Diddy trial updates: Sean Combs' alleged sex trafficking probed in resurfaced messages
Diddy trial updates: Sean Combs' alleged sex trafficking probed in resurfaced messages
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Juror dismissed in Diddy trial over questions about truthfulness
The judge in Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex crimes trial dismissed a juror after prosecutors questioned his honesty about where he lives.
This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
Prosecutors in Sean "Diddy" Combs' criminal trial are pulling back the curtain on the music mogul's alleged sex-trafficking enterprise thanks to unearthed personal messages and revealing testimony from Combs' former staffers.
The Grammy-winning rapper's sweeping federal sex-crimes case resumed in Manhattan court on June 17 after jurors were shown past communications between Combs and his former chief of staff Kristina "KK" Khorram, a woman he called his "right hand" throughout her employment. Some messages allegedly showed Combs talking about a male escort and a drug dealer.
Other texts from Combs' former girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine alluded to the elaborate planning that went into Combs' "freak off" sex parties.
Before the prosecution is scheduled to rest its case on June 18, ahead of the Juneteenth holiday the following day, U.S. attorneys plan on calling two to three more witnesses. One of them includes Combs' former assistant Brendan Paul.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
Diddy on trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges.
The disgraced music mogul remains in custody, and, despite repeated attempts at bail, has remained confined to the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. He has been in jail since his arrest on Sept. 16, 2024.
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Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling case that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry.
He was arrested in September 2024 and later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him.
Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity.
Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have video of.
The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings.
USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates.
Contributing: USA TODAY staff
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.
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