What we know about the case against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
The trial against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is kicking off. How strong is the case against him? Here’s what we know now.
As the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs moves into opening arguments, curious court watchers may be disappointed to learn that following the play-by-play isn’t as simple as tuning into a livestream.
Unlike several other, similarly high-profile trials like that of Johnny Depp or O.J. Simpson, these proceedings will not be televised.
As Combs faces federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, and a freshly selected jury weighs his innocence, eager eyes will have to rely on courtroom sketches and reporter dispatches from inside for their news feeds.
So why have cameras been shut out of the courtroom?
Is Diddy’s trial available on livestream?
No, turn off that Court TV stream; no video snippets of the Combs trial are coming.
Because Combs faces federal criminal charges, the presence of “electronic media” is expressly banned by a procedural rule passed in 1946.
Entitled Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, the statute bars both photographs and broadcasting from the courtroom of a federal criminal trial. R. Kelly’s federal criminal trial, on similar charges, was also not televised.
Several of the prosecution’s key witnesses will also be testifying under pseudonyms, in an aim to protect their identities, further bolstering the air of privacy that is meant to surround such a sensitive case.
The rules around federal civil proceedings are slightly more flexible, allowing for recording in some instances at the discretion of the judge. Some criminal trials at the state level, like in the closely watched case of Alex Murdaugh, allow for cameras in the courtroom.
What charges does Diddy face?
Diddy is charged with two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering.
Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations contributing to criminal activity.
Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in “freak offs” — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors claim they have video of.
Leave a Reply