Opening statements started Monday in the federal sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, the music mogul accused of committing years of chilling abuse.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty on all counts, which include a racketeering charge alleging the hip-hop pioneer led a sex crime ring that included drug-fueled sex parties by use of force, threats and violence.
“He used his companies to manipulate women, forcing them with male escorts to have sex while he watched. He and his inner circle made sure he got everything he wanted,” said prosecutor Emily Johnson.
The panel of 12 jurors — eight men and four women — and six alternates responsible for determining Combs’s fate was finalized Monday.
The process was pushed back after Judge Arun Subramanian voiced concern candidates might get “cold feet” over the weekend.
Last week potential jurors were vetted including on their ability to fairly hear evidence from hip-hop artists, sex workers and people involved in the use and distribution of drugs.
The selected jurors will remain anonymous, but not sequestered — meaning they must individually ensure they stay away from media coverage and social media commentary about the high-profile case.
Prosecutors struck seven prospective jurors who were Black, prompting Combs’s defense team to allege bias.
We believe (it) amounts to a pattern,” said Marc Agnifilo, although the judge said it was not purposeful discrimination and allowed the prospectives to be dismissed.
Combs, who was for decades one of music’s powerhouse figures, appears aged, his once jet-black hair now gray.
Combs was joined at the courthouse by his mother Janice and 17-year-old twin daughters, and wore a white dress shirt under a beige sweatshirt with khaki pants and black-rimmed glasses.
He appeared alert and interacted with his lawyers and some of those seated in the public gallery.
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