Sean (Diddy) Combs did not plead guilty on Friday to a new indictment, which added the accusation that the hip-hop tycoon forced employees to work long and threatened to punish those who did not help in his twenty-year sexual trade program.
55 -year -old Combs reported to a new indictment before the US District Judge Arun Subramanian at a trial at the Federal Court in Manhattan. The process remains planned for May 5.
Several members of his family who looked from the audience of the courtroom, Combs was led to the courtroom in gray hair, gray beards and a bag's brown prison dress.
Combs previously did not plead guilty of racketeers, sexual trade and transport in order to get involved in prostitution. While the new indictment did not add any new accusations, he described what the prosecutors called the “forced force”, which the Combs demanded in connection with the 20-year alleged survivor's conspiracy.
He said that Combs and his colleagues “maintained control over some employees, forcing them to work with a small sleep long, by using or threat in the use of physical force, financial damage, mental damage and reputational injuries.
Defender of Combs, Marc Agnifilo, said that his client never forced anyone to engage in sexual activities against their will.
Combs stands in the face of dozens of civil trials
Prosecutors with the Advocate's Office in the US said that Combs used their business empire, including Bad Boy Entertainment, to sexually use women in 2004–2024.
The alleged abuse of Combs included the participation of women in recorded sexual performances called “Freak-Offs” with male sex employees, who were sometimes transported by state lines.
Agnifilo said Freaks are a consensual sexual activity.
Combs also stands in the face of dozens of civil court trials for men and women who accuse him of sexual assault and other improper proceedings. He denied all offenses.
It is also expected that the Friday interrogation will discuss the choice of the jury, including the potential difficulty in finding an impartial jury, taking into account the fame of Combs and significant relations with his criminal case.
During the Friday trial, Subarmanians said that potential sworn will start to complete the questionnaires on April 28. A personal hearing of the jury will start on May 5, with opening declarations on May 12, said the judge.
Combs took place in a prison in Brooklyn in anticipation of the trial from his arrest of September 2024.
Stars known for power
Also known during his career as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, Combs founded Bad Boy Records and is assigned to help rappers and singing R&B, such as Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious Big and Usher in stars in the 1990s and 2000.
His career has been used since federal agents attacked his Los Angeles and Miami Beach, Florida at the beginning of 2024 as part of the investigation into sexual trade, which led to his accusation.