Sean "Diddy" Combs (Credit: Getty Images)
Jury selection begins in Diddy sex trafficking trial
Jury selection for the highly anticipated federal sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs began Monday in New York, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
The 55-year-old rapper faces multiple allegations of abuse spanning several years, which prosecutors claim involved coercing victims into drug-fueled sex parties, often accompanied by threats and violence.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges, maintaining that any sexual encounters were consensual. His legal team, led by attorney Marc Agnifilo, has described the artist's lifestyle as free-spirited, citing his “swinger” behavior as part of his defense. During a recent court appearance, Agnifilo suggested this lifestyle played a significant role in shaping the case.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, revealed that they had offered Combs a plea deal, though specifics have not been disclosed. Combs rejected the offer, and the case is now proceeding to trial.
The trial is expected to be a media spectacle, drawing a crowd of reporters and onlookers to the courthouse. Jury selection is anticipated to wrap up within the week, and opening statements are set for May 12, with the trial projected to last 8 to 10 weeks.
Combs faces a charge of racketeering conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, a federal law historically used to target organized crime. In recent years, the law has been applied in sexual abuse cases, including the prosecution of disgraced R&B star R. Kelly. The RICO charge allows prosecutors to present a broader view of Combs’s alleged criminal activity over time, rather than focusing on individual acts.
Read more: Diddy pleads not guilty to new charges in federal case
If convicted, Combs could face life in prison. Combs was arrested by federal agents in New York in September 2024 and has been denied bail multiple times. He is currently held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, a facility notorious for its poor conditions and history of high-profile inmates, including Jeffrey Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell and fraud convict Sam Bankman-Fried.
