sean diddy combs
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As the sex trafficking trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs continues, major media companies reporting on the matter have requested to review evidence at the center of the trial. A consortium of media brands filed the request earlier this week, which would allow viewing of the so-called “Freak-Off” footage mentioned in earlier reports.
As reported by Variety, the media companies include the Associated Press, Business Insider, Vox Media, Wall Street Journal, and more, all of which are requesting to view the footage of the parties infamously and allegedly masterminded by Sean “Diddy” Combs. During opening statements heard this week, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, mentioned the freak-off parties and accused Combs of ordering her and others to perform extreme sexual acts.
During her testimony, Ventura, who took the stand while in her third trimester carrying her third child, shared with prosecutors that she had handed over visual evidence via laptops that were in her possession.
“While the News organizations appreciate that some trial exhibits in this case may be sexually explicit and sensitive for the alleged victims, the public and the press should be permitted to view and consider this evidence (which lies at the heart of the Government’s case), consistent with the first Amendment right of access to criminal trials,” read a portion of the media companies’ filing.
Variety adds in their reporting that they are not asking for physical copies of the videos, instead only wanting to view the footage to inform their reporting. Attorney Douglas H. Wigdor, who represents Ventura, has filed to deny the request, writing that the media companies “did not cite any case, and nor are we aware of any authority, granting this unprecedented request in a sex trafficking case to unseal videos depicting coercive sex acts.”
A decision on allowing the media companies to see the footage has yet to be made.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ high-profile trial will hear opening statements this week, and prosecutors have already suffered a setback. As previously reported, a key witness known as Victim-3 was expected to testify against Diddy but has yet to be found by the prosecution.
Deadline exclusively reports that the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York has been unable to locate Victim-3 after Jane Doe initially stated they would testify in court. Jane Doe was scheduled to state before the court how Combs allegedly used his power and influence to sexually exploit her.
The outlet adds in its reporting that the inability of the prosecution to locate the witness gives Combs’ team fuel to halt the progression of the case in the short term. The defense team might attempt to lay groundwork for a delay in the start of the trial or even a mistrial, although the latter seems far away from the realm of possibility.
According to unnamed sources that spoke with Deadline, it is assumed that Victim-3 has ceased all communication out of a fear for her safety. The witness’s name was shielded from public view and would remain so.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs and his defense team were granted a delay in the jury selection process on Friday (May 9), pushing it to this coming Monday. Opening statements are reported to be heard after the jury is selected, and it was also revealed that a key witness has decided they will not testify against Diddy.
The Daily Mail reports that Judge Arun Subramanian granted the defense’s request based on their feeling that jurors would get “cold feet” between Friday and Monday (May 12), which is when opening statements were originally supposed to be heard. The prosecution attempted to push back, but the judge said that if the jury is fully selected on Monday, it would ensure that the process would not need to be restarted.
Other developments in the trial involve Jane Doe, also known as Victim Number 3, who was thought to be a key witness. It appears that Victim Number 3 never worked with prosecutors, and according to a TMZ report, she did not want to testify. The outlet added in another report that Victim Number 5 might testify, and the judge ruled that they will need to reveal their identity to the court.
The defense also claimed that Diddy and his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, were both physically violent with one another. Ventura came forth with explosive claims about Combs, which led to an investigation and his eventual arrest. She is not involved with the sex trafficking trial directly, but it is said to be a character witness.
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The sex trafficking trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs takes place this week, and on Monday (May 5), the jury selection process was underway. Diddy’s charges include sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transporting to engage in prostitution.
As reported by NPR, jury selection kicked off Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial on Monday in what is expected to be one of the more explosive cases heard in New York in some time. The longtime music executive and business mogul has been accused of several heinous crimes, and several individuals have launched lawsuits accusing Combs of committing acts of violence, intimidation, and more.
The jury selection process will reportedly take one week to complete, and opening statements are scheduled to be heard by U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian on May 12. Initially arrested on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, prosecutors filed a superseding indictment last and tacked on two additional charges: sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and the aforementioned transporting charge.
Diddy’s legal team requested a two-month delay for the trial as they wanted more time to respond to last month’s indictment. Judge Subramanian denied the request. It is expected that several witnesses and victims who allege Combs harmed them will take the stand. And unlike many trials of this magnitude, the trial will not be shown on television.
Combs faces a maximum sentence of life in prison on the sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The transporting to engage in prostitution count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
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Source: Dia Dipasupil / Getty / Diddy / Janice Combs
Diddy is still behind bars awaiting trial on sex trafficking, kidnapping, and racketeering charges, but he did get a visit that should have lifted his spirits.
TMZ exclusively reports that Diddy’s mother, Janice Combs, and his twin daughters, D’Lila and Jessie, stopped by the MDC in Brooklyn to visit the disgraced mogul.
According to the celebrity gossip site, Diddy’s mom was so moved after seeing her son that she felt compelled to speak up for the rapper.
Per TMZ:
We’re told the four family members went to a visiting area, where they were able to hug and converse … under supervision by jail staff.
Our sources say this meeting was the first time D’Lila and Jessie were able to see their father since his arrest last month … and they were very eager to visit him, traveling all the way from their home in California.
We’re told the visit was incredibly emotional for everyone … and after seeing her son, Janice felt compelled to speak out on his behalf, because she felt like he was going through something he didn’t deserve.
Janice Combs Broke Her Silence
As we previously reported, Mrs. Combs put on her cape for her son, basically saying that her son is not the sexual predator the over 100 allegations claim he is, panting him as someone who made mistakes in his past but not guilty of everything he has been charged with.
“It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies,” she said in a statement The Hollywood Reporter shared. “To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words. Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence.”
According to TMZ, Diddy has seen all his adult children and was happy they all stopped by to see him.
Local news affiliate ABC7NY reports that a date has finally been set for his trial: May 5, with another bail hearing in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
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