New York.- Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ trial for sex trafficking and racketeering will be May 5, 2025, Judge Arun Subramanian determined at a hearing in Manhattan Federal Court.
Combs, 54, appeared before Arun Subramanian, who established the deadlines for the presentation of arguments by the defense and prosecution, facing the limits of a trial that is expected to begin between April and May.
The judge was assigned to the case after another judge rejected him, based on his past associations with attorneys on the case. The rapper pleaded not guilty to charges brought against him last month, including conspiracy to commit crimes and sex trafficking, based on allegations dating back to 2008.
An indictment alleges that Combs coerced and abused women for years with the help of a network of associates and employees, while silencing victims through blackmail and violent acts that included kidnappings, arson and physical beatings.
On Wednesday night, Combs’ lawyers filed court papers blaming the government’s Department of Homeland Security for a leak to the media of a video of Combs punching and kicking his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, in the hallway. of a hotel in 2016. The lawyers claimed that the video aired by CNN in May, along with other alleged government leaks, “have generated damaging and highly prejudicial pretrial publicity that can only taint the jury and deprive Mr. Combs of their right to a fair trial. After the video aired, Combs posted a video on social media apologizing, saying, “I felt disgusted when I did it” and “I feel disgusted now.” Federal prosecutors responded to defense attorneys’ claims by telling the judge in a letter that the government was not in possession of the video before it was broadcast on CNN. Combs’ lawyers have been trying unsuccessfully to have the Bad Boy Records founder released on bail since his arrest on September 16. Two judges have concluded that Combs would be a danger to the community if released. At a bail hearing three weeks ago, a judge rejected $50 million bail, which included house arrest and electronic monitoring, after concluding that the music mogul was a threat to tamper with witnesses and obstruct an ongoing investigation. . In an appeal of the bail decisions to the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Combs’ attorneys on Tuesday asked a panel of judges to reverse the bail decisions, saying the proposed bail package “clearly would prevent him from posing a danger to anyone or contacting any witnesses.” They urged the appeals court to reject the findings of a trial judge who they said had “endorsed the government’s exaggerated rhetoric and ordered Mr. Combs’ detention.”
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