Sean “Diddy” Combs will stand trial on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges starting on May 5.
Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo raised concerns about improper leaks by federal agents about the case, while prosecutor Emily Johnson called the claim baseless.
Combs pleaded not guilty on September 17 to a three-count indictment charging him with using his business empire, including record label Bad Boy Entertainment, to transport women and male sex workers across state lines to take part in recorded sexual performances called “Freak Offs.”
The prosecution’s case at the trial will last at least three weeks, while Combs’ defense case will last around one week. Combs has been jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest. The Manhattan-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied his request to be immediately released while he appeals another judge’s decision to deny him bail.
The rapper and producer faces a sentence of up to life in prison and a minimum of 15 years if convicted of the three counts he faces: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Agnifilo has called the sexual activity described by prosecutors consensual.
