The dark side of Diddy’s infamous White Parties
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, accused of over 120 sexual assault charges, rose to fame in the late 1990s for his influence in music and his star-studded parties.
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The criminal trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs is kicking off with day one of jury selection.
As many as 150 potential jurors will be brought into a Manhattan courtroom one by one and questioned by Judge Arun Subramanian, the prosecution and defense to determine whether they are qualified to serve on Combs’ jury. The goal is to get through all potential jurors in three days.
The embattled hip-hop mogul, 55, who at one time was among the most powerful figures in the music industry, has experienced a sharp fall from grace after facing a bevy of lawsuits and criminal charges accusing him of rape and sexual assault. He is headed to court to battle federal sex crimes charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
During his final court hearing on May 2, Combs confirmed he turned down a potential plea deal. Subramanian previously rejected a request from the rapper’s legal team to delay the start of the trial.
Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
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Favorite music? Your friends’ sex lives? Diddy jury selection may surprise you
If your significant other cheated on you, could you get past it?
At first blush, the answer might not seem relevant to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ upcoming sex-trafficking trial. But it’s the surprising type of clue lawyers may look for in picking jurors starting Monday.
Robert Hirschhorn, a lawyer and jury consultant, told USA TODAY a potential juror who could compartmentalize cheating in a relationship might also be the type of person who could compartmentalize disturbing evidence at trial. Prosecutors are poised to show, for example, a video of Combs dragging and kicking his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hotel hallway.
“Everybody that says, ‘compartmentalize,’ I don’t care what else they say – Unless they say, ‘I already think Diddy’s guilty,’ I’m putting them on the jury every day,” Hirschhorn said.
Jury consultants and trial experts told USA TODAY the legal teams may also look for clues to how potential jurors would approach the trial in their musical preferences, their openness to alternative sexual lifestyles, and their history with sexual violence.
– Aysha Bagchi
Combs has arrived at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan, where he faces sweeping sex crime charges.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian was expected to begin questioning prospective jurors one-by-one in a bid to seat a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates who can be fair and impartial despite heavy media coverage of the case so far.
Combs’ six-person defense team, led by attorneys Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, added one more member on May 2, the last business day before jury selection.
Xavier R. Donaldson, a New York-based criminal defense lawyer, filed a notice of appearance as a retained attorney for Combs in a document reviewed by USA TODAY May 2.
According to his LinkedIn, the Howard University School of Law alumnus was once an assistant district attorney for the Bronx County DA’s office in the ’90s before moving into private practice. Notably, Combs also attended Howard University as a business student but dropped out before earning his Bachelor’s degree.
The last attorney who joined Combs’ team was Brian Steel, the lawyer representing rapper Young Thug in his own long-running RICO trial.
The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings. USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom.
Combs is facing federal sex crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling suit that has eroded his status as a power player and king-maker in the entertainment industry.
The embattled music mogul 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.
His indictment emerged alongside dozens of separate civil suits suggesting a pattern of abusive behavior and exploitation spanning decades, including accusations of rape, sexual assault and physical violence.
Despite repeated attempts at bail, Combs was ordered to remain in custody at the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of trial — a ruling his legal team has challenged in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He’s been jailed since his arrest on Sept. 16.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, Anika Reed, Aysha Bagchi and Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY; Reuters
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