Sean “Diddy” Combs returned to court Friday and pleaded not guilty to new federal charges accusing him of forced labor.
Combs, 55, now faces charges he forced employees to work long, grueling hours on little sleep, using physical, financial, or reputational harm, or threats thereof. He is also accused by the federal government of using physical force or threats to coerce at least one employee to engage in sexual conduct with him.
The Bad Boy Records founder was previously charged by federal prosecutors with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution charges.
The billionaire hip hop mogul arrived in court in Manhattan in tan prison garb and sported noticeably grayer hair than he’s previously been seen wearing. He also has grown a gray beard behind bars. He hugged his attorneys as he entered the courtroom and waved to his children in the rafters.
The judge overseeing Diddy’s case, Arun Subramanian, pushed opening statements in Combs’ upcoming trial back to May 12, even as jury selection will still begin as scheduled on May 5.
Prosecutors had pushed for jury selection to start on April 21 to prevent the trial from extending beyond the July 4 holiday. The defense, however, requested a May 5 start date, arguing that an earlier timeline would be unfair to their preparation.
Prosecutors also claimed Combs’ defense team has not turned in any discovery, requesting the judge order the defense team to do so.
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Combs was first accused of rape, sex trafficking, domestic violence by his former girlfriend Cassie in November 2023.
Although the two swiftly settled the matter, it sparked off a series of allegations against Combs — ranging from sexual assault, to coercing women into performing orchestrated sex acts with male sex workers, anal raping and using physical violence against his employees.
Combs was criminally charged by the feds in September 2024 and is facing dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct in various forms. He has denied all the allegations.
Combs is currently being held at the Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center after being denied bail three times.
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