Sean “Diddy” Combs will go on trial on May 5 for extortion and sex trafficking, a federal judge ruled in a court hearing Thursday (October 10).
The judge's order Arun Subramanian — who replaced the judge Andrew L. Carter as presiding judge last week and will handle the potential trial — was issued by the bench in a live hearing, federal court records show.
The trial date is in line with what the rapper's legal team wanted. In court documents filed Wednesday (Oct. 9), his lawyers said they are continuing to assert his constitutional right to a speedy trial and will seek to take the case to a jury in April or May.
Although a trial date has now been set, the timeline could 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 right to a speedy trial to give his team more time to prepare — a decision that may hinge on whether he is granted bail pending an appeal.
When he stands trial, Combs will face extortion and sex trafficking charges for an extensive criminal enterprise aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.” The decades-long scheme allegedly involved not only elaborate sex parties called “horror parties” and other sexual 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 hide his behavior,” prosecutors wrote in their indictment last month. “To do this, Combs relied on the employees, resources and influence of his multifaceted 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 the Associated PressAssistant US Attorney Emily Johnson retracted those “baseless” allegations, saying they were merely an attempt by Combs' lawyers to prevent jurors from seeing Cassie's “damning” video: “None of these alleged leaks are from members of the prosecution team,” Johnson said .
The next court date in Combs' case is currently set for December.
