LOWER MANHATTAN — In just hours, jury selection is set to get underway in Sean Combs’ federal criminal trial.
The disgraced music mogul’s future will weigh in the jurors’ hands as he has pleaded not guilty to the lengthy list of charges stacked against him.
If convicted, Combs could be behind bars for decades.
He was indicted on a slew of charges, including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking after bringing sex workers across state lines.
Prosecutors say Combs allegedly coerced women into participating in sex acts with prostitutes during drug-fueled parties.
Lawyers for Combs say the sex was consensual.
The 55-year-old’s criminal saga, which unravelled in November 2023 with singer Cassie Ventura filing a civil suit against him with allegations of rape, sex trafficking and years of physical abuse.
Diddy quickly settled the case the day after it was filed.
Depicted in this courtroom sketch, Sean “Diddy” Combs, sits at the defense table with one of his attorneys, Teny Garagos, right, during his bail hearing.
Elizabeth Williams
The civil suit prompted a criminal investigation, as federal agents raided his properties in Miami and Los Angeles, seizing multiple devices.
Combs has been in custody at a Brooklyn jail since his arrest in 2024.
Today, both the defense and prosecution look to seat a panel of jurors to determine Combs’s fate.
Experts say the two sides will be eyeing a very different type of juror.
“I would think the prosecution is looking for older people, I think they’re certainly looking for law and order people,” Dr.Jo-Ellan Dimitrius told Eyewitness News.
“They would be asking about the me too movement, experiences with sexual assaults with the me too movement, sex with multiple partners.”
Ventura, who is Diddy’s former girlfriend, along with three other people who are expected to remain anonymous, are expected to tell the jury about being drugged and forced to participate in alleged freak offs.
Meanwhile, the trial is expected to last up to 8 weeks.
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