Arun Subramanian

Arun Subramanian presided from jury impanelment through the verdict and immediate post-verdict proceedings. Before openings, he instructed jurors to decide the case impartially from admitted evidence, avoid outside information, and hold the government to its burden of proving each element beyond a reasonable doubt, with no obligation on the defendant to present a defense.

Throughout testimony, Subramanian ruled on admissibility, examination limits, expert evidence, and protections for sensitive witnesses. His decisions included excluding challenged text-message content under Rule 412 while allowing narrower relationship questioning, denying the motion to strike Dr. Hughes's testimony, and setting privacy measures for Mia and Jane. He also managed juror issues, removing Juror No. 7 after finding material inconsistencies in residence statements and later excusing Juror No. 6 and substituting an alternate.

At the Day 34 charge conference, Subramanian resolved disputes over the final instructions, added statutory language to the forced-labor definition, and removed one obstruction predicate. During closing arguments, he instructed jurors not to consider prosecutors' charging decisions or the government's decisions to investigate and indict. On Day 37, he instructed the jury on the five counts, the presumption of innocence, reasonable doubt, witness credibility, deliberations, and the verdict sheet.

During deliberations, Subramanian answered juror concerns without seeking details of the jury's discussions and directed continued deliberation after the jury reported verdicts on four counts but not Count One. On Day 39, the jury acquitted Combs of racketeering conspiracy and both sex-trafficking counts and convicted him on two transportation counts. Subramanian then denied post-verdict bail and directed the parties to work with probation on an expedited sentencing schedule.