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Jury for Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial to be finalized next week | Live updates

Sean Combs, who once proclaimed himself "Bad Boy for Life," now faces what could amount to a life sentence if convicted.

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Last updated: Friday, May 9, 2025 9:53PM GMT
Final jury selection delayed until Monday at Sean Combs sex trafficking trial

NEW YORK -- The sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs started Monday -- beginning the first courtroom test of whether one of hip-hop's most important figures used power and wealth amassed in the music, clothing and spirits industries to sexually abuse, coerce and exploit alleged victims for decades.

Known by various names through the years - Puffy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy and Love - Combs became a rap impresario in the 1990s, launching the careers of Mary J. Blige, Usher and the Notorious B.I.G. and lending his hip-hop credentials to the songs of Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez.

Combs is on trial over an alleged conspiracy that ran for 20 years from 2004-2024 in which federal prosecutors in New York allege he "abused, threatened and coerced women" into prolonged, drug-fueled sexual orgies with male prostitutes he called "freak offs" and threatened them into silence.

Combs, who once proclaimed himself "Bad Boy for Life," now faces what could amount to a life sentence if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

"Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy," a new podcast from "20/20" and ABC Audio, traces how the whispers of abuse came to light and led to the downfall of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who was once among the most influential entertainers and entrepreneurs in hip hop. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and more.

(ABC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

ByPhil Taitt WABC logo
May 07, 2025, 1:07 PM GMT

Day 3 of jury selection to continue

Lawyers hope to be able to seat a jury in the case against Sean 'Diddy' Combs on Wednesday as the clock is ticking.

This follows day two of jury selection, which came with some frustration. Lawyers are struggling to reach a pool of 45 qualified prospective jurors, which has prompted the judge to warn both sides that they are running out of time.

The attorneys say they currently have 35 prospective jurors. The judge hopes to add 10 more Wednesday to get to the pool of 45 and then select a jury.

Phil Taitt has the latest on the Sean Combs trial
May 07, 2025, 1:41 AM GMT

Judge admonishes famed criminal defense attorney advising Sean Combs

Before jury selection began for the day on Tuesday, Judge Arun Subramanian admonished Mark Geragos, the famed criminal defense attorney who is advising Sean Combs at the onset of his trial.

The admonishment came after federal prosecutors called out comments Geragos made about the case, the prosecution and the evidence on a podcast and asked the judge to remind him of court rules against making statements that could impede the fairness of the trial.

The judge called it "outrageous" that Geragos referred to the prosecution team as a "six-pack of white women."

Geragos tried to push back.

"I think when you've got a Black man who's being prosecuted and the client feels like he's being targeted, it's a -- it's an observation," Geragos told the judge, according to a transcript of the exchange, which took place out of public earshot.

The judge was having none of it.

"I think this is ridiculous. I think referring to the prosecution in this case as a six-pack of white women is outrageous. All right. And I understand what you're saying about the cases and everything else, but I think this is outrageous and this would not be tolerated in any court from any lawyer anywhere across the nation," Subramanian said.

The judge insisted Geragos, whose daughter Teny is a primary member of the defense team, "exhibit some caution" in what he says.

"I got it," Geragos said.

May 06, 2025, 9:23 PM GMT

Jury expected to be seated on Wednesday, lawyers signaled

A jury is expected to be seated Wednesday in the racketeering and sex trafficking trial of Sean Combs, lawyers signaled Tuesday after struggling to reach a pool of 45 qualified prospective jurors.

At one point, after dismissing several prospective jurors who could not serve due to their jobs or for health reasons, Judge Arun Subramanian chided the parties for failing to weed out such hardships.

"We are running out of time," Subramanian said.

Opening statements are scheduled to begin Monday.

There are 35 qualified potential jurors so far and Subramanian said, "By tomorrow, I am sure, we will have 45 jurors who have not been struck for cause."

Attorneys on both sides agreed they could begin peremptory strikes after a brief break "and then we would have our jury," prosecutor Maureen Comey said.

After Combs told the judge he was "a little nervous" on Monday when jury selection started, he did not make any audible remarks on Tuesday. He sat at the defense table in a dress shirt, crew neck sweater and slate grey slacks. He put his hand over his heart when he spotted a familiar face and put on glasses when reading documents.

Combs appeared to follow the responses of potential jurors. He smiled when one woman, asked if she recognized any of the celebrity names who could come up at trial, responded "I wish I did."

May 06, 2025, 9:23 PM GMT

Judge dismisses several potential jurors

At least, the judge said, prospective juror #210 was honest after the man admitted he smokes marijuana.

"I'm going to order you not to use marijuana during this trial. Can you follow that?" Judge Arun Subramanian asked.

"Yes," the man responded.

Then the man said he used marijuana once a day and the judge followed up, "Would that be hard for you given how often you use it?"

The man responded, "It would be."

Both sides agreed he should be excused and the judge agreed.

"He is honest, I'll say that," Subramanian said, drawing a chuckle in the courtroom.

Qualified potential jurors have been harder to come by on the second day of jury selection in Sean Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial.

A woman was excused after she said she heard a Russian comedy song about the case. She mentioned the name of the comedian. Subramanian said he hadn't heard of him.

Another woman was excused after she said she could not participate in sexually explicit discussions.

"I'm a very sensitive person and I could faint or black out," the woman said.

The judge excused a father of two who called the accusations "troubling." The man claimed to have seen only a few headlines about the Combs case but, when pressed, the man showed a fluency with some of the details.

"This man has an agenda of some sort," defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said. "I feel like he's trying to get on this jury."

A woman, who works for a company that imports avocados, was excused when she said she is "slightly biased" toward police officers because her relatives work in law enforcement.

"I would like to think that I wouldn't but there may be some bias," prospective juror #204 said before the judge struck her for cause.