News | Entertainment
17 Jul 2025 14:58
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Sean 'Diddy' Combs is being warned not to take the stand in his federal sex trafficking trial

    The 55-year-old rapper's federal trial is continuing in New York, and has seen a series of big-name witnesses take to the stand so far too testify against the Bad Boy Records founder - and legal analyst Lisa Bonner has now insisted Combs giving his testimony during proceedings would open him up to questioning on a range of damaging allegations.


    She told Page Six: "Once you take the stand, everything you've ever done - related to any of these alleged crimes - become fair game.

    "You are under oath and you can go to jail for... perjury, so you want to avoid taking the stand."

    Combs is on trial on charges including sex trafficking, racketeering and obstruction.

    He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and faces life behind bars if convicted on all allegations.

    His trial, now in its third week, has seen high-profile testimony from witnesses including his singer ex Cassie Ventura, 38, as well as rapper Scott Mescudi - known as Kid Cudi - and singer Dawn Richards.

    Ms Bonner added Combs would be risking exposure to uncomfortable cross-examination if he also took the stand.

    She said: "There is a lot of evidence that will be presented, even up until now, that I wouldn't want to answer if I was Diddy.

    "For example, 'Did you drop the Molotov cocktail in the car or did you have any involvement in that?'" she added, referring to a 2012 firebombing of Kid Cudi's car.

    Meanwhile, Combs' defence team have requested a mistrial.

    They are alleging prosecutorial misconduct over the questioning related to the apparent destroying of evidence in the arson case involving a car belonging to Combs' fellow performer Kid Cudi.

    Combs' lead lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, has criticised the prosecution for making an "outrageous" suggestion his client could have been involved in the destruction of fingerprint evidence connected to the 2011 Molotov cocktail attack on Kid's Porsche. Mr Agnifilo argued the implication was unfairly presented to the jury during the cross-examination of arson investigator Lance Jimenez.

    Lance had testified fingerprint evidence from the Molotov cocktail bottle was destroyed in 2012 without his knowledge, on orders from the Los Angeles Police Department, which was not part of his investigative team.

    After a brief recess and with the jury excused, Mr Agnifilo said the prosecution's remarks "implied that someone in this courtroom was responsible for the destruction of the fingerprint cards".

    He urged Judge Arun Subramanian to dec lare a mistrial on grounds of prosecutorial misconduct, but the motion was denied. The judge agreed to strike the fingerprint evidence discussion from the record and instructed the jury to disregard it as irrelevant to the case.

    Day 11 of Combs' trial began on Wednesday (28.05.25) with testimony from a Los Angeles police officer who responded to the break-in at Kid Cudi's property in December 2011.

    © 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     17 Jul: Rihanna's sons "love music"
     17 Jul: Nick Jonas thinks The Jonas Brothers' music has "aged very well"
     17 Jul: Rita Ora considers her LGBTQ fans to be "in a league of their own"
     17 Jul: Sydney Sweeney is reportedly set to launch her own lingerie line
     17 Jul: Severance leads this year's list of Emmy nominations
     17 Jul: Liev Schreiber was inspired to become an actor by his passion for clowns and the circus as a child
     17 Jul: Nicole Scherzinger's first solo performance in the UK in 13 years has sold out in just over one day
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The return of experience in Tyrel Lomax and Anton Lienert-Brown to the All Blacks run-on side counters an experimental-looking starting XV for the third test against France in Hamilton More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    More cost-of-living pressure for households More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Rihanna's sons "love music" 14:40

    Rugby:
    The return of experience in Tyrel Lomax and Anton Lienert-Brown to the All Blacks run-on side counters an experimental-looking starting XV for the third test against France in Hamilton 14:17

    National:
    Is our mental health determined by where we live – or is it the other way round? New research sheds more light 14:17

    Entertainment:
    Nick Jonas thinks The Jonas Brothers' music has "aged very well" 14:10

    Business:
    More cost-of-living pressure for households 13:47

    Entertainment:
    Rita Ora considers her LGBTQ fans to be "in a league of their own" 13:40

    Rugby League:
    Stars coach Temepara Bailey is unhappy with how her debut season at the helm of an ANZ Premiership franchise has played out 13:27

    Entertainment:
    Sydney Sweeney is reportedly set to launch her own lingerie line 13:10

    Business:
    The Greens are pointing to rising unemployment and sanctions - as the reason Kiwis are leaving in droves 13:07

    Living & Travel:
    Angels, witches, crystals and black cats: How supernatural beliefs vary across different groups in the US 13:07


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd