Sean “Diddy” Combs has pleaded not guilty to an expanded federal indictment charging him with five criminal counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking.
The 55-year-old entered his plea during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan. He had previously pleaded not guilty to an earlier three-count indictment.
Combs’ legal team insists that the allegations stem from consensual relationships. “These are not new allegations or new accusers,” his lawyers said in a statement earlier this month. “These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships.”
Jury selection is scheduled to begin on May 5, with opening statements expected on May 12. However, one of Combs’ attorneys, Marc Agnifilo, said the defense may seek a two-week delay to review emails requested from one of the alleged victims. Judge Subramanian stated that any delay request must be formally submitted within two days.
“We are a freight train moving towards trial,” the judge remarked.
Federal prosecutors allege that Combs used his business empire to sexually exploit women between 2004 and 2024. They claim the abuse included orchestrating and recording sexual encounters—referred to as “freak offs”—with women and male sex workers, some of whom were allegedly transported across state lines.
Combs has been held in a Brooklyn detention facility since September. He also faces multiple civil lawsuits from both women and men accusing him of sexual abuse.
His legal team has firmly denied the accusations. Agnifilo stated that Combs never forced anyone to participate in sexual acts, emphasizing that the “freak offs” were consensual.
Known throughout his career as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, Combs founded Bad Boy Records and helped launch the careers of artists such as Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, the Notorious B.I.G., and Usher.
Prosecutors argue that his public success concealed a disturbing private life. They cited multiple incidents, including one in 2016 where surveillance footage allegedly showed Combs kicking, dragging, and throwing a vase at a woman trying to leave a Los Angeles hotel.
Last year, CNN broadcast surveillance footage of Combs striking and dragging his former girlfriend, singer Casandra Ventura, also known as Cassie. Combs later apologized for the incident. Agnifilo argued that the video does not prove sex trafficking, describing the relationship between Combs and Ventura as “toxic, but loving,” and lasting 11 years.