Sean “Diddy” Combs showed up in a Manhattan federal courtroom on Friday, seeking a two-month postponement of the beginning of his sex trafficking and racketeering trial. The 55-year-old music industry titan has five criminal charges pending related to accusations that he leveraged his business empire to sexually exploit and abuse women over a span of 20 years, between 2004 and 2024.
Combs has entered a not guilty plea to all of the charges. His defense attorney, Marc Agnifilo, argued in court that the defense requires extra time to prepare for trial, especially with consideration of new charges brought on April 4. Agnifilo informed US District Judge Arun Subramanian that the defense is still wading through a high number of emails and is asking for extra communications from a claimed victim.
Jury selection is now set to start on May 5, with opening statements planned for May 12. Prosecutors from the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office have been resisting the delay, stating that the new charges do not bring substantially new evidence and that Combs is not entitled to review the private emails of an alleged victim.
Judge Subramanian is also deciding whether to permit some victims to testify under pseudonyms for their protection.
Combs, who became famous as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, started Bad Boy Records and is largely credited with launching the careers of top artists such as Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G., and Usher. Federal prosecutors say, though, that beneath his success lay a repeated pattern of abuse, including forcing women into on-tape sex encounters what he called “freak offs” with male prostitutes, who were sometimes brought across state lines.
Combs has been jailed in Brooklyn since he was arrested last September. A ruling on whether or not to postpone his trial will soon be made.
