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Sean Combs— Case Archive
personpersonFrank PiazzaFrank PiazzaForensic audio and video editor and president of Legal Audio Video.← All People
Expert witness

Frank Piazza

Forensic audio and video editor and president of Legal Audio Video.

Appeared2025 Federal Trial
432 lines·8 proceedings·4 mentions

About

Frank Piazza testified on Day 20 as a forensic video expert about cellphone and surveillance recordings associated with the InterContinental Hotel footage. He described examining the files for manual alteration, correcting a playback-speed issue, and identifying limits on timestamp accuracy and embedded visual distortions.

Piazza explained that he assembled a chronological compilation by matching overlapping visual anchor points across camera views rather than relying on synchronized timestamps. The court admitted the compilation after it was played, while Piazza described footage showing a man dragging a woman into a hallway and appearing to throw a vase in her direction.

On cross-examination, defense counsel repeatedly examined timestamp jumps, buffering, motion activation, corrupted packet delivery, and an apparent interval of nearly 15 seconds. Piazza explained that technical artifacts could affect displayed time information and that cellphone footage was used to connect surveillance segments across a period the surveillance system did not record.

On redirect, Piazza clarified that the feeds had different timestamp offsets, including one of about five minutes and 55 seconds and another of about five seconds. He maintained that the videos reliably and accurately depicted the events shown.

Trial Record (8)

Federal2025 Federal TrialMay 5, 2025 – Jul 2, 2025Called by prosecution

Frank Piazza testified on Day 20 as a forensic video expert, explaining his analysis and chronological compilation of cellphone and surveillance footage. Cross-examination examined timestamp and recording irregularities; on redirect, he reaffirmed that the videos accurately depicted the events shown.

Jury Selection Day 4

Day 18

Day 19

ProceduralJane Testimony Privacy MeasuresMentioned

Summary

The court set privacy measures for Jane's testimony, preserved a video-compilation dispute, clarified two defense exhibits' admission, and granted same-day courtroom access for defense review.

Mentioned in this proceeding.

Day 20

DirectFrank Piazza — DirectFrank PiazzaMadison R. Smyser3highlights212lines spoken

Summary

Video expert Frank Piazza explained technical limits of hotel recordings, presented an admitted chronological compilation, and described enhanced sexually explicit videos admitted under seal.

Highlights (3)

rulingThe court accepted Piazza as an expert in forensic video enhancement and analysis without objection.Open in transcript →
Quote“Although they had issues, as we talked about a little bit before, coloring and contrast issues, and shakiness, the cell phone was recording the -- the video surveillance playing off of the native system, which is playing in a stable fashion. And the cell phone itself was not edited or tampered in any way. So it cleanly captured the clean play back of the surveillance system.”— Frank PiazzaPiazza explained the basis for his conclusion about the cellphone recordings.Open in transcript →
testimony highlightPiazza testified that the surveillance recordings had not been manually altered; he said he corrected their speed but could not correct embedded distortions or rely on their timestamps for the accurate time of day.Open in transcript →
CrossFrank Piazza — CrossFrank PiazzaTeny R. Geragos3highlights212lines spoken

Summary

Defense counsel examined timestamp jumps, artifacts, and apparent recording gaps in the surveillance footage; Piazza explained the technical limitations and the cellphone-video bridge in the compilation.

Highlights (3)

testimony highlightAfter reviewing frames showing a gap between a person holding bags and a later image with the bags on the ground, Piazza said the video appeared to omit a block of almost 15 seconds.Open in transcript →
Quote“I'm really not counting the 57 because what it really did, what it did was just flew through from 51 to 52 right to 12:07, which is giving us a block of almost -- almost 15 seconds.”— Frank PiazzaPiazza identified a substantial apparent gap while explaining the timestamp sequence shown to the jury.Open in transcript →
Quote“That was the end of the surveillance video. So the cell phone video is a bridge of time that was recorded that was not recorded at the surveillance. So this is added to connect the next time period to the next surveillance video.”— Frank PiazzaPiazza explained why the compilation moved from surveillance footage to cellphone footage.Open in transcript →