SEAN “Diddy” Combs has appeared in court at the start of his sex trafficking trial.
The disgraced rap mogul’s family were seen arriving as his mum and six of his children packed the gallery at the New York City courthouse.
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Combs, 55, was seen in court – dressed in a beige sweater and khaki pants – as opening statements of the landmark trial kicked off on Monday.
His mum, Janice Combs, watched on from the second row of the gallery along with six of her sons children.
As he entered the courtroom Combs was spotted waving to his family and blowing one of his sons a kiss before sitting down.
A court clerk reportedly then asked him if he wanted some water and Combs said: “I could use a little more if you don’t mind.”
The rap mogul’s representative Holly Baird said the rap star is feeling upbeat about the trial and the fact that his whole family will be in the court today, according to Sky.
But Baird added that the family is understandably apprehensive.
As well as family members, Combs’ accusers were also seen arriving at the courthouse.
Singer Jaguar Wright was spotted arriving ahead of the trial.
She has accused Combs of sexual abuse for years – claims he denies.
Wright said the trial needs to be a reckoning for the music industry and that the rapper’s day in court is long overdue, according to Sky.
Combs is being tried over five criminal counts ranging from across a 20-year period.
The disgraced rapper is accused of abusing several women and leading Bad Boy Records as a “criminal enterprise” for more than a decade.
He was originally being tried over three criminal charges before an additional two were added at a later date.
These included prostitution and sex trafficking.
Prosecutors claim the rapper recruited, transported and forced this victim to engage in sex acts and prostitution from 2021 to 2024.
But he has denied the allegations and his legal team has claimed that the activities described were “consensual” and that was nothing illegal about his swinger lifestyle.
He has pleaded not guilty to all these charges.
Combs was previously offered a chance to accept a plea deal from prosecutors in court which would have reduced any final sentence and allowed him to leave jail at an earlier date.
But he rejected the offer at a hearing in a Manhattan federal court.
According to prosecutor with the Manhattan US Attorney’s office, Maurene Comey, this means Combs now faces a more severe sentence if he is convicted at trial.
The rapper is facing a two-month trial during which the jury will hear testimonies from three and possibly four of the rapper’s female accusers.
Diddy’s downfall
By The U.S. Sun’s Senior Reporter Forrest McFarland, who has been reporting on Diddy’s legal battles for years
BEFORE Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest in September, it was highly speculated that the rap star would find himself in custody after he was repeatedly hit with disturbing accusations – and had two of his mansions raided by the feds.
His mounting legal troubles finally came to a head on September 17, when he was charged with three federal counts, including sex trafficking, for allegedly forcing victims to take part in drug-fueled sex parties he called “Freak Offs.”
Hours before his arrest, The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed the feds investigating Combs were secretly liaising with Tupac Shakur murder prosecutors on gangland activities.
The development also came after Combs was named 77 times in documents submitted by prosecutors in the Tupac murder case.
Aside from the Tupac probe, Combs was already facing a slew of lawsuits, including one he settled with his ex, Cassie Ventura, after she accused him of rape and abuse.
Disturbing hotel surveillance video from 2016 showed Combs chasing Cassie down and then punching, kicking, and beating her in a hallway.
Two months earlier, in March 2024, two of Combs’ mansions were raided by federal investigators, who seized three AR-15s, drugs, and 1,000 bottles of lube which were part of his “Freak Off” supplies.
In addition to his federal criminal charges, Combs also faces a handful of lawsuits with allegations of sexual assault, harassment, and sex trafficking dating back to the early 1990s.
Music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones filed one suit in February 2024, claiming Combs forced him to hire sex workers and participate in sex acts while he worked on his latest album.
Combs has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the federal sex trafficking charges against him, but his battle is far from over.
He faces life in prison if he’s convicted on all counts.
Among these are Combs’ former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie.
A video released by CNN in May last year appears to show Combs violently assaulting his girlfriend at a hotel in Los Angeles in 2016.
The horrifying footage showed Combs chasing Cassie down before brutally punching, kicking, and beating her in a hallway.
The rap star publicly apologised for his shocking behaviour after the video was released.
The three other female accusers are expected to testify under pseudonyms.
Testimonies from his former employees who prosecutors say helped arrange and cover up his actions will also be heard.
But the bulk of the trial testimony is likely to come from investigators and expert witnesses.
Elsewhere, a slew of lawsuits are also stacked against the record producer accusing him of dozens of sexual assaults over the past 20 years.
The 50 civil lawsuits include one by an accuser who says he was 10 years old at the time of the alleged assault.
Many of these alleged incidents are said to have occurred at meetings and Combs’ infamous parties.
He has denied the allegations in the civil cases and his lawyers have called them “meritless” and part of a “reckless media circus.”
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