- Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial began with jury selection on May 5
- The mogul is charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution
- He has pleaded not guilty and consistently denied all the charges
Sean “Diddy” Combs arrived in federal court Monday, May 5 for the first day of his long-awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.
Combs, wearing a blue blazer, white collared shirt, gray pants, black-rimmed glasses and donning visibly graying hair and beard, hugged his two defense attorneys as he arrived in Judge Arun Subramanian’s federal courtroom in Manhattan for jury selection.
The Bad Boy Records founder is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
Nearly 600 potential jurors filled out questionnaires as the court narrows the pool to 12 jurors and 6 alternates whom the parties feel can fairly and impartially render a verdict, despite the intense media spotlight on the case.
The jury will remain anonymous to prevent threats or harassment. Combs gazed at the first 50 jurors as they entered the courtroom.
Subramanian briefly addressed the courtroom to inform potential jurors of the charges against Combs, and that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Combs was indicted in the Southern District of New York and arrested in a Manhattan hotel in September.
The indictment centers around alleged “freak offs,” which prosecutors claim were “elaborate and produced sex performances” featuring allegedly coerced women and male sex workers.
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Singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, Combs’ ex, is expected to testify during the trial, PEOPLE previously reported.
Prosecutors referenced surveillance video from a Los Angeles hotel appearing to show Combs assaulting Ventura in the indictment.
Combs has been behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest.
