1 month ago
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Sean "Diddy" Combs, the rapper and music mogul who has been accused of sex trafficking, has rejected a plea deal. He's expected to begin trial next week in New York.
Combs was asked by US District Judge Arun Subramanian if he had reviewed and rejected the offer, to which he replied "Yes I did." He has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
He has been accused of holding parties wherein he would force people to take part in sex acts and consume drugs. These were called "Freak Offs," prosecutors say. The parties would last all day and Combs, per the allegation, would coerce party-goers to engage in sex acts with male prostitutes hired for the occasion.
Prosecutors further claim that Combs made these demands under threat of violence. Combs has said it was consensual and that when he and girlfriends added a third person to their sexual encounters, that too was consensual.
Prosecutors offered their opinion that should Combs be convicted, he will face much harsher penalties than those available to him in the plea deal. The trial begins with opening statements on May 12 and is expected to last about 8 weeks.
He has attempted to gain pre-trial freedom on bail three times, but each time that effort has been rejected by a judge. He has been housed in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since his arrest in September 2024.
"The Court finds that the government has shown by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community," the judge ruled, according to court filings in November.
Prosecutors arguing against his bail said at the time that "It strains credulity to believe that Combs will stop engaging in criminal conduct and abide by conditions of release."
English (US) ·