By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sean “Diddy” Combs confirmed on Thursday that he rejected prosecutors’ offer for a plea deal, paving the way for the hip-hop mogul to go to trial next week on sex trafficking charges.
At a hearing in Manhattan federal court, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian asked Combs, 55, if he had reviewed the offer and rejected it.
“Yes I did,” Combs said, dressed in tan jail garb.
Combs could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted on all five criminal counts he faces at trial including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty.
Maurene Comey, a prosecutor with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office, said at Thursday’s hearing that Combs faces the possibility of a more severe sentence if convicted at trial than he would have had he accepted the plea deal, but she did not provide further details about the government’s offer.
Another prosecutor, Madison Smyser, had previously disclosed that Combs had rejected the plea offer at a hearing last week.
Prosecutors say Combs used his business empire to coerce women to take part in lengthy drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers known as “Freak Offs” over a two-decade period.
The Bad Boy Records founder’s defense lawyers have argued that the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual, and that there was nothing criminal about Combs and his longtime girlfriends occasionally bringing in a third person to their relationships as part of a “swingers” lifestyle.
Starting on Monday, New York residents summoned for jury duty were asked on questionnaires what they already know about the case, part of an effort toward seating a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates who can be impartial despite intense media coverage of the case so far.
Those prospective jurors who make it past initial screening will return to court starting on May 5 for in-person questioning, known as voir dire. Opening statements are due to kick off on May 12, and the trial is expected to last at least eight weeks.
Also known throughout his career as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, Combs is known for elevating hip-hop in American culture and turning artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige into stars. But his reputation has taken a nosedive after being hit with dozens of civil lawsuits over alleged sexual abuse starting in 2023, and then being criminally indicted last September. He denies all wrongdoing.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Will Dunham)
