Sean Combs’ trial: Keys to a lengthy process involving five criminal counts, hundreds of victims and decades of potential prison time

It will be one of the trials of the year. The hearings will likely stretch for weeks, if not months, and will feature (even more) monstrosities about abuse and rape on top of those that have been public knowledge for over a year and a half. The trial against the musician and businessman Sean Combs, 55, known artistically as Puff Daddy or Diddy and who has been in jail for months awaiting trial, begins Monday, May 5, in New York. Here are the key facts:

What are the charges?

New York rapper and entrepreneur Sean Combs — a winner of three Grammy Awards who has sold over 500 million albums, founded a record label called Bad Boy Records and has business ventures in the fashion and alcohol industries — faces five criminal counts. After he was arrested eight and a half months ago — the same amount of time he has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York — prosecutors initially brought one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and one count of transportation for purposes of prostitution. In the 14 pages of the indictment, the crime most well developed was the racketeering conspiracy.

The first paragraph of the indictment made Combs’ actions abundantly clear: “For decades, the defendant abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct. Combs relied on the employees, resources and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled — creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”

Then, on April 4, a superseding indictment added two more counts: one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and one count of transportation for purposes of prostitution. This brings the total to five counts.

When does the trial start? Will there be a jury?

The trial begins on Monday, May 5, at 8:00 a.m. EST. It will begin with jury selection, a process that will take at least three days. Judge Arun Subramanian has explained that he wants 12 jurors and six alternates, whose privacy he will strictly protect. Fifty potential jurors will be called each day, ultimately narrowing the total to 45, and then to 18. Approximately 600 jurors have been requested. There will be no media presence, and transcripts of their conversations will not be made public.

The trial itself is slated to begin on May 12 with opening statements in the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courtroom, in the heart of New York City.

In addition, the prosecution announced a month ago that there would be at least four witnesses.

How long will the process take? Will it be public?

The trial is likely to drag on for weeks, if not months.

Prosecutor Emily Johnson has already explained that they will need three weeks to present their case. For Combs, his lawyers have estimated it will take a week.

The media will be allowed to attend and report on the proceedings, although they will normally not be allowed to bring electronic equipment, especially computers, into the courtroom. There will also be no live video broadcast.

Who are the victims and what are they alleging?

Since November 2023, approximately 150 people have filed complaints against Combs. The victims are both men and women, some of whom were minors at the time of the alleged crimes. The pattern is similar in almost all cases: the victims approached Combs out of curiosity, interest or for work, and he took advantage of the situation to sexually abuse them, often by drugging them without their consent.

However, not all of these allegations have led to Combs’s prosecution. It’s unknown which ones prompted a grand jury investigation and Combs’s indictment, but based on the prosecution’s filings, this trial is based on two of them. The first three charges are alleged to have stemmed from the complaint filed by “Victim 1,” and the second two, from April, were alleged to have stemmed from “Victim 2.”

Of the dozens of complaints, in addition to the initial one, the fourth was particularly serious. A woman, then a minor, accused Combs and several of his associates of drugging her in Detroit, flying her to New York and abusing her, only to return her home the next day, semi-conscious. That was in December 2023, but the incident had occurred in 2003, when the young woman, whose name remains unknown, was just 17 years old.

In addition, in October 2024, another 120 people announced legal action all at once.

How did the case begin?

On November 16, 2023, Casandra Ventura, a singer known as Cassie who had been Combs’ partner for over a decade, filed a lawsuit against the rapper. In her blistering lawsuit, Ventura recounted how Combs raped her in 2018. That was the end of their relationship. But before that, there were beatings, threats, yelling and a lot of fear. “Ms. Ventura felt that saying no to Mr. Combs would cost her something: her family, her friends, her career, and even her life,” her lawsuit reads, explaining that he would beat her “savagely,” leaving her in bed for weeks at a time, and he also forbade her from seeing her friends and family. “Over the years, Combs physically and sexually abused Ventura, and she repeatedly tried to escape the iron grip he had on her life,” the complaint stated, adding that she was afraid to go to the police in case it would give “Combs another excuse to hurt her again.”

Ventura withdrew the lawsuit a day later after reaching an out-of-court settlement, but her story was fully proven six months later when, in May 2024, CNN leaked a video of a hotel hallway depicting a scene Ventura had recounted, word for word: she runs out of her room, and he chases her into the elevator, knocks her to the floor, kicks her, and drags her back. Other footage shows him throwing objects at her.

It is unknown whether Ventura’s case is one of those that will end up in court.

How does Combs plead?

Combs pleaded not guilty. He did so in late April before Judge Subramanian, who will preside over the trial. “Have you rejected the plea deal the government is offering you?” Subramanian asked. “Yes, that’s right, Your Honor,” he replied.

His attorneys, led by Marc Agnifilo, assert in their statements that “in court, the truth will prevail: that Combs has never sexually assaulted or trafficked any person, male or female, adult or minor.” In many cases they have mocked the victims by claiming that they are “just looking for a quick paycheck.”

According to the prosecution, if he had pleaded guilty, his sentence could have been reduced if he is ultimately found guilty at trial.

What are the legal controversies leading up to the trial?

Combs’ lawyers have been very prominent in the proceedings. They have repeatedly complained that their client is in “terrible” conditions in detention, a place they said is overcrowded, and they have also complained about the quality of the food. They have sought to obtain a $50 million bail for Combs, but the judge has repeatedly denied it.

The defense team has suffered losses along the way: at the end of February, one of its three attorneys, Anthony Ricco, decided to withdraw from the case, claiming there was enough time for the defense to regroup. Now, the team has added two more attorneys.

For its part, the prosecution has complained that Combs has tried to circumvent the rules and contact some of the potential witnesses; they accuse him of making “tireless efforts” to “corruptly influence testimony.”

How have the authorities acted?

Although reports began to surface in November 2023, the case remained under wraps for months. It wasn’t until five reports were filed that federal police raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March 2024 to search for material and investigate the allegations. As revealed in a press conference months later, the homes contained several semi-automatic rifles, dozens of electronic devices containing a huge amount of material (96 terabytes, which investigators described as “extraordinary”), and more than a thousand bottles of body oil and lubricant used at his parties, usually held in hotel rooms.

On the afternoon of Monday, September 16, 10 months after the initial lawsuit, Combs was arrested by authorities in a Manhattan hotel. Until then, it was unknown that a grand jury investigation was underway. The next day, he was formally charged.

What role do other celebrities play in the case?

Combs has been known to throw lavish parties at his homes in Los Angeles and Miami, in the Hamptons (New York), and on his boats. He has invited dozens of celebrities, from Leonardo DiCaprio to the Kardashians, Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, and Demi Moore. However, there is no evidence that any of them were involved in the crimes, or even knew about them.

Aside from those parties, there were other, much darker ones, called “freak-offs.” These were orgies where, as Casandra Ventura and other victims recounted, he would force his victims to consume alcohol and drugs, then abuse them, and sometimes force them into relationships with sex workers.

How is Jay-Z involved?

In October, a 37-year-old woman filed a complaint accusing Combs and another unnamed celebrity of raping her in 2000, when she was just 13 years old.

It wasn’t until December that the other name became known: the musician, producer, and businessman Jay-Z, Beyoncé’s husband. From the outset, Shawn Carter (his real name) claimed it was a case of blackmail. In mid-February, he successfully had the complaint “voluntarily dismissed with prejudice,” meaning it couldn’t be refiled: “The fictional story they created would be laughable, if it weren’t for the seriousness of the allegations. I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone. The trauma my wife, my children, my loved ones, and I have endured can never be dismissed,” he said at the time. In March, Carter decided to file a counterclaim, claiming the story was “completely fabricated” and riddled with contradictions.

What does Combs’ family say?

Sean Combs has no known partner. For 13 years he dated the model Kim Porter, who died of pneumonia in 2018; he had an on-again, off-again relationship with Casandra Ventura for another 11 years. He also dated Jennifer Lopez for a couple of years in the late 1990s. In 2022, he dated the rapper Yung Miami.

Combs has seven children, ranging in age from 33 to two and a half. The eldest, Quincy, was born to Porter from a previous relationship, and Combs adopted him. The second, Justin, was born to Combs and a stylist, Misa Hylton. The third, Christian, is the biological son of Porter and Combs. The fourth, Chance, he had with the businesswoman Sarah Chapman. The fifth and sixth are twins D’Lila and Jessie, who have just come of age. The seventh, named Love Sean Combs, is the fruit of his relationship with cybersecurity expert and model Dana Tran. She was born in December 2022.

In October 2024, some of his children accompanied him to court on the day the trial date was set. His mother was also present. A couple of weeks later, the older children released a statement of support for their father on Instagram. “Many have judged both him and us based on accusations, conspiracy theories, and false narratives that have spiraled into absurdity on social media. We stand united, supporting you every step of the way. We hold onto the truth, knowing it will prevail, and nothing will break the strength of our family. WE MISS YOU & LOVE YOU DAD.”

What is the possible sentence?

According to media outlets, if the human trafficking charge is proven, the minimum sentence will be 15 years in prison while the maximum is life in prison. The transportation charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The racketeering charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

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