For the first time since the sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs began six weeks ago, the jury that will decide the fate of the rap mogul gained a new member on Monday.
The judge overseeing the case dismissed a juror -- and replaced him with an alternate -- after prosecutors raised concerns about his answers during jury selection and whether he could be trusted.
The decision to drop the juror means that a Black, middle-aged man has now been replaced by an older, white man. Combs' attorneys have objected to the change, saying it was a "veiled" attempt by the prosecution to alter the racial makeup of the panel.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian dismissed those concerns, saying it is "inappropriate to consider race" in deciding whether the juror's responses to questions about where he lived were appropriate.
"The record raised serious concerns as to the juror's candor and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the jury," Subramanian said Monday. "There's nothing the juror could say at this point to put the genie back in the bottle."
At issue was whether Juror No. 6 had been honest about where he lived. During jury selection, he had said he lived in the Bronx but later suggested he moved to New Jersey, making him ineligible for a Manhattan federal jury.
The juror was replaced with an alternate juror -- a 57-year-old architect from New York City's northern suburb of Westchester -- making the jury overall older and whiter.
The change to the jury comes as prosecutors are calling their final witnesses this week. Next up will be the defense and, from there, the jury will get the case.
Prosecutors argue that Combs used his wealth, influence and power to coerce women into sex before using violence and threats to keep them silent to protect his reputation. Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his lawyers argue that any of the women who participated in his drug-fueled sex parties were voluntary participants who consented to having sex with male prostitutes while Combs directed, watched and masturbated.
Combs could face the rest of his life in prison if convicted on all counts.
On Tuesday, prosecutors plan to call Combs' former assistant, Brendan Paul, who has been granted immunity so he could testify without fear of being prosecuted himself. Paul was arrested on drug charges last year, around the time Combs' mansions were raided by federal agents. Charges against him were dismissed after Paul agreed to participate in a diversion program.
To conclude the 28th day of the trial, members of the jury donned headphones Monday to watch excerpts of videos showing the orgies Combs allegedly hosted, described by multiple witnesses as "freak-offs," "hotel nights" or "wild king nights."
Prosecutors had previously shown the jury still images from the sex parties, but Monday's testimony marked the first time they saw the video evidence. Prosecutors allege that Combs kept the recordings and used them as leverage over his alleged victims to enforce their silence.
One video was longer than 39 minutes, though the jury saw only a portion of that.
The videos were pulled from a laptop turned over by Combs' ex-girlfriend and star witness, Cassie Ventura. The exhibits were entered into evidence under seal, so they were not accessible to the press or public to view. News organizations had fought for the right of the press or the public to have some ability to see the recordings in order to help the general public understand the nature of what the jury was watching. The judge has refused those efforts.
The names of Combs' former chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, and security guard Damian Butler were mentioned by other witnesses as key individuals who allegedly assisted Combs. But prosecutors have not called either of them to the stand. Instead, prosecutors on Monday used so-called "summary" witnesses -- a federal agent and government paralegal -- to offer to the jury additional evidence related to the allegations against Combs.
Though prosecutors allege that Combs relied on others to orchestrate his criminal enterprise, no one besides Combs has been charged with any crimes.
In one group of messages shown to the jury on Monday, Khorram and Combs' travel arranger Jessica Ruiz discussed a flight for Jane -- one of Combs' former girlfriends who testified he forced him to participate in sex parties -- and an escort named Paul. Prosecutors hope the evidence could bolster the sex-trafficking allegations against Combs.
Khorram's attorneys did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News, but they have denied wrongdoing in past statements related to civil lawsuits in which she was mentioned.
Combs' former assistant, known by the pseudonym "Mia," told the jury that Combs' bodyguard, Damian Butler, known as D-Roc, called her and texted her repeatedly in the days and weeks after Cassie Ventura's explosive civil lawsuit became public. According to the testimony, Butler was urging her to talk to Combs.
Butler is not testifying, but a summary witness read into the record some of the call and text logs from his phone. They appear to show him in close communication with Combs while he is breezily chatting with Mia.
Mia testified that the outreach from Butler and Combs "terrified" her. The messages showed how Mia brushed off Butler's repeated offers to "send my sister a gift."
Federal prosecutors allege Combs's prominent record label and music business doubled as a criminal enterprise with the assistance of his bodyguards, who pressured witnesses like Mia "to stay silent and not report what they experienced or knew."
Through summary witnesses, jurors also saw additional business records that prosecutors argue show how Combs used his business to fund his personal life and alleged crimes.
Credit card statements showed Sean Combs used his American Express for Ventura and a male escort to fly separately to New York in December 2009.
The jury was shown a bank statement from one of Combs' businesses -- Bad Boy Entertainment Worldwide -- that paid $369,279 to cover the costs of the trip, along with other expenses. The bank statement could help support prosecutors' claim that Combs used his business to engage in sex trafficking by flying escorts across state lines.
Earlier this month, prosecutors called Derek Ferugson, the former chief financial officer of Combs' Enterprises, who testified that Combs' business and personal expenses were often intertwined.
With prosecutors expected to rest their case as early as Wednesday, defense attorneys began to preview on Monday the case they will bring to the jury. Combs' lawyers signaled it has as many as three witnesses lined up to testify beginning Friday.
Among the first defense witnesses is going to be Vashta Dunlap, who was a vice president at Bad Boy.
Defense lawyers signaled they may call additional witnesses and did not address whether Combs would take the stand in his own defense.