New York (AP) – Sean “Diddy” Combs, one of many best musical magnates and cultural figures of the final 4 many years, started Monday in New York with the jury’s choice. Twelve members of the jury will probably be chosen, along with six substitutes, and the opening statements are anticipated to start on Might 12. The trial is predicted to final for at the least eight weeks. Here’s a take a look at a number of the particulars.
The costs towards Diddy
Comps is accused of a place of extortion conspiracy, two positions of intercourse trafficking, fraud or coercion, and two transport positions to take part in prostitution. He declared himself harmless.
The alleged crimes cowl from roughly 2004 to roughly 2024. Two of the counts have been added one month earlier than trial.
The accusation towards him says that he coerced and abused girls for years with the assistance of a community of associates and workers whereas silencing the victims by means of blackmail and violence, together with kidnapping, the fireplace and bodily beatings.
Prosecutors declare that he used their “energy and status” as a music star to induce victims to the sexual and produced sexual performances elaborated with male intercourse employees in occasions referred to as “strangers.”
The prosecutors revealed shortly earlier than the trial that combs rejected a guilt settlement that would have meant a lighter sentence than a conviction. They didn’t reveal the phrases of the proposed settlement.
Witnesses and proof towards Diddy
With out publicly figuring out them, prosecutors have mentioned that 4 of the accusers of ComBs will testify on the trial.
The Prosecutor’s Workplace will probably be allowed to indicate the safety video of the jury of combs that hit and kick one among its accusers, the R&B Cassie singer, in a corridor of the Los Angeles lodge in 2016.
Diddy’s attorneys are anticipated to argue within the trial that the federal government is demonizing and distorting the sexual exercise of adults they consent. They’ve additionally argued that two of combs’ lifelong brides voluntarily introduced a male intercourse employee to their relationship.
Cassie, whose authorized identify is Cassandra Ventura, was the romantic couple of combs for greater than a decade. His 2023 demand towards combs alleging years of abuse, together with rape, started the scrutiny that lastly led to prosecution.
Related Press doesn’t normally identify the individuals who say they’ve been sexually abused except they’re publicly introduced, as Ventura did.
The principle check gamers
The trial is within the Court docket of the American District Choose Arun Subramanian. He’s a graduate of the College of Regulation of Columbia and former worker of the Choose of the Supreme Court docket, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was appointed federal choose by President Joe Biden in 2022.
The prosecutor’s crew consists of eight US prosecutors. UU., Seven of them girls. They embody Maurene Ryan Comey, daughter of former FBI director James Comey. He was among the many prosecutors within the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of attracting adolescents to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein.
The combs crew of seven protection attorneys is led by New York’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, who alongside together with his spouse Karen Friedman Agnifilo, additionally defends Luigi Mangione, the person accused of the homicide of the CEO of United Brian Brian Thompson.
Additionally within the protection crew is Atlanta Brian Metal’s lawyer, who represented Younger Thug in a trial that occurred for nearly two years earlier than the rapper declared himself responsible of fees of gangs, medicine and weapons.
Diddy courtroom look
Comps, 55, was held in a federal jail in Brooklyn since its arrest in September. His black jet hair is now virtually utterly grey as a result of the dye is just not allowed within the detention middle.
Comink, which had its personal vogue line, has used yellow jail uniforms in audiences previous to trial.
However for the trial, the choose mentioned he can have as much as 5 shirts with buttons, 5 pairs of pants, 5 sweaters, 5 pairs of socks and two pairs of footwear with out laces.
In line with the principles of the Federal Court docket, pictures or movies of the trial is not going to be allowed. Court docket sketches are allowed.
What we is not going to hear within the trial
Since 2023, dozens of ladies and men have been presenting calls for towards combs claiming that he sexually or bodily abused them. Lots of these individuals mentioned they have been drugged in occasions organized by combs and have been abused whereas they have been incapacitated.
Combs has denied all accusations by means of its attorneys.
A few of these calls for have affirmed that different celebrities have been current or participated in abuse.
The overwhelming majority of those accusations, nonetheless, will not be a part of the felony case. Prosecutors have chosen to deal with a comparatively small variety of accusers and accusations in which there’s bodily proof or corroboration by witnesses.