Federal court appearance scheduled for Sean 'Diddy' Combs this Friday
Revised Article:
Sean "Diddy" Combs finds himself back in court on Friday, this time in Manhattan for a pretrial hearing in his widening criminal saga. The high-profile recording artist and business mogul will be put before a judge once more, with a new superseding indictment in hand.
In the past few weeks, prosecutors have added fresh accusations to the alleged racketeering conspiracy Combs faces. These new claims allege that Combs forced an employee into sex acts and threatened others with both physical violence and financial ruin if they didn't help him orchestrate a two-decade-long sex trafficking enterprise, expanding the list of victims from two to three.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, transporting individuals for prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy. He is currently detained at a federal detention center in New York City, prepping for a trial slated to start on May 5. His legal team has petitioned for jury selection to kick off on May 5, with opening statements following on May 13, while prosecutors advocate for an earlier start on April 21.
Prosecutors have leveled claims against Combs and his associates of coercing at least three women into performing sexual acts and, at times, engaging male prostitutes. The alleged incidents where prosecutors maintain these women were frequently drugged and forced to partake in multiple days of sex were referred to as "Freak Offs."
Authorities assert Combs secretly recorded some of these sexual acts and kept his victims under his control through promises of financial rewards, career opportunities, and threats of violence and other harm.
The indictment further accuses Combs of reacting violently when his authority was challenged by staff, witnesses, or others. It is said that he committed several kidnappings, with one instance involving Combs allegedly dangling a victim over an apartment balcony.
Pending discussion at Friday's hearing may include possible trial evidence. Combs' attorneys have argued that a 2016 surveillance video, first aired by CNN last May, was tampered with and the original footage was destroyed. However, a spokesperson for CNN has stated that the video was not manipulated, and the original copy was saved.
Combs' apology for the incident, published days following the video's release, is being disputed by his attorneys, who argue it should be excluded from the trial. "It's not surprising that Combs would make a dubious argument to exclude the unsettling video from being displayed to the jury during the upcoming trial," said Ventura's attorney, Douglas Wigdor. "I am confident that the video will fairly represent reality, will be admitted into evidence, and that Combs will be held liable for his debauchery."
Cassie Ventura and Combs reached a settlement to close a civil lawsuit in which she accused him of years of abuse in late 2023. Since then, he has been implicated in over 40 civil lawsuits for sexual assault, all of which he has denied. On top of the upcoming trial, the judge may address scheduling matters, a juror questionnaire, and a request by prosecutors for the defense to disclose discovery material.
CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister and Kara Scannell contributed to this report.
- Despite his ongoing legal battles, Sean "Diddy" Combs has been accused of surreptitiously recording physical encounters, using these recordings to maintain control over his victims.
- In an unexpected twist, the new indictment against Sean "Diddy" Combs includes allegations of coercing not just two, but three women into performing sexual acts, and even engaging male prostitutes.
- The upcoming trial for Sean "Diddy" Combs may include evidence such as a 2016 surveillance video that has been a subject of dispute, with his legal team arguing that the original footage was tampered with and destroyed.
