Three weeks earlier than Sean “Diddy” Combs’ intercourse trafficking trial is about to begin, a listening to in New York at the moment dominated that the stunning 2016 LA resort safety footage of the half bare Dangerous Boy Information founder seemingly beating then girlfriend Cassie Ventura will likely be proven to the jury.
Shifting shortly by way of varied pre-trial motions earlier than jury choice and the Could 12 trial kickoff, Friday’s session earlier than Choose Arun Subramanian revealed that much-accused ‘I’ll Be Lacking You’ performer Combs did the truth is reject a plea deal from the feds that would have made loads of his prison prices go away.
Affirmation of the much-rumored plea deal got here up virtually casually when an assistant U.S. legal professional talked about the event , close to the tip of an virtually 90-minute listening to on motions and different issues as jury choice nears. Combs was in attendance Friday for the complete listening to. The phrases of the plea supply weren’t instantly clear, nevertheless, and Choose Subramanian mentioned that subsequent week he’ll handle the rejected plea deal in courtroom with a so-called “allocution” by Combs.
A spokesman for the Justice Division didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the spurned settlement Combs’ lead legal professional, Marc Agnifilo, confirmed afterward that his consumer turned downed the deal but in addition didn’t reveal the phrases.
Arrested in a New York Metropolis resort foyer in mid-September by the feds and the NYPD, as soon as mini-mogul Combs is going through life behind bars if discovered responsible on all prices. The 55-year-old was initially going through one declare every of racketeering, intercourse trafficking and transportation to have interaction in prostitution. Subsequent indictments from a grad jury have added compelled labor allegations and two further prices of intercourse trafficking and transportation to have interaction in prostitution.
Knowledgeable in no small half by the shortly settled ($30 million) assault and abuse swimsuit of late 2023 from Ventura the federal government has acknowledged Combs and his internal circle over the a long time coerced men and women into marathon sexual encounters referred to as “freak-offs.” From large A-lister occasions, personal properties and extra, these session allegedly featured female and male prostitutes, drug use, threats of violence and imprisonment within the resort rooms the place the motion was staged and videotaped.
Additionally up in opposition to dozens and dozens of civil fits of abuse and assault, Combs has insisted he’s harmless of all prices.
Although initially providing an apology final 12 months for his conduct depicted within the uncooked video of his obvious assault on 2007 – 2018 girlfriend Ventura eight years, Combs has since walked that again, in addition to claiming all his relationships and the “freak offs” have been consensual.
Extra lately, Combs and the protection have tried again and again to discredit the 2016 footage that CNN obtained final 12 months of the White Social gathering host chasing an escaping Ventura down an L.A. resort hallway, beating her and dragging her again to his room the place allegedly one in every of his so-called freak offs was occurring. On March 13 this 12 months, CNN strongly denied Combs’ claims that they altered the timestamp and essentially re-edited the violent footage.
Recognized as “Sufferer-1” within the US Lawyer’s workplace for the Southern District of New York final fall, Ventura has mentioned she is going to testify brazenly and underneath her personal identify in Comb’s trial. The ruling by Choose Subramanian this morning to permit the tough video into the trial is a critical blow to Combs and his workforce. A blow maybe made all of the more durable by the truth that Combs purchased what he thought was the one copy of the footage for $50,000 the day after the assault it exhibits occurred.
Failing on three events to get bail on a $50 million bond and residential confinement situations, Combs (aka inmate 37452-054) has been incarcerated for the previous a number of months at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Heart with various different high-profile defendants.
Of their protection, and peeling again a glimpse at their seemingly trial technique Combs and his legal professionals have repeatedly gone on the offensive. Earlier this 12 months, Combs and his authorized workforce declared the feds are utilizing “racist” legal guidelines in opposition to him and wanting to “police non-conforming sexual exercise.” On February 24, the protection took a swing at “unconstitutionally broad” search warrants that had been used on Combs in raids of his Los Angeles and Miami properties, units, digital storage and extra.
The trial is exepected to final about 4 weeks
