Just more than a month away from the start of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial, the defense told a federal court Monday that they may file for an adjournment of their much-accused client’s case.
Speaking before Judge Arun Subramanian, the Marc Agnifilo- and Teny Geragos-led legal team took control of the latest arraignment hearing by asking that the May 12 starting trial be pushed back at least two more weeks.
The lawyers say the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has not been fully sharing material such as emails from a former Combs employee. In fact, the defense isn’t even sure the prosecution has the WhatsApp material in question. To that they said the “extremely important witness” Victim-4 seems to have been “cherry picking messages.”
Outside court after today’s one-hour hearing concluded, Agnifilo said Combs’ team won’t ask for an adjournment if the feds “get their act together.” All will become clear in the next 48 hours, which is the judge’s deadline for applying for a two-week adjournment/delay if one is going to happen.
In court, with obvious full knowledge of how the high-profile trial has been pushed back before, Subramanian made a point of noting “we are on a freight train moving towards trial.”
Another hearing is set for Friday.
The latest possible delay in the incarcerated Combs’ case comes over six months after he was arrested in a New York City hotel lobby by the feds and Big Apple cops. Looking at life behind bars if found guilty on all charges, the 55-year-old Combs was initially facing one claim each of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Subsequent indictments have added forced labor allegations and two additional charges of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution – which were put on paper earlier this month.
The bearded and white-haired Bad Boy Records founder was in attendance at today’s suddenly announced hearing. At the start of the session, Combs entered yet another plea of not guilty.
Failing on three occasions to get bail on a $50 million bond and home confinement conditions, Combs aka inmate 37452-054 has been being held since mid-September at in a relatively low-key dorm at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. Over the months, Combs has been sharing the unit with other big names like crypto scammer Sam Bankman-Fried and accused healthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione.
Along with the criminal case, Combs is charged in dozens of civil actions (mostly from Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee) claiming assault and abuse. A few of the cases have been tossed out, while one involving Jay-Z, who vehemently denied any misconduct as a co-defendant in allegations of raping a 13-year-old after the 2000 MTV VMAs, was dismissed by the plaintiff Jane Doe in February.
The post Diddy’s Sex-Trafficking Trial Start May Be Delayed Again As Feds & Defense Fight Over Evidence At Latest Arraignment appeared first on Deadline.
