Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial

The sex trafficking and racketeering criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs began on Monday, May 5, in New York City. The hip-hop mogul is accused of using his billion-dollar empire as a criminal enterprise that allegedly facilitated the sex trafficking of two women between 2009 and 2024. 

Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Entertainment that launched the legendary rapper The Notorious B.I.G., was arrested on Sept. 16, 2024, charged with racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him. If convicted, he stands to face 15 years to life in prison. 

The high-profile trial based out of the Southern District of New York is expected to last at least eight weeks, with Combs’ ex-girlfriend R&B singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura expected to testify against him. Ventura sued Combs in November 2023, alleging that throughout their decade-long relationship, Combs held her music career hostage while he subjected her to physical beatings and forced her to have sex with male sex workers in encounters that Combs called “freak-offs.” (Combs denied her claims and the case was settled within 24 hours.) Also expected to testify at the trial are Combs’ former employees and associates, as well as Ventura’s close friends, who were purported witnesses to the alleged abuse. 

Against the backdrop of more than 50 civil sexual assault lawsuits against Combs, the music executive’s legal team have repeatedly declared his innocence. “Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex-trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor,” a statement read. “Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to separate fact from fiction, and Mr. Combs is confident that he will prevail in court.”
— Cheyenne Roundtree