Diddy trial jury selection starts as twelve New York residents will determine disgraced mogul's fate in sex abuse case: Live updates

Diddy will be driven across the East River by U.S. Marshals to the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, where he is due to arrive at 8:30am EST.

Once there, District Judge Arun Subramanian is expected to begin questioning prospective jurors one-by-one in a bid to seat a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates.

Hundreds of prospective jurors have already filled out questionnaires designed to elicit any bias they may have about the case.

Combs’ defense lawyers and prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office agreed on about 150 who could proceed to in-person questioning by the judge, known as voir dire.

Subramanian said in a May 1 hearing that the goal will be to choose 45 potential jurors who are qualified to serve, and lawyers for both sides will then have the opportunity to dismiss jurors without stating a reason, known as peremptory strikes.

The jury will be anonymous, which is frequently the case in high-profile trials in which jurors could face threats or harassment if their identities are known

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs attends The 2023 Met Gala

Two years ago, Diddy was one of the stars of New York’s Met Gala, one of the world’s most glamorous fashion events.

Speaking to reporters outside the Gala, which traditionally takes place on the first Monday in May, two years ago wearing his own Sean John fashion label, he told reporters:

This is Sean John’s [Met Gala] debut, as you can see. First time I designed in 10 years, and we’re feeling good.

But since then he’s swapped The Metropolitan Museum of Art for Brooklyn’s notorious Metropolitan Detention Center.

Once a mainstay at the Met Gala, the 55-year-old’s downfall is particularly apparent today as jurors are selected for his sex trafficking trial.

Diddy and Cassie pictured together in Los Angeles in 2017

Core to the case against Diddy is his relationship with his former girlfriend, the singer Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura, who is expected to be a key trial witness.

A disturbing surveillance video from 2016, which was aired by CNN last year, shows Combs physically assaulting Ventura at a hotel.

Prosecutors say the encounter occurred following one of the ‘freak-offs’ they argue were a feature of his pattern of abuse.

The so-called ‘freak-offs’ were coercive, drug-fueled sexual marathons including sex workers that were sometimes filmed, according to the indictment.

The floodgates opened after Ventura filed a civil suit alleging Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs as well as a 2018 rape.

That 2023 suit was quickly settled out of court, but a string of similarly lurid sexual assault claims against the Grammy winner from both women and men followed.

Diddy is facing five felony charges, namely:

• Racketeering conspiracy
• Two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion
• Two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution

The charge of racketeering conspiracy, the federal statute known by its acronym RICO that was once primarily used to target the mafia but in recent years has been wielded in cases of sexual abuse, including against the fallen R&B star R. Kelly.

It allows government attorneys to project a long view of criminal activity rather than prosecuting isolated sex crimes.

If convicted, the one-time rap producer and global superstar, who is often credited for his role in ushering hip-hop into the mainstream, could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Hello and welcome to Dailymail.com’s live coverage as jury selection gets under way in the blockbuster federal sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who stands accused of years of harrowing abuse.

Combs, 55, has been held in detention in New York since September last year and is facing five felony charges

Prosecutors allege the influential hip-hop producer drugged and coerced women into sexual activities with male prostitutes.

Investigators said they found drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil that were intended to be used for orgies known as ‘freak offs’.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty on all counts, insisting that any sex acts were consensual.

Jury selection is expected to wrap up in about a week, with the trial’s opening statements scheduled for May 12. The proceedings are estimated to last eight to 10 weeks.

Stick with us for the latest updates throughout the day and to listen to our The Trial of Diddy podcast click here