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Less than one year after his arrest at a Manhattan hotel, Sean “Diddy” Combs’s sex-trafficking trial is approaching quickly with the preliminary stages of jury selection starting on April 28. The arrest of Combs, 55, came following a slew of abuse allegations, beginning with a bombshell federal lawsuit filed by ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura in November 2023. Combs and Ventura settled just one day after she filed suit, but as more and more accusations against the hip-hop mogul came out in 63 lawsuits — including claims that he has abused minors — the Feds swiftly moved to investigate him. The charges against Combs relate to three victims, Ventura among them. Following jury selection, the trial will begin in earnest with opening statements from Diddy’s team and prosecutors. Below, everything you need to remember about the charges, how to watch, and if Ventura will be there.
What did Diddy do again?
In the case United States v. Diddy, the disgraced music mogul faces five counts on charges that include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking (by force, fraud, or coercion), and transportation to engage in prostitution. Federal prosecutors said that Combs used his extensive entertainment empire to create a “criminal enterprise.” The Feds allege that the purpose of this enterprise included abuse of women with violence. Authorities said that they found evidence of “Freak Offs” — dayslong sex parties fueled by drugs — during raids of his Miami and Los Angeles homes in March 2024. Much of Combs’s alleged abuse unfolded at Freak Offs. After Combs drew women into his orbit, he forced them to participate in these parties, prosecutors allege. These routine events “were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded.” After the Freak Offs ended, Combs and his victims “typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use,” prosecutors said.
What are Cassie’s accusations against Diddy?
On November 16, 2023, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura’s alleged that Diddy, with whom she had an on-again, off-again relationship for about a decade, had raped her. She claimed that Combs’s abuse spanned that decade and started when she was only 19.
Ventura, who was signed to Combs’s Bad Boy Records, claimed that he exerted complete control over her, including her apartment, wardrobe, medical records, and car. While Ventura and Combs settled on November 17, 2023, her allegations of abuse came to the forefront once again on May 17, 2024, when CNN ran chilling surveillance video showing Combs physically attacking her at a hotel in 2016. Combs apologized for the incident on Instagram two days later, and the post has since been removed. Ventura is “Victim-1” in the indictment. The charging papers against Combs refer to this hotel incident. The video will likely be shown in court, and Ventura is expected to testify. Her claims would prompt dozens of other accusers to come forward.
Is Combs in jail right now?
Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The other high-profile inmate at MDC is Luigi Mangione, who stands accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, 2024. According to the New York Post, Combs is not happy that Mangione is his jailmate. The Post reported that Combs was “throwing tantrums” that Mangione was getting more attention than him, potentially landing the accused assassin on the rapper’s “shit list.”
Who are Combs’s lawyers?
Combs’s legal team is large and includes high-profile attorneys Marc Agnifilo, Teny Geragos, and Brian Steel. Agnifilo is serving as one of Mangione’s defense attorneys. Steel represented the rapper Young Thug in the YSL racketeering trial.
When does the trial start?
On April 28, prospective jurors will arrive at court for questionnaires. Potential panelists might also fill out questionnaires on April 29 and, if need be, April 30. Both prosecutors and defense lawyers will look at the questionnaires and then send four lists to the judge by May 1. The lists will include a batch of people who both sides agree should move to the next stage of jury selection. Both sides will also submit a list of people they both agree should be excluded. There will be two more lists: one with the names of people who defense lawyers think shouldn’t make the cut and another list with the names of people who prosecutors believe should be booted. The more thorough questioning of prospective jurors will start on May 5.
Opening statements are scheduled for May 12.
Will the Diddy trial be televised?
Unlike the recent Rust manslaughter trial, these court proceedings will not air on television or radio because they are federal court proceedings. The best way to stay up-to-date about the trial is by subscribing to Vulture’s weekly newsletter Court Appearances.
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