Sean 'Diddy' Combs rejects plea deal ahead of sex trafficking trial
Sean "Diddy" Combs on Thursday formally rejected the government's offer to plead guilty and spare himself the possibility of a prolonged prison sentence.
"Yes I do, your honor," Combs said after Judge Arun Subramanian asked him whether he rejected the offer federal prosecutors made.
Combs, 55, is scheduled to stand trial beginning Monday with jury selection on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and prostitution that allege he coerced women into prolonged sexual encounters he called "freak-offs."
Maurene Comey, an assistant United States attorney, said a guilty plea would have reduced the amount of prison time Combs would be exposed to compared to a trial conviction on all counts, which could result in what is effectively a life sentence.
Specific details on the plea deal were not released.
Combs came to court in a beige jail uniform. He smiled at and hugged his attorneys and gave a fist bump to one of them, Teny Geragos.
Geragos raised concerns during the brief conference about statements Los Angeles-based attorney Lisa Bloom -- who represents at least two of Combs' civil accusers -- made about the case to a documentary.
"We're concerned with her behavior here," Geragos said.
Subramanian said he would remind "all counsel" and witnesses to adhere to rules of professional conduct and court rules about potentially prejudicial statements that could infringe on Combs' right to a fair trial.
Combs was arrested last year after being charged in a sprawling sex trafficking indictment, originally filed in September and followed by multiple superseding indictments, that accuses Combs of being the ringleader of a criminal "enterprise" that allowed him to sexually, physically, emotionally and verbally abuse his victims for years.
He has denied all the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He pleaded not guilty in March to a superseding indictment that charged him with forcing one of his employees into sex acts.
Jury selection in the trial is scheduled to begin on May 5, with opening statements planned for May 12.
Federal prosecutors said they have as many as 20 potential witnesses, aside from the three main alleged victims, who could testify about Combs' conduct.
Combs faces decades in prison if convicted.
Among his charges, the racketeering conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted, while the sex trafficking charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and as much as a life sentence.
