Trial date set for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in intercourse trafficking case

The intercourse trafficking trial in direction of music mogul Trial date set for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in intercourse trafficking case is about to start out May 5, a select launched Thursday.

The trial is predicted to last a few month, nonetheless prosecutors talked about the dimensions might change if further bills are added.

Combs is already charged with intercourse trafficking by energy, transportation to work together in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors allege he ran an “enterprise that he engaged in intercourse trafficking, compelled labor or, kidnapping, arson and totally different crimes,” in step with the indictment unsealed last month.

“Our investigation could possibly be very quite a bit ongoing,” prosecutor Emily Johnson talked about. The chance of a superseding indictment might impact the dimensions of the trial, she added.

Combs will keep behind bars indefinitely after a federal appeals courtroom declined to immediately launch him whereas a three-judge panel considers whether or not or not he deserves bail.

The panel will ponder whether or not or not he lastly should be launched on the bail bundle he supplied, along with a $50 million bond, restrictions on friends and supervision by private security guards.

Combs appeared in courtroom Thursday carrying a beige jail uniform. He was not handcuffed nonetheless did have silver shackles on his ankles. He embraced his attorneys and waved to his mother and sons as he walked into the courtroom.

Prosecutors talked about federal authorities have seized 100 digital devices from Combs and are nonetheless working to extract info from all of them.

Authorities seized 51 devices from Combs’ Los Angeles mansion all through a raid last March. They seized 36 devices that exact same day from his Miami property, and 9 devices had been taken from Combs himself all through a search whereas he was at a private airport in Florida.

Authorities subsequently seized Combs’ phone the evening time of his arrest and seized three further devices following a search of his Manhattan resort room.

“The federal authorities’s functionality to decrypt these devices is regularly evolving,” Johnson talked about.

Johnson moreover talked about the federal authorities served Combs’ agency, Combs Worldwide, with a subpoena the equivalent day as the home raids on March 25. The company continues to be turning over info.

Thursday’s listening to received right here after Combs accused federal brokers and prosecutors in a courtroom submitting of unlawfully leaking the resort security footage that confirmed him attacking his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura at a Los Angeles resort in 2016. The video was obtained by CNN in May and Combs acknowledged its legitimacy and apologized for his actions inside the video.

Prosecutors denied leaking the video in a letter to the select, and as well as talked about they’d beforehand educated the safety they did not purchase the video by the grand jury course of and did not think about Homeland Security Investigations obtained the video earlier to CNN airing it.

“The Authorities was not in possession of the video sooner than its publication by CNN. Definitely, on the time of CNN’s publication, the Authorities did not possess any video of the March 2016 incident,” prosecutors wrote.

All through Thursday’s listening to, in response to Combs’ accusation, the select agreed to impose an order meant to protect grand jury supplies and nonpublic proof.

“The precedence is the brokers have been leaking grand jury information,” safety authorized skilled Marc Agnifilo talked about.

Prosecutors known as the accusation they’d been behind the leak “baseless” and talked about it was a safety strive “to exclude a damning piece of proof” from the trial.

“Not a single a type of alleged leaks is from the prosecution workforce,” Johnson talked about.

Johnson took topic with statements Agnifilo made to TMZ asserting Combs is being prosecuted because of he is Black.

“He baselessly accused the federal authorities of partaking in a racist prosecution,” Johnson talked about. As she quoted one amongst Agnifilo’s statements, Combs may be seen nodding in settlement.

Johnson talked about the safety statements “critically hazard an excellent trial.”

The safety made no new attempt to have Combs launched on bail and declined to pursue a beforehand immediate switch from a federal lockup in Brooklyn to a jail in Essex County, New Jersey.

“We’re making a go of the MDC,” Agnifilo talked about, referring to the Metropolitan Detention Coronary heart in Brooklyn. “MDC has been responsive with us.”

Combs was given a minute sooner than being ushered out to point out in direction of his family. He smiled and blew kisses at his mother and bowed with palms clasped as if in prayer in direction of his children. Thought of considered one of his children was seen flexing his arm, as if to remind his father to remain strong.