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What is Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs charged with and how are jurors picked? 10 hours ago Share Save Brandon Drenon BBC News Share Save Getty Images The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, one of the most successful rappers and music moguls in the US, began with jury selection in New York on Monday. If the jury is selected this week, lawyers on both sides will be expected to offer their opening statements on Monday to the seated jurors. The charges against Mr Combs include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could face life in prison. The rapper also faces dozens of civil lawsuits from individuals who accuse him of using his power to drug, assault, rape, intimidate and silence people. Mr Combs has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges and rejected the individual lawsuits as attempts “for a quick payday”. Who is Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs? Mr Combs – who has also gone by the names Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love, and Brother Love – emerged in the hip-hop scene in the 1990s. His early music career success included helping launch the careers of Mary J Blige and Christopher Wallace – aka Biggie Smalls, or The Notorious B.I.G. His music label Bad Boy Records became one of the most important labels in rap and expanded to include Faith Evans, Ma$e, 112, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez. Mr Combs also had a prolific business career outside of music, including a deal with British drinks company Diageo to promote the French vodka brand Cîroc. In 2023, he released his fifth record The Love Album: Off The Grid and earned his first solo nomination at the Grammy awards. He also was named a Global Icon at the MTV Awards. What are the charges and allegations against Diddy? In the federal criminal case, Mr Combs is charged with racketeering conspiracy, two charges of sex trafficking and two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. Many of the most severe allegations relate to the racketeering conspiracy charge. It includes accusations of kidnapping, drugging, and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes using firearms or threats of violence. In a raid on his Los Angeles mansion, police found supplies that they said were intended for use in orgies known as “freak offs”, including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil. Separately, Mr Combs faces a number of lawsuits accusing him of rape and assault . Tony Buzbee, a Texas lawyer handling some of these cases, said that more than 100 women and men from across the US have either filed lawsuits against the rap mogul or will do so. In December 2023, a woman known in court papers as Jane Doe alleged that she was “gang raped” by Mr Combs and others in 2003, when she was 17. She said she was given “copious amounts of drugs and alcohol” before the attack. Mr Combs’ legal team dismissed the flurry of lawsuits as “clear attempts to garner publicity.” ‘He thought of himself as a king’: The parties that led to Diddy’s downfall Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs: Who is the US rapper accused of sex trafficking? EPA Sean Combs and Cassie Ventura were in an on-and-off relationship for more than a decade His current legal issues began when he was sued by his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, also known as Cassie, in late 2023. She accused him of violently abusing and raping her. That lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount a day after it was filed, with Mr Combs maintaining his innocence. Since then, dozens of people have filed lawsuits accusing Mr Combs of sexual assault, with accusations dating back to 1991. He denies all claims. His controversial history with Ms Ventura resurfaced in 2024, when CCTV footage leaked by CNN showed Mr Combs kicking his former girlfriend as she lay on a hotel hallway floor in 2016. He apologised for his behaviour, saying: “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.” Diddy’s violence left me broken, says Cassie ‘Studio sex’ and ‘hitman threats’: Insiders speak out about Diddy’s 90s music empire What has Diddy said about the charges? Mr Combs has consistently denied the allegations made against him in the civil lawsuits, describing them as “sickening” and suggesting they were made by “individuals looking for a quick payday”. In a statement to the BBC about the federal criminal charges, his lawyer said: “Mr Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. “In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.” Diddy’s lawyers later filed a motion to dismiss one part of the federal indictment in which he is accused of transportation to engage in prostitution. His team argued he was being unfairly targeted due to his race. In a hearing in New York a week before the trial, his attorneys told the court that the rapper led the “lifestyle” of a “swinger” and was not a criminal . They said he thought it was “appropriate” to have multiple sex partners, including sex workers. At the same hearing, prosecutors revealed that Mr Combs had rejected a plea deal. Is Diddy in jail? Getty Images Several US judges have criticised the dangerous conditions which inmates face at the Metropolitan Detention Center. Mr Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, since his arrest on 16 September 2024. His lawyers have argued for his release, citing the jail’s “horrific” conditions. Critics describe the prison as overcrowded and understaffed, with a culture of violence. A New York federal judge denied the bail request, describing Mr Combs as a “serious flight risk”. Prosecutors have alleged that Mr Combs has been breaking prison rules by contacting potential witnesses. They accuse him of “relentless efforts” to “corruptly influence witness testimony”. ‘Chaos reigns’ – the notorious jail holding Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs A judge has granted Mr Combs permission to wear non prison clothing during his trial rather than the jumpsuits he wears in jail. At the first day of his trial on Monday for jury selection, the rapper appeared in court in a blue sweater and white shirt, wearing glasses on his head with streaks of gray in his hair. He asked the judge for multiple bathroom breaks, telling the court he was “a little nervous today”. When is the Diddy trial and how long will it last? The trial began on Monday, with the jury selection expected to last one week to choose a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates. Mr Combs’ trial is taking place in front of US District Judge Arun Subramanian at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse in lower Manhattan. The judge has told jurors the case could last around eight weeks total. The trial is expected to be open to the public, but won’t be streamed online. Cameras, phones and electronic devices are normally not allowed in US federal courtrooms. How are jurors selected? Attorneys made progress on Monday weeding through dozens of potential jurors, after already ruling out some who were not able to attend the lengthy trial. Judge Subramanian reminded the court several times on Monday of the importance of seating a fair and impartial jury. He called in dozens of people who walked the judge through their answers to a lengthy questionnaire. Nearly every one had read news reports of the allegations in the case, and many had seen the footage of Mr Combs kicking his girlfriend in the hotel hallway. Many female potential jurors also said they had been victims of sexual abuse or assault themselves or knew someone close who had. Still, over a dozen of them said they could go into the case with an open mind and pledged not to form an opinion until they heard all the evidence. At the end of the day, 19 jurors were moved onto the next stage of questioning. They range in age from 30 to 75 and are from Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester. They have diverse occupations including financial analysts, teachers, scientists and cashiers. How long could Diddy spend in jail? Mr Combs faces up to life in prison if convicted on the racketeering charge. He faces another statutory minimum sentence of 15 years if he is found guilty of sex trafficking. Transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Sexual violence Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs United States Music
