'Jane' to return to the witness stand as fifth week of testimony begins
An ex-girlfriend of Sean Combs, testifying under the pseudonym “Jane,” will retake the witness stand Monday as the fifth week of testimony begins in Combs' federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial.
"Jane" previously told the jury about a pattern of alleged drug-fueled sex encounters with male prostitutes that she testified she was afraid to discontinue once Combs started paying her rent and funding other expenses in her life.
Combs began paying her $10,000 monthly rent in 2023 and still pays it, "Jane" testified.
“I felt that at any given opportunity Sean was just hovering the house over my head, like just really always brought it up in so many ways that he was paying for it and it just always felt like he wanted me to know that he was doing this for me all the time,” she told the jury.
The testimony last week of a different witness, Bryana Bongolan, prompted the defense to seek a mistrial.
Defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro argued that federal prosecutors knowingly introduced what she said was false testimony that Combs dangled Bongolan from a balcony at former girlfriend Cassie Ventura's Los Angeles apartment. Shapiro said hotel receipts show Combs was in New York at the time the alleged incident occurred.
Federal prosecutors said they planned to respond to the defense motion for a mistrial later today. Judge Arun Subramanian said he would take up the motion on Tuesday.
