Once a titan of hip-hop and fashion, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is accused of masterminding a violent sex trafficking ring that has already seen his billionaire career end in disgrace.
Rap mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs will take his seat in a Manhattan federal court next week in what is being billed as America’s celebrity trial of the century. The 55-year-old star, who was once a titan of hip-hop and fashion, is accused of masterminding a violent sex-trafficking ring that has already seen his career end in disgrace and seen him go from mogul to monster.
After rejecting an 11th-hour plea deal offer from prosecutors, Combs believes the jury due for selection on Monday will clear him of the devastating accusations made against him. Those 12 people are set to hear shocking evidence that could put him away for life with allegations that he drugged and abused countless victims during drug-fuelled sex parties dubbed “freak-offs”.
Combs is accused of an array of charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.
His eight-week trial, scheduled to begin on Monday with the jury selection from hundreds of prospective jurors, hinges on allegations the I’ll Be Missing You hitmaker orchestrated and directed drug-fuelled sex parties involving both female victims and male sex workers.
Court documents detail what the indictment refers to as “freak-offs” – marathon sex events allegedly arranged and supervised by Combs. The performances were produced with precision, during which Combs is said to have watched, masturbated and recorded participants, according to federal prosecutors.
“These were not consensual parties,” one investigator said. “These were coercive, manipulative events designed to break down victims and keep them dependent.”
Combs’ victims were allegedly administered powerful controlled substances – often without their knowledge – to keep them “obedient and compliant” during the sessions, which sometimes lasted days.
In one harrowing detail, the indictment alleges Combs and the participants were so drained after the parties that they “typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use”.
In one of the most significant pieces of evidence revealed in pre-trial hearings, investigators disclosed nearly 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant were seized during raids on Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami.
Federal agents described the raids in March last year as “unprecedented in scale and disturbing in content”.
Combs, who rose to prominence in the 1990s as the founder of Bad Boy Records, has denied all the allegations.
He has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn – where convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell was also detained – since September. After his arrest, his lawyer Marc Agnifilo blasted the federal case as a “witch hunt”, calling the decision to prosecute “deeply disappointing”.
“Mr Combs is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” he said outside the courthouse. “We look forward to clearing his name.”
The scale of the government’s case argues a different story, however. Prosecutors claim Combs ran a decades-long criminal enterprise masquerading as a music empire, where abuse, coercion and exploitation were allegedly baked into his business and personal life.
The trial could hinge on the testimony of key witnesses, including Combs’ former partner Cassandra Ventura, 38 – better known by her stage name, Cassie.
Ventura, a singer and model, filed a bombshell civil suit against Combs in 2023, accusing him of rape and a decade of physical and emotional abuse.
She settled the case one day later, but the fallout was immediate. In May last year, CNN aired surveillance footage from a California hotel, showing Combs hitting, kicking and dragging Ventura by her hair in a chilling 2016 incident.
His legal team unsuccessfully tried to exclude the footage from the criminal trial, arguing it had been edited for dramatic effect, but the court ruled the footage admissible.
The prosecution has hinted other alleged victims – some of whom worked within the Bad Boy organisation or were part of Combs’ inner circle – are expected to testify, adding weight to the government’s portrayal of a systemic culture of abuse.
Combs’ inner circle has largely fallen silent, though reports suggest former collaborators have been subpoenaed or interviewed by investigators.
Federal prosecutors have remained tight-lipped about whether additional charges are pending. If convicted, Combs faces decades behind bars – potentially a life sentence –given the federal sentencing guidelines around human trafficking and racketeering.
In a final procedural hearing this week, Judge Arun Subramanian confirmed that Combs had been offered a plea deal but turned it down. When asked directly whether he had reviewed and rejected the offer, Combs replied flatly: “Yes, Idid, your honour.”
The court also ruled this week that Combs will be allowed to wear non-prison clothing during the trial, albeit with restrictions. He may wear five shirts, five pairs of trousers and two pairs of lace-free shoes.
The man once hailed as a “mogul, kingmaker and visionary” faces the possibility of dying behind bars. With opening arguments due on May 12, the trial promises to be one of the biggest and most consequential celebrity court cases in decades.
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