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As jury selection began for American rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ criminal trial this week, attention was drawn to the presence of high-profile attorney Mark Geragos, known for representing numerous celebrities in past legal cases.
While his daughter, Teny Geragos, is the second chair for the defence, Mark Geragos’s presence in the courtroom prompted concern from prosecutors.
In a letter to the judge, prosecutors noted that the defence team appeared to consult with Mark Geragos, suggesting an advisory role. They argued that if he is involved, he should be subject to the same rules as other attorneys and refrain from publicly commenting on the allegations.
Mark Geragos told CNN that he was there to support his daughter and Combs, whom he considers a friend, but stated he would not be formally joining the legal team.
In the lead-up to the trial, Combs has expanded his legal representation. Last month, Atlanta criminal defence attorney Brian Steel, who previously represented rapper Young Thug in a racketeering trial, joined the team.
On Tuesday, another Atlanta attorney from the same trial, Nicole Westmoreland, also joined. Two days before jury selection, New York defence lawyer Xavier Donaldson was added to the defence as well.
While the judge did not publicly address Mark Geragos’ role or the prosecution’s letter, a transcript revealed a private discussion in which the judge criticised Mark Geragos for referring to the all-female prosecution team as a “six-pack of white women” on a podcast. Combs’ team had previously suggested racial bias as a motive behind one of the charges.
Mark Geragos defended his comment as an “observation” related to Combs, a Black man, feeling targeted by the prosecution.
The judge strongly rebuked the remark as “outrageous” and warned that such behaviour would not be tolerated.
Mark Geragos stated he understood but asserted that the “prejudgment rate of guilt” for Combs was comparable to infamous murder cases he had been involved in.
Regarding jury selection, a panel for the federal sex trafficking trial is expected to be finalised by the end of Wednesday. Both legal teams are working to qualify a pool of 45 prospective jurors who have undergone vetting this week.
Judge Arun Subramanian continued questioning potential jurors on Wednesday to reach the final 10 needed for this pool.
Following this, attorneys from both sides will use strikes to eliminate jurors they wish to exclude, aiming to seat a panel of 12 jurors and several alternates.
Many prospective jurors who qualified on Tuesday acknowledged seeing media coverage of the allegations or the hotel surveillance footage of Combs assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
Combs stood when potential jurors entered the courtroom for individual questioning and appeared attentive while seated with his legal team.
One prospective juror who may be selected stated that he had seen the 2016 video of Combs assaulting Ventura, describing Combs’ demeanour in the video as that of an “angry, hostile person who is entitled,” but affirmed his belief in his ability to remain fair and impartial.
He also noted that he believed “mostly everybody saw the video.” The third day of jury selection was scheduled to begin on Wednesday morning.
