A federal judge in New York on Friday denied a request to delay the sex-trafficking trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs by two months after his attorneys sought more time to prepare their defense.
Judge Arun Subramanian said jury selection in the trial will begin on May 5 as scheduled.
“It is unclear why there isn’t sufficient time to prepare,” he told Combs’ attorneys Friday after two additional counts were added to the case earlier this month. Prosecutors had opposed the request to move the trial.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five charges of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy that prosecutors say occurred over a period of two decades. He has been held in federal detention in New York City since his arrest last September.
Prosecutors have accused Combs and others of coercing at least three women to engage in sex acts with him and, at times, with male prostitutes. The occasions where prosecutors say the women were often drugged and forced to engage in sex for days were known as “Freak Offs.” Authorities allege Combs recorded some of the sex acts and controlled his victims by promising financial and career opportunities, as well as through threats of violence and other harm.
Judge Subramanian made two other significant rulings on Friday.
He stated that the alleged victims in the case would be allowed to testify at trial under pseudonyms, with the exception of anticipated testimony from Combs’ former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. The judge also ruled that most evidence about prior sexual assault allegations against Combs not charged in the indictment would not be allowed at trial.
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