Sean “Diddy” Combs strode into courtroom Monday morning to a packed courtroom crammed along with his kids and anxious members of the family, because the hip-hop mogul faces costs of intercourse trafficking and racketeering that would put him behind bars for all times.
The 55-year-old, who’s now absolutely gray, has pleaded not responsible to the 5 felony counts in opposition to him. Throughout jury choice final week, the larger-than-life music govt who is understood for commanding a highlight and has beforehand confronted a 15-year jail sentence and beat the case, admitted he was a “little nervous” forward of the trial’s graduation.
But on Monday morning, his publicist, Holly Baird, described Combs as “upbeat” and “able to have his aspect advised in courtroom.” Combs’ mom, Janice, and kids Christian, Justin, Quincy, D’Lila, Jessie, and Likelihood appeared in courtroom to assist the mogul.
The road outdoors the Manhattan federal courthouse stretched down the block, as members of the press, enthusiastic supporters, curious spectators, podcasters and content material creators — together with Myron Gaines from Recent and Match and Jaguar Wright — waited upwards of 12 hours in hopes of securing a seat within the courtroom and catching a glimpse of the embattled Unhealthy Boy Leisure founder. Music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who sued Combs in February 2024 for sexual assault and lack of cost, and his legal professional Tyrone Blackburn turned as much as courtroom, although declined to present statements.
Wearing a sweater, collared shirt, and costume slacks, Combs greeted his attorneys and took his seat. Earlier than opening arguments are set to start later at the moment, Southern District of New York prosecutors and Combs’ protection staff started trimming down the remaining 43 jurors right into a last group of 12 women and men, with six alternates.
The federal government has claimed Combs — who based Unhealthy Boy Data which produced legendary rapper The Infamous B.I.G. and whose great affect introduced hip-hop and rap mainstream — used his billion-dollar empire as a prison enterprise, fuelled by the mogul’s sexual needs. Within the background of his enterprise dealings, Combs is accused of intercourse trafficking two girls between 2009 and 2024.
He allegedly instructed a staff of staffers — who had been allegedly subjected to pressured labor and bodily threats themselves — to hold out acts of bribery, arson, and kidnapping. Different alleged victims had been mentioned to be coerced into intercourse with Combs, in addition to with employed male intercourse employees in days-long, drug-fuelled sexual periods Combs known as “freak-offs.”
In the meantime, Combs’ all-star authorized staff — which incorporates superstar attorneys Brian Metal and Marc Agnifilo — have insisted upon their consumer’s innocence. They’ve claimed that though Combs participated in a “swinger” life-style and would regularly rent male escorts, that didn’t represent as intercourse trafficking.
In regard to Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, known as “Sufferer-1” within the indictment, Combs’ legal professional Agnifilo indicated to Choose Arun Subramanian that the protection deliberate to argue the pair’s decade-long relationship was deeply “poisonous” and there was “mutual” violence on each side.
When quizzed on the traces of questioning the protection would take throughout their cross-examination of Sufferer-1, attorneys Agnifilo and Alexandra Shapiro mentioned they hoped to query Combs’ former girlfriend about “different situations the place she has been violent.” They mentioned the questioning was central to talk to Ventura’s alleged non-peaceful nature and her independence in effort to dismantle prosecutors’ declare that Combs coerced her into sure conditions.
Choose Subramanian rapidly shot down the notion. “Robust individuals may be coerced similar to weak individuals,” Subramanian mentioned.
This week, prosecutors indicated that they deliberate to name two “brief” witnesses to the stand, together with a male escort, earlier than a 3rd witness would testify. Though the identify of that witness has not been disclosed, all indicators level to Ventura. Whereas stressing it was essential to hold to a strict time schedule for the trial, prosecutors mentioned an early key witness was “time-sensitive” and would want to take frequent breaks all through their days-long testimony. Ventura is a number of months alongside in her being pregnant for her third little one and the indictment intently mirrors the claims she made in her bombshell intercourse trafficking lawsuit.
This can be a growing story
