Jury selection is set to begin Monday in a closely watched federal trial that could mark the final chapter in the public downfall of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Once a fixture at glitzy events like the Met Gala, Combs will now face a starkly different audience: a jury pool in a New York courtroom.
The 55-year-old producer and entrepreneur has been held without bail since his arrest in September 2024 on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and running a criminal enterprise.
Federal prosecutors accuse him of orchestrating a years-long scheme that lured victims into drug-laced sex parties through threats and violence.
While Combs maintains his innocence — arguing that any sexual encounters were consensual, the trial is expected to feature explosive testimony, including from his former girlfriend, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura.
According to prosecutors, Ventura’s account, and video footage aired by CNN showing a 2016 hotel altercation, are critical to understanding what they describe as a systematic pattern of abuse.
At a pre-trial hearing, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo sought to contextualize the allegations within Combs’s private lifestyle, saying it reflected a “swinger” ethos rather than criminal intent.
The government has reportedly offered a plea bargain, the details of which remain undisclosed. Combs, however, declined the offer.
If convicted, Combs, who rose to fame under monikers such as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, could spend the rest of his life in prison.
His influence has spanned decades in music and business, with lucrative deals in the alcohol industry complementing his success as a producer.
His legal team will now battle to shape the jury’s perception of events stretching back years, including what prosecutors call “freak-offs”, drug-fueled, coercive sexual gatherings involving sex workers and sometimes filmed. “Freak-offs,” they argue, are emblematic of the broader criminal enterprise Combs allegedly led.
The jury selection process, kicking off on the same day as the Met Gala — where Combs was a mainstay just two years ago — is expected to take about a week. Opening statements are tentatively scheduled for May 12.
Combs, now held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, a facility notorious for overcrowding, decay, and violence — has appeared in court looking visibly aged. His once polished appearance is gone, with unkempt gray hair replacing his usual signature style.
The allegations against him have snowballed since Ventura’s 2023 civil lawsuit, which accused Combs of years of abuse and rape.
Though the suit was settled out of court, it triggered a cascade of similar claims from other accusers, ultimately leading to a federal indictment after raids on his properties in Miami and Los Angeles.
Among the most serious charges is racketeering conspiracy under the RICO statute, historically used against organized crime but increasingly applied in cases of serial sexual abuse.
The statute permits prosecutors to establish a broader pattern of illegal conduct, hinging on “predicate acts” that collectively paint a picture of systemic criminality.
It was the same legal approach that led to the 2021 conviction of R. Kelly, who received a 30-year sentence for sex crimes involving minors.
Combs, though never previously convicted of a major crime, has long faced accusations of violence and assault dating back to the 1990s. As his trial begins, many in the entertainment world are watching closely, not only for the verdict but for what it might signal about accountability in an industry that has often seemed immune to the #MeToo reckoning.
