Sean “Diddy” Combs will stand trial on May 5 in his racketeering and sex trafficking case, a federal judge ruled at a court hearing on Thursday (Oct. 10).
The order from Judge Arun Subramanian — who replaced Judge Andrew L. Carter as the presiding judge last week and will handle the eventual trial — was issued from the bench and reported by the Associated Press and other outlets.
The trial date is in line with what the rapper’s legal team wanted. In court documents Wednesday (Oct. 9), they said they were continuing to assert his constitutional right to a speedy trial and would be seeking to get the case before a jury in April or May.
Though a trial date is now set, the schedule could still be pushed back, particularly if prosecutors file new charges or add defendants to the case. It could also be delayed if Combs eventually waives his speedy trial right to give his team more time to prepare — a decision that might hinge on whether he’s granted bail in a pending appeal.
When he does stand trial, Combs will face charges of racketeering and sex trafficking over what prosecutors say was a sprawling criminal operation aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.” The decades-long scheme allegedly involved not only elaborate sexual parties called “freak offs” and other sex abuse, but also forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery.
“For decades, Sean Combs … abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” prosecutors wrote in their indictment last month. “To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources and the influence of his multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled.”
Thursday’s hearing came less than 24 hours after Combs’ lawyers accused the government of leaking evidence to the media, including the infamous surveillance video of Combs assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie in 2016.
At Thursday’s hearing, according to AP, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson pushed back on those “baseless” claims, saying it was simply an effort by Combs’ lawyers to prevent jurors from seeing the “damning” Cassie video: “Not a single one of those alleged leaks are from members of the prosecution team,” Johnson said.
The next court date for Combs’ case is currently set for December.
