Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs rejected a plea deal in his ongoing sex trafficking and racketeering case.
During a court hearing on Friday (April 25), prosecutors confirmed that the disgraced rapper and business mogul was offered a plea deal that he rejected.
The long-rumoured deal was mentioned near the end of the hearing, when prosecutors asked Judge Arun Subramanian if he could “allocute” Combs on the plea agreement, which means to ask him in court and on the record if he understands the plea he was offered and rejected, per Rolling Stone.
Subramanian said he would address the plea at a hearing next Thursday, May 1. The terms of the plea deal are unknown.
Plea deals are standard procedure, even when prosecutors believe they have a strong case. In sexual assault cases, they can be offered as a way of trying to protect alleged victims who may be in danger or reluctant to relive crimes that may have happened to them.
Along with the revelation of the rejected plea, Friday’s hearing also saw Judge Subramanian rule that the 2016 security footage of Combs beating then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel could be shown to the jury.
Sean “Diddy” Combs. CREDIT: John Lamparski/WireImage
Over a year ago, Ventura accused Combs of physical assault and rape and the case was settled the following day, despite Diddy denying the claims.
The footage was then leaked to CNN last May, showing Diddy dragging, kicking and hitting Ventura in an LA hotel, lending credence to Ventura’s allegations. Diddy later apologised for his “inexcusable” behaviour in a video Ventura’s lawyers called “disingenuous”.
In recent weeks, Combs’ attorneys filed a motion to exclude video footage from the upcoming trial. Alternatively, they have asked the court to “permit Mr. Combs to present evidence at a pre-trial hearing regarding the unreliability of the existing and available video evidence”.
Combs’ trial is set to begin May 5 with jury selection, and opening statements are expected to be heard a week later. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, and has denied all other allegations of misconduct levelled against him.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to five criminal counts, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has consistently denied all allegations against him and has asserted that all sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual.
Earlier this month, the court ruled against his plea to delay the trial by two months.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs at Georgia World Congress Center on August 26, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Elsewhere, a new lawsuit was filed against Diddy earlier this month, accusing him of human trafficking. The allegations were put forward by a Florida man called Joseph Manzaro, who alleges that the rapper assaulted and humiliated him at an event in 2015, and that he was seen on the night by Beyoncé, Jay-Z and LeBron James.
Combs’ legal team denied the claims in a statement to TMZ. “This complaint demonstrates the depraved lengths plaintiffs will travel to garner headlines in pursuit of a payday,” it read. “No sane person reading this complaint could credit this story. Mr. Combs looks forward to having his day in court where these lies — and the perverse motives of those who told them — will be revealed.”
News of the accusations came just days after a separate one of Diddy’s sexual assault lawsuits was dismissed last month.
Claims of sex trafficking against Combs and former chief of staff Kristina Khorramm, as well as sexual assault and premises liability claims against Combs, have been upheld, however.
An attorney for Combs said Jones’ “reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines”, whilst Khorram denied all allegations.
For more help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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