Hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has misplaced a bid to delay his upcoming sex-trafficking trial by two months.
US district choose Arun Subramanian mentioned the 55-year-old rapper made his request too near his trial, which is because of begin subsequent month.
Jury choice is at present scheduled for five Could with opening statements set to be heard seven days later.
Combs has pleaded not responsible to 5 prison counts together with racketeering and intercourse trafficking.
Prosecutors with the Manhattan US lawyer’s workplace accuse Combs of utilizing his enterprise empire to sexually abuse girls between 2004 and 2024.
Combs’s attorneys say the sexual exercise described by prosecutors was consensual.
In a courtroom submitting on Wednesday, Combs’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo requested Mr Subramanian to delay the trial as a result of he wanted extra time to organize his defence to 2 new fees which have been introduced on 4 April.
The costs have been of intercourse trafficking and transportation to interact in prostitution.
The brand new allegations introduced the overall variety of prison fees in opposition to the rap mogul to 5 – following the three authentic counts, which additionally included racketeering conspiracy, filed in September.
Federal prosecutors have been against any delay, writing in a Thursday courtroom submitting that the extra fees broughtearlier this month didn’t quantity to considerably new conduct.
Additionally they mentioned Combs was not entitled to the alleged sufferer’s communications.
Picture:
A sketch of Combs throughout one in every of his courtroom appearances. Pic: Reuters
In the meantime, Mr Subramanian is weighing different evidentiary points, reminiscent of whether or not to permit alleged victims to testify below pseudonyms.
Additionally recognized throughout his profession as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, Combs based Dangerous Boy Information and is credited with serving to flip rappers and R&B singers reminiscent of Infamous B.I.G, Mary J. Blige, Religion Evans and Usher into stars within the Nineties and 2000s.
However prosecutors have mentioned his success hid a darkish facet.
They are saying his alleged abuse included having girls participate in recorded sexual performances known as “freak-offs” with male intercourse employees, who have been generally transported throughout state traces.
Combs has been in jail in Brooklyn since September, having been denied bail.
He additionally faces dozens of civil lawsuits by men and women who’ve accused him of sexual abuse.
Combs has strenuously denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
