A US judge has scheduled the trial of hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to begin on 5 May 2025, concerning federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Mr. Combs was transported to Manhattan federal court from a Brooklyn prison for an appearance before Judge Arun Subramanian.
Prosecutor Emily Johnson informed the court that the government’s case is expected to take at least three weeks.
According to defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo, Mr. Combs’ case is anticipated to last around one week.
At 54 years old, Mr. Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges filed against him last month, which include racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking stemming from allegations dating back to 2008.
An indictment claims that Mr. Combs coerced and abused women for years, aided by a network of associates and employees, while suppressing victims through blackmail and violent acts such as kidnapping, arson, and physical assaults.
His legal team has been unsuccessful in their attempts to secure his release on bail since his arrest on 16 September.
Two judges have determined that Mr. Combs poses a danger to the community if released.
During a bail hearing three weeks ago, a judge denied a proposed $50 million (€45.7 million) bail package, which included home detention and electronic monitoring, concluding that Combs could potentially tamper with witnesses and obstruct an ongoing investigation.
In an appeal concerning the bail decisions to the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals, Mr. Combs’ attorneys requested that a panel of judges overturn the bail findings, asserting that the proposed bail package “would plainly prevent him from posing a danger to anyone or contacting any witnesses.”
They urged the appeals court to dismiss the conclusions of a lower-court judge who they claimed had “endorsed the government’s exaggerated rhetoric and ordered Mr. Combs detained.”
Source: Press Association/Reuters
