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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Sex Trafficking Charges

BBG News

In a New York court, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs appeared on Friday and pleaded not guilty to a revised indictment accusing him of 20 years of alleged sex trafficking offenses.

55-year-old Combs, with a more silver-toned beard than just recently, kept his hands together as he informed Judge Arun Subramanian that he had perused the indictment and grasped the accusations directed at him.

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Combs, aged 55 and sporting a more grayish beard than before, stood with folded hands, stating to Judge Arun Subramanian that he had reviewed the indictment and was aware of the allegations against him.

In a court appearance following his September detention without bond, Combs embraced two of his legal representatives upon entering the courtroom.

At the end of April, Subramanian instructed legal professionals that they would distribute questionnaires to approximately 300 potential jurors. This process is intended to initiate questioning of these prospective jurors on May 5th. The opening statements are anticipated for May 12th.

The indictment claims that Combs leveraged his influence and high-status position in the music industry to coerce, menace, and attract women, frequently by suggesting a romantic connection or relationship.

According to the charges, he resorted to physical violence, intimidation, and manipulation to persuade his victims, which included three women, into performing sexual services for profit.

He inflicted violence upon his victims, made them fearful with threats of physical violence, economic and social damage, as well as hurling verbal insults at them.

In various instances, Combs is reported to have hurled items and individuals, strike, pull, strangle, and push others. Additionally, on one instance, Combs suspended a person precariously over an apartment balcony.

Lawyers defending the case have pointed out that prosecutors may have been attempting to portray as unacceptable activities between mutually agreeing adults.

In the court proceedings on Friday, there was considerable debate about the evidence permissible at the trial, particularly concerning a video broadcast by CNN last year, which depicted me, Sean Combs, physically assaulting my former protege and girlfriend, the R&B artist Cassie. The footage showed me striking her and forcing her to fall onto the floor in a hotel corridor.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi Steiner said the video was “critical to the case.”

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo stated that the video did not accurately portray the events as they transpired.

He mentioned that some parts of the video were sped up by up to 50% and other scenes were shown out of sequence.

He stated, “This evidence seems to be deliberately misrepresentative from our perspective, disguised in nature, and potentially manipulated.

As marshals guided him out of the courtroom, Combs playfully blew kisses and gave a friendly wave to his family members who were watching from the gallery.

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2025-03-14 23:06

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