Diddy news: Prosecutors add new charges to criminal case in indictment
Embattled music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was hit with two additional sex crimes charges ahead of his May trial in New York City.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is allowed to ditch his jail jumpsuits for regular clothing during his weekslong trial, which begins May 5.
Combs is allowed to have five shirts, five sweaters, five pairs of pants and two sets of lace less shoes to wear in the Manhattan federal courtroom, according to an order signed by Judge Arun Subramanian on April 30.
The attire will be a return to form for Combs, a fashion lover who partly rose to superstardom with the success of his Sean John clothing brand.
The embattled music mogul, 55, was arrested in September and has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all five counts.
In a May court hearing a day after the order, the music mogul was in good spirits, donning wide-brimmed black glasses but still in a jumpsuit.
Combs grinned and hugged his team, waving to the gallery at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse when he walked in. He spoke animatedly with his hands while he was reading documents at the defense table.
He bowed his head and wrote something on a flashcard propped on his lap that he handed to one of his attorneys. His large crown tattoo was very visible on his neck above his tan prison garb.
The trial clothes mark a long way from the former billionaire Combs, who once donned designer suits at exclusive annual events such as the Oscars and Met Gala, who was the brainchild behind Sean John. He also became a fashion icon by hosting his own annual star-studded White Party, which started on Labor Day in 1998, and would continue for 11 years in places such as New York, Los Angeles and even the south of France.
Sean John, named after his full name Sean John Combs, is synonymous with early 2000s hip-hop fashion: velour tracksuits, baggy jeans, oversized shirts and terrycloth headbands. Each garment would often be tagged with a Sean John signature logo and could be seen on the chests of celebrities at the time including Nelly, Jennifer Lopez and Nick Cannon.
In 2022, Combs won ownership back with a $7.55 million bid in an auction to save Sean John from bankruptcy, according to court documents. Other bidders entered the race, but Comb’s bid was marked as successful and will be approved Wednesday through a telephone hearing before a federal bankruptcy judge in the southern district of New York courts.
“I launched Sean John in 1998 with the goal of building a premium brand that shattered tradition and introduced hip hop to high-fashion on a global scale,” Combs said at the time. “Seeing how streetwear has evolved to rewrite the rules of fashion and impact culture across categories, I’m ready to reclaim ownership of the brand.”
Contributing: Elise Brisco, Patrick Ryan, Anika Reed, Marco della Cava
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