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The high-profile racketeering and sex trafficking proceedings of euphony mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, which has sent daze waves done the planetary amusement industry, is scheduled to statesman adjacent week with opening statements and volition agelong into the summer.
It’s expected to go 1 of the astir intimately watched personage trials successful years.
Combs, 55, was arrested last September and faces charges of racketeering conspiracy, enactment trafficking and proscription to prosecute successful prostitution.
Combs has pleaded not blameworthy to each charges and denied each allegations against him. Earlier this month, helium rejected a plea woody during his last pre-trial hearing. If convicted, Combs, who has been jailed since his arrest, could walk the remainder of his beingness successful prison.
Federal prosecutors allege that Combs ran a “criminal enterprise” done his expansive concern empire, aided by associates and employees, that engaged successful oregon attempted to prosecute successful crimes including enactment trafficking, kidnapping, forced labor, arson, bribery, enticement to prosecute successful prostitution and obstruction of justice, dating backmost to astatine slightest 2004.
The indictment accuses the Bad Boy Records laminitis of sex-trafficking three women and of exerting power implicit them done a operation of carnal violence, promises of vocation opportunities, surveillance, granting and threatening to withhold fiscal support, and supplying them with drugs.
Prosecutors allege that Combs “engaged successful a persistent and pervasive signifier of maltreatment toward women and different individuals” which was “verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual”.
The indictment details allegations that Combs utilized “force, threats of unit and coercion” to get women to prosecute successful “elaborate and produced enactment performances” with him and with antheral enactment workers that prosecutors allege Combs referred to arsenic “freak offs”.
The alleged “freak offs” were allegedly directed by Combs and arranged with assistance from associates. Prosecutors assertion that they were often electronically recorded.
Prosecutors allege that these “freak offs” occurred regularly, sometimes spanning aggregate days, and that Combs supplied “a assortment of controlled substances to victims, successful portion to support the victims obedient and compliant”.
Combs has repeatedly denied each allegations against him, and his ineligible squad has said that any radical enactment was consensual, and that the accusers are “former semipermanent girlfriends, who were progressive successful consensual relationships”.
The proceedings is expected to diagnostic grounds from three, perchance four, accusers, according to Reuters.
The indictment besides includes accusations of carnal abuse, alleging that for years Combs assaulted women by “striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking them”.
A cardinal portion of grounds expected to beryllium presented astatine proceedings is edifice security footage from 2016 which appears to amusement Combs kicking and dragging his past girlfriend, vocalist Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, successful a Los Angeles edifice hallway.
Prosecutors allege that Ventura was attempting to permission a “freak off” astatine the edifice and that Combs, with the assistance of respective associates, aboriginal paid edifice information unit $100,000 for the footage.
CNN obtained and published the video past year, and soon afterward Combs took to societal media to publically apologize for his behavior.
“I instrumentality afloat work for my actions successful that video,” Combs said astatine the time. “I was disgusted past erstwhile I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought retired nonrecreational help.”
“I’m truthful sorry,” helium continued. “But I’m committed to beryllium a amended antheral each and each day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m genuinely sorry.”
Several months before, Ventura, had filed a civilian suit against Combs, alleging physical abuse, enactment trafficking and rape. The suit was settled for undisclosed presumption the time aft it was filed, with representatives for Combs saying that the colony was “in nary mode an admittance of wrongdoing”.
Ventura is expected to beryllium 1 of the cardinal witnesses testifying against Combs successful the upcoming trial.
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In summation to the national transgression lawsuit presently unfolding successful Manhattan, Combs has been accused of intersexual battle successful much than 30 civilian lawsuits since 2023, according to the New York Times. These civilian cases volition not beryllium portion of the transgression trial, and Combs has powerfully denied each of the allegations.
Jury enactment successful the national transgression proceedings took spot this week, with Combs watching from his spot astatine the defence table.
Judge Arun Subramanian, who was appointed to the national seat by Joe Biden successful 2022 and confirmed by the US Senate successful 2023, is presiding implicit the trial.
This week, Subramanian questioned astir 100 imaginable jurors connected topics specified arsenic their cognition of Combs’s lawsuit and immoderate idiosyncratic experiences with intersexual assault, to spot who tin beryllium unbiased.
Jurors were besides shown a database of much than 100 locations and names of individuals that whitethorn beryllium mentioned during the trial, according to NBC News.
At 1 constituent during assemblage selection, Combs reportedly told the tribunal helium was “a small nervous” and requested a bath break.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported that adjunct US lawyer Maurene Comey informed the tribunal that 1 of the alleged victims, “Victim-3”, whitethorn not instrumentality the witnesser basal aft all, owed to difficulties successful reaching her lawyer.
On Friday, Combs’s defence attorneys informed the justice of their volition to impeach Ventura of home violence and said that they program to amusement that determination was communal unit betwixt her and Combs, according to Reuters.
The justice reportedly appeared reluctant to let the defence to present grounds of alleged unit by Ventura, Reuters reports, but said that helium would regularisation connected the substance connected Monday.
The proceedings is being held astatine the national territory tribunal successful little Manhattan and is expected to past astir 8 weeks, with opening statements scheduled to statesman adjacent week.
The proceedings volition beryllium held 5 days a week. Due to national tribunal rules, it volition not beryllium televised.
Any verdict indispensable beryllium unanimous.
English (US) ·