Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared in federal court Wednesday as he faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs is due to appear in court next on March 17 for a status hearing.
Dressed in a tan prison uniform, Combs walked into the courtroom Wednesday and scanned the gallery.
He later motioned to his sons, Christian and Justin Combs, and mouthed asking if they were OK.
Part of the claims of violence in denying bail, and the charges within the indictment, stem from a 2016 video that appears to show Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel.
In federal court on Wednesday, Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The case’s prosecutors stated that they are still looking into Combs, but they were unable to comment when Judge Arun Subramanian asked if they would be filing a superseding indictment. Combs is scheduled to appear in court for a status hearing on March 17.
It is anticipated that Discovery will be finished by the end of 2024. The date of the trial has been set for May 5, 2025.
Combs, wearing a tan prison uniform, entered the courtroom Wednesday and looked around the gallery. Later, he mouthed the question, “Are you okay?” and gestured to his sons, Christian and Justin Combs. Both of them gave a thumbs up.
The three accusations led to the music mogul’s arrest in September. Combs entered a not guilty plea to every charge.
According to the federal prosecutors, Combs has been in charge of a large-scale criminal enterprise since at least 2008, using his various businesses to assault and traffic women. The indictment particularly mentions a sequence of incidents known as “Freak Offs,” where Combs allegedly recruited commercial prostitutes and “used force, threats of force, and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts” that were videotaped and could go on for days.
Combs has been held at the infamous Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn pending trial. He has withdrawn his bail appeal after being denied bail three times.
The final ruling that denied bail was made in late November by U. Combs’ alleged history of using violence to intimidate witnesses and victims with the aid of his extensive business empire was cited by S District Judge Arun Subramanian. Additionally, there is evidence that Combs has attempted to conceal communications with individuals he is not permitted to contact.
A 2016 video purporting to show Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a hotel in Los Angeles is one of the charges in the indictment and one of the allegations of violence used to deny bail. Judge Subramanian rejected Combs’ request for an evidentiary hearing on allegations that the government had leaked the video to the media in an effort to damage his reputation on Monday, stating that there was insufficient proof to support his allegations.
