The federal trial against hip-hop tycoon Sean Combs is finally getting underway, some eight months after he was on criminal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. Combs 鈥� also known by a number of monikers including P. Diddy, Puff Daddy and Puff 鈥� concurrently faces of civil lawsuits from men and women who allege that he drugged and sexually assaulted them.
As his trial proceeds in a Manhattan courtroom over the next several weeks, we'll be keeping you up-to-date as each stage of the trial unfolds.
May 13, 2025: Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, the ex-girlfriend of Sean Combs, as the star witness in the first full day of testimony. Ventura accused him of physically and emotionally abusing her for years, and exerting control over virtually every aspect of her life. Most of her time, she said, was dominated by Combs' "freak-offs" or "FOs" 鈥� drug-fueled, multi-day marathons of sex with prostitutes that he orchestrated and directed.
May 12, 2025: Opening arguments begin. Federal prosecutors are accusing Combs of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If he is convicted on all counts, the hip-hop mogul could face life in prison. Combs, who has been in federal custody in Brooklyn since his arrest in September 2024, has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
May 5, 2025: at a Southern District of New York courtroom in Manhattan, presided over by Judge Arun Subramanian. Potential jurors are questioned about their level of pre-existing knowledge about the case and about Combs, including their familiarity with and their opinions about a widely seen video, first aired by CNN, in which Combs his then-girlfriend, the singer Cassie Ventura, in March 2016. Video of that incident is expected to be part of the government's case against Combs.
Potential jurors are also asked if they recognize the names of a number of celebrities, including actors Michael B. Jordan, Robert Downey Jr. and Mike Meyers; rappers Kid Cudi, Yung Miami and Kanye West; and singer Michelle Williams, formerly of Destiny's Child. It is unclear what connections these people may have to the Combs case.
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