Diddy turned down a plea bargain before his upcoming trial for sex trafficking next month

The trial is set to start on May 5 as planned.

Prosecutors have disclosed that Sean “Diddy” Combs had an opportunity to pursue an alternative course of action prior to the start of his sex trafficking trial in two weeks. The Bad Boy founder was offered a plea agreement, according to the prosecution in court on April 25, but he turned it down and decided to go to trial in order to defend his freedom. 

The prosecutors requested Judge Arun Subramanian if he “could ‘allocute’ Combs on the plea agreement, essentially meaning, ask him in court and on the record if he understands the plea he was offered and rejected,” according to Rolling Stone. Subramanian stated that he would discuss the plea during a hearing scheduled for next Thursday, May 1.

Up until today, there has been no confirmation on the long-rumored plea deal, even though the exact terms are still unknown. During Friday’s hearing, Judge Subramanian also decided that the jury could watch the 2016 footage of Combs brutally abusing Cassie Ventura in a hotel in Los Angeles.

The prosecution’s intention to utilize the audio from a 2011 911 call that describes how the 55-year-old artist allegedly broke into one of his victims’ Los Angeles houses was also verified this week.

Combs’s legal team had already tried to postpone the trial by two months, but their request was quickly turned down. As further charges mounted, his lawyers asked for more time to prepare, but the court decided “immediately” on April 18, according to CBS. Judge Subramanian informed the attorneys for the “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper that they had “enough time to prepare” because the application was submitted “at the last minute.” With “four different law firms working on his case,” Subramanian added, he “did not understand” why Combs was unprepared.

The trial is set to start on May 5 as planned.

Accused of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, deception, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution, the Love Album creator was arrested in New York City on September 16, 2024. Diddy was accused of using his businesses to finance and enable “Freak Offs,” in which he reportedly drugged his victims and placed them in sexually abusive settings, according to disturbing revelations from court filings. He has been denied bail multiple times and is presently being imprisoned at the MDC Brooklyn.