Composed and with his hands in his pockets, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs greeted potential jurors who hold his fate in their hands with a slight nod as the sex trafficking trial that could send him to prison for life began Monday.
The embattled music mogul appeared in court wearing gray slacks, a navy crewneck sweater layered over a crisp white shirt and black-rimmed glasses. His prison garb was notably absent as Judge Arun Subramanian had given him permission to wear civilian clothing during the trial.
His shoes weren’t visible, but they are without laces per the judge’s order.
The most striking change in his appearance was the absence of the unruly white hair he had grown during his time at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. Now his hair is cut neatly and his white beard remained.
And despite the gravity of the crimes against him, Combs, 55, remained composed and calm, hugging his lawyers as he came in and nodding his head slightly when he faced the jurors with his hands in his pockets.
Outside the Southern District of New York Federal Court, crowds gathered in anticipation of the trial’s opening, following months of pre-trial motions and a denied request for delay from Diddy’s legal team.
Composed and with his hands in his pockets, Diddy greeted potential jurors with a slight nod despite them holding his fate in their hands as his sex trafficking trial that could send him to prison for life began today
Diddy’s attorney Brian Steel arrived at the Southern District of New York Federal Court for jury selection on Monday
Diddy remained composed and calm in the courtroom, hugging his lawyers as he came in and nodding his head slightly when he faced the jurors with his hands in his pockets
Diddy faces five serious federal charges: racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution.
If convicted, the one-time rap producer and global superstar, who is often credited for his role in ushering hip-hop into the mainstream, could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Hundreds of prospective jurors have already filled out questionnaires designed to elicit any bias they may have about the case.
None of the first group, consisting of more than 50 jurors, reacted when told that Diddy would be the defendant.
They were led into court and as they did so, Diddy turned to face them and eyeballed them slowly.
None of them appeared to recognize him and they didn’t react when the judge explained the charges and read out a number of Diddy’s names.
Outside the Southern District of New York Federal Court, crowds gathered in anticipation of the trial’s opening, following months of pre-trial motions and a denied request for delay from Diddy’s legal team
A Diddy supporter arrived at the Southern District of New York Federal Court, as jury selection begins in Sean Combs’s federal sex crimes trial in New York on May 5
There was no reaction when the judge said that among the questions the jury would have to answer was whether hearing evidence about sexual assault including rape, hiring sex workers and having multiple sexual partners would make them unable to serve.
The jurors were escorted out of the room and then the first was brought back in for individual questioning.
The first two celebrities to be named at Diddy’s trial were Mike Myers and Michael B. Jordan. Their names were read out to a potential juror from a list of people and places that may come up throughout the trial.
The juror, a man who works as a licensed massage therapist, said he only knew the two through their acting.
Judge Subramanian said that the list of people and places runs ‘several pages’ and felt like an ‘appendix from Lord of the Rings’. The comment alluded to the scale of the case, which dates back to 2004 and covers multiple states.
The first two celebrities to be named at Diddy’s trial were Mike Myers and Michael B. Jordan. Their names were read out to a potential juror from a list of people and places that may come up throughout the trial
Diddy wore his tan prison-issued uniform at previous hearings but was granted permission by the judge to wear his own clothes for the trial
A woman sits inside a shelter as people wait in line outside the Southern District of New York Federal Court
To speed up the jury selection process, Subramanian ruled that jurors would be given the list to review before they are brought into court and questioned one by one as he attempts to seat a final panel of 12 jurors and six alternates.
So far, Combs’s defense lawyers and prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office agreed on about 150 who could proceed to in-person questioning by the judge, known as voir dire.
Judge Arun Subramanian said that the list of people and places that will come up in the trial, which each juror will have to review to see if they recognize any of them, ran to ‘several pages’
Subramanian said in a May 1 pretrial hearing, where Diddy turned down a final plea deal, that the goal will be to choose 45 potential jurors who are qualified to serve, and lawyers for both sides will then have the opportunity to dismiss jurors without stating a reason, known as a peremptory strike.
The panel will be anonymous, which is frequently the case in high-profile trials in which jurors could face threats or harassment if their identities are known.
Opening statements are set to begin on May 12. The disgraced rapper’s reported defense strategy will revolve around his mental capacity to commit the crimes as his representatives are arguing that he was not of clear mind, according to court documents.
The court heard today that Diddy’s lawyers will be allowed to call a psychiatrist who will testify about the effect of multiple drugs, including prescription drugs, on a normal person.
The judge said he would permit testimony from Dr. Ahoun on the effects of certain drugs and their ‘blackout’ symptoms, but not about what Diddy himself experienced as she didn’t examine him
Previous court filings have said that Dr. Ellie Ahoun will talk about Diddy’s ‘diminished capacity’ to commit the crimes because of his drug intake.
And in court, the judge said he would permit testimony from Ahoun on the ‘expected effects of various drugs a person may experience during blackouts and other intoxicated episodes’ and the ‘predictable result of certain drug combinations’.
But the doctor will not be allowed to talk about what Diddy himself experienced as she didn’t examine him, the judge ruled.
The details of his alleged condition have been redacted in the documents, but there are a few clues of what it could be – federal prosecutors do not believe it is relevant.
According to the documents, prosecutors have stated that legal precedent requires the defense to give proper notice before offering any ‘evidence of the effects of drugs and alcohol on a defendant’s memory or cognitive function’.
Another clue would be that prosecutors are describing the doctor’s potential testimony as evidence of the ‘defendant’s inability to control behavior’.
The video that led to Diddy’s downfall – which was aired by CNN in May 2024 – shows Combs, wearing only a white towel, punching, kicking and throwing Ventura to the ground
In a letter filed Tuesday, Diddy’s attorneys said despite their prior request for a gag order, several attorneys who represent the alleged victims and witnesses continue to muddy the jury pool with ‘negative publicity’ towards their client – naming Ventura’s lawyer Douglas Wigdor
In a letter filed Tuesday, Diddy’s attorneys said despite their prior request for a gag order, several attorneys who represent the alleged victims and witnesses continue to muddy the jury pool with ‘negative publicity’ towards their client.
His team specifically named Douglas Wigdor, who represents the rapper’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, for speaking to the media.
‘Absent a Court order, we expect the publicity to not only continue but escalate as trial commences,’ they wrote in the letter to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian.
‘Indeed, in recent weeks, lawyers for government witnesses have commented on pretrial litigation and continued to broadcast prejudicial statements.’
They pointed to Wigdor’s comments concerning the rapper’s request to keep the surveillance video of the rapper pulling and dragging Ventura by the hair inside a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016 as she tried to escape.
During the trial on Monday, in what appears to be a win for Diddy, Prosecutor Maureen Comey said they won’t be offering the CNN video of Diddy beating up Ventura.
During the trial on Monday, in what appears to be a win for Diddy, Prosecutor Maureen Comey said they won’t be offering the CNN video of Diddy beating up Ventura
Law enforcement removing boxes of evidence and a laptop from Diddy’s Star Island mansion in Miami Beach during the 2024 raid
Diddy’s victims have claimed that he used to use an entire bottle of baby oil in just five minutes, with one woman called ‘Nicole’ telling Rolling Stone that after being given two pills that made her blackout, she woke up several hours later in a room surrounded by empty bottles of baby oil, towels and wine bottles.
Other evidence which could come up at trial is a diary kept by a former employee of Diddy, along with texts between him and a number of his victims.
Prosecutors revealed that their main witnesses have considerable baggage which Diddy’s lawyers are likely to use to try to discredit them.
Some of them have DUIs, have used illegal drugs, committed illegal sex acts, tax offenses and one even has a felony – prosecutors said Diddy’s side should be barred from asking about them all as they are not relevant.
Nor should his lawyers be allowed to ask about prior domestic violence incidents, they say.
Some of the law enforcement officers who could testify have prior misconduct cases against them – another line of attack for Diddy.
Another court document refers to a ‘minor victim, a sign that they may either testify or be referred to during the trial – allegations of abuse involving children are among the most serious he faces.
Prosecutors are seeking to allow three of the four main accusers to testify anonymously but Diddy’s lawyers are strongly objecting to that.