Sean “Diddy” Combs acclaims he is innocent of the new accusations

Sean “Diddy” Combs entered a not guilty plea to two further accusations related to sex crimes.

A new indictment released by prosecutors earlier this month revealed that the 55-year-old rapper, who was previously charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution, has been charged with one additional count each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, which are related to a plaintiff known as Victim-2.

Additionally, at a hearing in Manhattan on Monday, April 14, the founder of Bad Boy Records entered a not guilty plea to the new accusations. His defense team now has until Wednesday to request more time for discovery, which could cause the trial to last longer.

Due to worries over discovery, his lawyer Marc Agnifilo stated that the defense will probably ask for a “very short” two-week pause. He noted that prosecutors had not asked a witness to provide 200,000 of her emails, but instead had let her produce only the information she believed was pertinent.

According to a letter that People magazine was able to obtain, the attorney requested permission from Judge Arun Subramanian on Friday, April 11, 25 to question prospective jurors about “central issues at the heart of the case,” such as their “connection to drug and alcohol abuse, their connection to domestic violence, their willingness to watch videos with physical assault and videos that are sexually explicit, and their views towards people with multiple sexual partners.” The jurors are scheduled.

The lawyer pointed out that while many people could feel “uncomfortable” discussing the delicate and confidential subject matter of the trial, they might be more “candid” in a questionnaire.

Nonetheless, the prosecution contended that any questionnaire need to be brief and concentrate solely on “issues that relate to for-cause challenges rather than personal information that would only be relevant to peremptory challenges.”

In court filings, they also stated that a potential juror questionnaire should not include “sensitive and personal topics, and should involve the simplest possible questions.”

“Recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, advertised, maintained, patronized and solicited [Victim-2], and attempted, aided and abetted, and willfully caused [Victim-2] to engage in commercial sex acts, knowing and in reckless disregard of the fact that Victim-2 was engaging in commercial sex acts as a result of force, fraud, and coercion,” writes the new indictment against the “I’ll Be Missing You” singer.

Previously, Diddy’s lawyers stated: “These are not new accusations or new accusers. These are the same people who had consensual relationships with one another in the past, including long-term girlfriends.

“This was their private sexual life, which was characterized by consent rather than force.”
On April 18, a pretrial conference is planned. 

Diddy, who has entered a not guilty plea to all of the charges against him, is presently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn pending trial.