Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal criminal trial commenced Monday in Manhattan, beginning the complex jury selection process for charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Nineteen prospective jurors were initially deemed qualified, with more expected to be vetted throughout the week to create a final pool of 45 jurors, from which the trial jury will be selected.
Combs, 55, founder of Bad Boy Records, is accused by federal prosecutors of running a criminal enterprise over two decades, coercing women into sex acts during events prosecutors labeled "Freak Offs." The prosecution alleges these events involved drugging victims, forced sexual encounters, and video recordings, bolstered by promises of career advancement or threats of violence.
If convicted, Combs faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and could potentially spend life behind bars. He has denied all allegations, pleading not guilty to each of the five charges.
The jury selection process, overseen by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, focused on ensuring jurors' impartiality despite widespread media coverage. Prospective jurors reviewed a detailed binder of potential trial references, including names such as Michael B. Jordan, Kanye West, and Mike Myers.
Among the notable juror dismissals was a woman who had viewed the ID documentary "The Fall of Diddy," another who referred to a surveillance video as "damning," and a juror whose spouse, an attorney, harbored negative opinions about Combs based on prior interactions. Prosecutor Maurene Comey explicitly requested the removal of the documentary viewer, noting potential testimony from someone featured in that program.
One juror acknowledged familiarity with a viral video depicting Combs assaulting his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway, according to Reuters. However, after assurances of impartiality, Judge Subramanian allowed the individual to remain eligible for the jury.
Ventura, a central witness, previously accused Combs of rape and repeated physical abuse in a civil lawsuit filed in 2023, settled shortly thereafter. Surveillance footage from 2016, published by CNN last year, depicted Combs physically assaulting Ventura, an incident he later publicly apologized for, accepting "full responsibility."
Prosecutors highlighted that searches of Combs' properties yielded drugs and roughly 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricants-allegedly used during the so-called "Freak Offs." One potential juror admitted enjoying social media jokes referencing Combs and baby oil but was deemed impartial enough to continue.
Opening statements for the trial are scheduled for May 12. Combs remains detained at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, his imprisonment ongoing since his arrest last September.
