Sean 'Diddy' Combs pleads not guilty to new sex trafficking charges
Sean 'Diddy' Combs pleads not guilty to new charges
Sean "Diddy" Combs was back in Manhattan federal court Monday, pleading not guilty to new sex trafficking and racketeering charges filed in a superseding indictment. The latest charges bring the total criminal counts against the former music mogul to five — charges that could result in decades behind bars if he is convicted.
NEW YORK - Disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs pleaded not guilty Monday to new sex trafficking charges filed just one month before his federal trial is set to begin.
What we know:
Combs entered not guilty pleas to a new Mann Act charge filed April 3 and an allegation that he forced a woman into sex trafficking between 2021 and 2023. The Bad Boy Records co-founder also faces multiple counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and related offenses — all of which he denies.
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The Mann Act is a federal law that makes it a crime to transport someone across state lines for illegal sexual activity.
Combs’ attorneys requested a two-week delay, saying they need more time to review evidence. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian urged them to file the formal motion quickly, warning, "You’re on a freight train moving toward trial."
The backstory:
What are Diddy’s chances of release? TMZ’s Mark Levine explains
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Federal prosecutors allege that Sean "Diddy" Combs used his celebrity status and influence in the music industry to lure women into drug-fueled, sexually exploitative encounters involving male sex workers — gatherings referred to as "Freak Offs."
A central piece of evidence is a surveillance video from March 2016 that shows Combs striking and kicking his then-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. Prosecutors say the assault occurred during one of the so-called events.
Combs’ legal team argues the footage is being misrepresented and depicts a "glimpse into a complex but decade-long consensual relationship" between the two. They are seeking to have one of the charges dismissed — a Mann Act violation — which alleges Combs transported a male escort across state lines.
"The government has concocted a criminal case based primarily on allegations that Mr. Combs and two of his longtime girlfriends sometimes brought a third party — a male escort — into their sexual relationship," defense attorney Alexandra A.E. Shapiro wrote in a February court filing. "Each of the three charges in the case are premised on the theory that this type of sexual activity is a federal crime," she added.
What's next:
Combs' trial is set to begin on May 5.