Rapper Sean Combs was charged with sex trafficking and extortion almost a month ago.
Nearly a month after Sean Combs was arrested and charged with sex trafficking and extortion, a judge set a trial date for May 5, 2025.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York told Judge Arun Subramanian on Thursday that they expected to need three weeks to present their case, while emphasizing that their investigation was continuing and a new indictment was “ entirely possible “.
Sean Combs is accused of using his billion-dollar empire as a “ criminal enterprise » to commit a series of crimes, including “ sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, corruption and obstruction of justice “.
The 54-year-old rapper has proclaimed his innocence and pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces a prison sentence of 15 years to life.
Mr. Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, requested a hearing to examine what he described as ” leaks » from federal agents in the press, protesting anonymous statements made to the media about the prosecutors' investigation. He emphasized that CNN had obtained hotel surveillance footage showing Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura in 2016, claiming it had ” leads to highly prejudicial publicity that can only taint the jury's view and deprive Mr. Combs of his right to a fair trial “.
With the trial still months away, Sean Combs is desperately waiting to be released from the Metropolitan Detention Center. He is currently being held in a special unit, where he cohabited with cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in March.
Two judges have already denied his release, siding with prosecutors who argued he posed a danger to the community because they feared he or his associates would contact victims and witnesses.
The indictment mirrored the civil complaint filed in November 2023 by Cassie Ventura, who claimed that throughout their ten-year relationship, Sean Combs beat her and forced her to have sex with workers of the male sex. Although the complaint was resolved within 24 hours, it set off a domino effect, with more than a dozen other complaints filed against the rapper over the past 11 months. The latter proclaimed his innocence and denied these allegations.
More lawsuits could be on the horizon. Prominent Houston attorney Tony Buzbee announced earlier this month that he represented more than 120 clients who filed complaints against Sean Combs and his associates, including accusers who were minors at the time of the alleged encounters.
