By Luc Cohen
New York: Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has confirmed he rejected prosecutors’ offer of a plea deal, paving the way for him to go to trial next week on sex-trafficking charges.
At a hearing in Manhattan Federal Court, US District Judge Arun Subramanian asked Combs, 55, if he had reviewed the offer and rejected it.
Sean “Diddy” Combs sits in court during his bail hearing in September.Credit: AP
“Yes I did,” Combs said, dressed in tan jail garb.
Combs could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted on all five criminal counts he faces at trial including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty.
Maurene Comey, a prosecutor with the Manhattan US attorney’s office, said at a hearing overnight that Combs faced the possibility of a more severe sentence if convicted at trial than he would have had he accepted the plea deal, but she did not provide further details about the government’s offer.
Another prosecutor, Madison Smyser, previously disclosed that Combs had rejected the plea offer at a hearing last week. Prosecutors say Combs used his business empire to coerce women to take part in lengthy drug-fuelled sexual performances with male sex workers known as freak-offs over a two-decade period.
Combs’ lawyers have argued that the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual, and that there was nothing criminal about him and his long-time girlfriends occasionally bringing in a third person to their relationships as part of a swingers’ lifestyle.
Starting on Monday, New York residents summoned for jury duty were asked on questionnaires what they already knew about the case, part of an effort towards seating a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates who can be impartial despite intense media coverage of the case so far.
Those prospective jurors who make it past initial screening will return to court starting on May 5 for in-person questioning, known as voir dire. Opening statements are due to kick off on May 12, and the trial is expected to last at least eight weeks.
Also known throughout his career as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, Combs is known for elevating hip-hop in American culture and turning artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige into stars. But his reputation has taken a nosedive after he was hit with dozens of civil lawsuits over alleged sexual abuse starting in 2023, and then being criminally indicted last September. He denies all wrongdoing.
Reuters
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