Sean “Diddy” Combs pleaded not guilty to a revised indictment with more charges of forced labor. The 55-year-old Combs, who had grown out his facial hair and sported it prominently gray in recent weeks, stood with his hands folded in front of him as he informed Judge Arun Subramanian that he’d read the indictment and was aware of the charges against him.
Reports indicated that the rap billionaire reportedly forced employees to work long hours at the threat of physical and reputational harm and forced one employee to have sex with him, the indictment adds. Mr Combs’s lawyers have denied that the rap billionaire ever forced anyone to have sex and that the case is about consensual relationships with his girlfriends, the New York Times reports.
His lawyers have also “vigorously” denied all of the charges made against him in the federal complaint and dozens of civil actions that have been outstanding against him over the last few months.
“He is looking forward to his day in court when it will become clear that he has never caused anyone to engage in sexual acts that they didn’t want to engage in,” his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said.
Mr Combs, who is America’s most successful rapper, is soon set to go on trial on a federal sex trafficking and racketeering charge.
The new charges detailed in the revised indictment are under the racketeering charge.
Mr Combs faces dozens of other suits filed against him charging him with rape and assault. His attorneys have described the suits as “clear attempts to garner publicity.”
Mr Combs was led into a wood-panelled courtroom on Friday in the southern district federal court of New York wearing a greenish-tan prison jumpsuit, with long grey hair and beard.
He rose when he entered his plea of not guilty. When a judge asked him if he had read and viewed the indictment, he said, “Yes, I have sir”.
Behind him, in the public seats, his son Christian, his daughter Chance, his mother Janice Combs – wearing oversized sunglasses, and friend Marvet Britto (a publicist) were there to show support, and two other men who identified themselves as being a part of the family’s “support system”.
Mr Combs smiled in court, waving and blowing kisses to his family and hugging his lawyers.
In addition to the new allegations, there was also intense debate in court between the defence and prosecution lawyers over a video posted by CNN last year claiming to show CCTV footage of Mr Combs kicking his former girlfriend, Cassandra Ventura, on a corridor floor of a hotel in 2016.
Mr Combs’s lawyers repeated their charges that the video was “deceptive” and that a visual expert had concluded that clips of the video were recorded out of order, the movements speeded up, and timestamps covered over.
Prosecutors deemed it “critical” and “direct evidence” of their case that they will introduce as an exhibit in the trial. The judge urged them to negotiate.
CNN and Ms Ventura’s attorney have dismissed what Mr Combs’ attorneys had asserted about the video.
After the video came out in 2024, Mr. Combs apologized for his behavior, saying: “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”
The judge, on Friday, said jury selection will start on 5 May, and opening statements on 12 May.
