal Ananya Sankar testified about the accuracy of text messages and documents, which have amounted to hundreds of pages as the prosecution prepares to rest its case. The texts of Kristina Khorram, Combs’ chief of staff, were discussed and read aloud in court.

One text from Khorram to combs’ assistant read, “Heads up, he’s probably about to do wild king tonight.” Other terms like “Freak Offs,” “King Nights,” and “Hotel Nights” were frequently mentioned in company phone communications.

Texts revealed that Jane would frequently enough request between $5,000 and $10,000 from Khorram, who would then seek Combs’ approval. For example, Khorram texted Combs, “Jane asked if you could bring 5-10k cash, it’s all in your safe.”

Combs also regularly requested drugs, such as “Molly, 15 pills,” from Khorram and his security team via text message.

Special agent DeLeassa Penland testified about travel logistics, focusing on Cassie ventura and Combs’ plans related to “freak-offs,” hotels, and flights.

Texts indicated that Cassie Ventura feared being filmed and consistently questioned Combs about the existence of unkown footage. In one text from October 22, 2013, Cassie asked combs, “You didn’t film anything on your phone, rt?” Combs replied, “no, No way.”

Penland is scheduled to continue her testimony tomorrow. Combs’ assistant, Brendan paul, who is alleged to be a drug mule, is also scheduled to testify, potentially taking up most of Tuesday and Wednesday.