Sean “Diddy” Combs has rejected his final chance to avoid trial in his sex trafficking case.
During a hearing on Thursday, the 55-year-old disgraced music mogul confirmed he was not accepting a plea deal by federal prosecutors, NBC News reported.
When asked by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who is presiding over the trial in New York, if he had rejected the government’s offer, Diddy said, “Yes, your honor.”
After consulting with his legal team, led by defense attorney Marc Agnifilo, he has pleaded not guilty to five charges that include racketeering, two counts of sex trafficking, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He has denied all of the allegations that have been brought against him in numerous lawsuits alleging he coerced or forced individuals to participate in sex acts and drug-fueled sex parties.
If Diddy is found guilty, he faces an extensive amount of time behind bars. If he is convicted of racketeering, he is facing life in prison. If he’s found guilty of the two sex trafficking charges, he faces an additional minimum of 15 years. Meanwhile, transportation for purposes of prostitution charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The details of the plea deal have not been disclosed; however, at least one attorney noted to NBC that it involved a lesser sentence.
Thursday’s hearing was the last before jury selection in the trial, which is set to begin on May 5. Opening statements for the trial are scheduled to begin on May 12. The preliminary jury selection process kicked off on Monday, April 28, with hundreds of New Yorkers receiving questionnaires to determine their impartiality.
While Diddy, who has been awaiting trial at a detention center in Brooklyn since his arrest in September, appeared in court during the hearing in prison garb, according to BBC News, the music executive has been permitted to wear “non-prison clothing” during his trial.
A court order specifies that Combs will be “permitted to have up to five button-down shirts, up to five pairs of pants, up to five sweaters, up to five pairs of socks, and up to two pairs of shoes without laces to wear to court,” per BBC.
According to the outlet, this move is not unusual. Defendants are often permitted to wear their own clothing during trials, as prison clothes may cause some jurors to inherently see criminality.
