Sean “Diddy” Combs shocked courtroom attendees with a grizzled new look at a pretrial conference Friday. The disgraced rapper is charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution following his arrest in September. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Combs’ legal team and prosecutors disputed various aspects of the trial, including jury selection, submitted evidence, and court timeline. The graying music mogul appeared in mostly good spirits throughout the 35-minute conference, despite shaking his head and whispering in his attorney’s ear at times.
A new indictment added accusations that Combs forced employees to work long hours and threatened to punish those who did not assist in his alleged two-decade sex trafficking scheme. The trial is scheduled to begin on May 5.
Prosecutors submitted a second superseding indictment, updating the amended indictment from January with three unnamed women allegedly victims of his so-called sex trafficking enterprise. Combs’ lawyers cast doubt on the CNN footage showing him physically assaulting ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, claiming it was altered.
A judge determined that potential jurors could begin filling out questionnaires on April 28 before jury selection begins on May 5. Both sides aim to review roughly 300 jurors per day until a jury is assembled.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/sean-diddy-combs-lawyers-federal-174934694.html