Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested by federal agents on September 16 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs, who entered a not-guilty plea, is being held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His trial date was set for May 5, 2025.
July selection began Monday for the federal trial in New York city, with many describing it as one of the high-profile celebrity cases to hit Hollywood.
The 17-page indictment against the disgraced music mogul claims that he used his workers, fame and fortune to abuse women and others for 20 years.
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As was the case of other high-profile celebrity trials including those of O.J. Simpson, Johnny Depp, and Michael Jackson, people are eager to watch live how things would unfold in court.
However, in Combs’ case, people interested in the trial would have to rely on journalists and courtroom sketches from inside since cameras are not allowed.
Combs faces federal criminal charges, hence, electronic recordings of proceedings is banned under a procedural rule passed in 1946.
Known as the Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, the statute “bars both photographs and broadcasting from the courtroom of a federal criminal trial,” USA TODAY writes.
Some criminal trials at the state level allow for cameras in the courtroom but even if Combs was facing state charges, people would still not be able to watch the trial live because New York state law regarding media coverage of court proceedings is one of the most restrictive in the country.
If convicted on all charges, Combs faces a possible sentence of decades in prison. His trial is likely to take at least eight weeks with opening statements expected to begin next week.
The embattled music executive’s legal woes started after CNN shared a video of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. The rapper and music executive had initially denied allegations of rape and abuse from Cassie. But he later issued an apology on social media after the circulation of the video.
Combs and Cassie started dating in 2007 and had an on-and-off relationship for over 10 years. The American music mogul signed Cassie to his label in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37.
And Cassie, now 38, initially filed a lawsuit in New York federal court alleging that Combs brought her into his “ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle” after she met him. The lawsuit further alleged that Combs was “prone to uncontrollable rage” and physically abused her during their relationship including punching, beating, kicking, and stomping on her.
It alleged that Combs urged Cassie to use drugs and forced her to have sex with other men while he masturbated and filmed. The lawsuit was later dismissed after both parties reached an undisclosed settlement.
