Jury selection has begun in the sex trafficking trial of disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, but the process is expected to take at least a week.
According to NPR, attorneys for Diddy, who has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transporting to engage in prostitution, were denied their request to have the trial delayed by another two months, which they said they needed to prepare their case following the prosecutions filing of a superseding indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York last month, which added two additional counts to the existing charges.
Judge Arun Subramanian, who denied the defense’s request to delay the trial, is expected to hear opening arguments on May 12, provided the lengthy jury selection process is concluded by then. Several witnesses and alleged victims are expected to testify.
From NPR:
The federal government is accusing Combs of using his power across the music, fashion and entertainment industries to run a criminal organization that facilitated and concealed sex crimes dating back more than a decade. This includes sex trafficking, which they claim occurred when Combs would lure women into his orbit — often under the pretense of a romantic relationship — and would then coerce them into commercial sex acts.
“With these high profile cases like Harvey Weinstein and the NXIVM cult case, courts are willing to define commercial sex as an exchange of sex not just for money, but for anything of value,” says Aya Gruber, a criminal law professor at the University of South California. “It could be promises to help your career in entertainment. It could be moving up in the hierarchy in the cult. It could be various things.”
However, regardless of how high-profile Diddy’s case is, it will not be televised like other trials of similar magnitude and interest to the public.
While avoiding a lot of public scrutiny by not airing the case, other stars are being dragged into it because of the arduous task of picking a jury. So, all potential jurors have received a questionnaire to gauge their knowledge of Diddy’s case, and that includes a list of 190 celebrities to determine who they know.
That list includes Michael B. Jordan, Kanye West, Mike Myers, and Kid Cudi. Kid Cudi has already been named in Cassie’s suit, where she alleges Diddy blew up his cars. Michael B. Jordan’s name comes up because when he tried to date Cassie in 2015, Diddy reportedly “called the actor and threatened him.”
Diddy faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if he’s found guilty on the sex trafficking and racketeering charges, and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if he’s convicted of transporting to engage in prostitution.
