Sean 'Diddy' Combs pleads not guilty to updated indictment
Sean "Diddy" Combs has pleaded not guilty to an amended indictment that includes new allegations of forced labour.
The superseding indictment alleges the rap mogul forced employees to work long hours under threat of physical and reputational harm and forced at least one worker to engage in sex acts with him.
Mr Combs's lawyers have denied that the rap mogul has ever forced anyone into sex acts and that the case revolves around consensual relationships with his girlfriends, the New York Times reports.
His lawyers have also "vehemently" denied all the accusations made against him in the federal case and dozens of civil lawsuits that have been filed against him in recent months.
"He looks forward to his day in court when it will become clear that he has never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will," his lawyer Marc Agnifilo has said.
Mr Combs, one of the most successful rappers in the US, is soon expected to stand trial in a federal sex trafficking and racketeering case.
The new allegations detailed in the amended indictment come under the racketeering charge.
Separately, Mr Combs faces dozens of lawsuits accusing him of rape and assault. His lawyers have dismissed the lawsuits as "clear attempts to garner publicity."
BBC Sounds: Get the latest updates on the Diddy allegations in the weekly podcast, Diddy On Trial
Mr Combs was led into a wood-panelled courtroom on Friday in New York's southern district federal court wearing a greenish-tan prison jumpsuit, with overgrown grey hair and a beard.
He chose to stand as he entered his not guilty plea. Asked by a judge if he had seen and read the indictment, he responded, "Yes, I have sir".
Behind him, in the public benches, his son Christian, his daughter Chance, his mother Janice Combs - wearing large sunglasses, and friend Marvet Britto (a publicist) came to support him, along with two other men who described themselves as part of the family's "support system".
Mr Combs was smiling in court, waving and blowing kisses to his family and hugging his lawyers.
As well as the new allegations, there was also much discussion in court between the prosecution and defence's lawyers over a video published by CNN last year appearing to show CCTV footage of Mr Combs kicking his former girlfriend, Cassandra Ventura, on a hotel hallway floor in 2016.
Mr Combs's lawyers repeated their claims that the video was "deceptive" and that a visual expert had found that parts of the video were taken out of order, the actions sped up, and timestamps covered up.
Prosecutors on the other hand described it as "critical" and "direct evidence" of their case that they will submit as an exhibit in the trial. The judge urged them to reach a compromise.
CNN and a lawyer for Ms Ventura have denied what Mr Combs' lawyers said about the video.
After the video was released in 2024, Mr Combs apologised for his behaviour, saying: "I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now."
On Friday, the judge said jury selection was expected to start on 5 May, and opening statements on 12 May.
When is Sean 'Diddy' Combs' trial and what is he charged with?
'He thought of himself as a king': The parties that led to Diddy's downfall
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
17 minutes ago
- CNN
‘I wish everyone in the nation knew her': Sen. Klobuchar remembers assassinated MN legislator
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar joins CNN's Dana Bash to react to the stunning assassination of her friend Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband.
Politico
38 minutes ago
- Politico
Klobuchar: ‘People need to call people out'
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said the assassination of her longtime friend and former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman should be a wake-up call as the country grapples with a particularly fraught political climate — and an uptick in violence against elected officials. On Friday night, just hours before Hortman and her husband were killed in their home by a gunman, she and Klobuchar had dinner together at an event in Minneapolis. 'People need to call people out,' Klobuchar told CNN's Dana Bash on Sunday on 'State of the Union.' 'Some people need to look in the mirror and say, 'Hey, I've got to stop this or stop my colleagues from doing this because it makes it much worse.' We need to bring the tone down, and we also need to stand up when people do bad things.' A gunman early on Saturday entered the homes of Hortman and State Sen. John Hoffman, both Democrats, shooting them and their respective spouses. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, are recovering, Klobuchar said. Authorities are searching for 57-year-old Vance Boelter, who they say is the suspect in the attacks. Hoffman entered politics, Klobuchar told NBC's Kristen Welker, to advocate for his daughter's spina bifida. 'What I know about them is that they are hanging in there,' she said to Welker on 'Meet the Press.' 'His wife was out of surgery first, and she's actually texted some of our mutual friends. And he may face some additional surgeries, but he is also in stable condition right now from what I know.' Lawmakers throughout Minnesota were reeling on Saturday. Gov. Tim Walz urged people not to attend 'No Kings' demonstrations in the state, and Klobuchar told Bash she and other Minnesota leaders were given added security, something that Democratic Sen. Tina Smith also stated on CNN's 'Inside Politics.' Democrats and Republicans alike in Minnesota's congressional delegation banded together to condemn the violent killings in a statement spearheaded by Klobuchar and senior Republican House Rep. Tom Emmer. 'There is no place in our democracy for politically-motivated violence,' the statement read. And in the meantime, Klobuchar continues to process the loss of a colleague she had known for decades. 'This is a person that did everything for the right reasons and regardless of political parties, just look at her face and think about that before you send out your next post, or before you say something that isn't just about your views,' Klobuchar told Bash. 'People can have different views on things, but remember that our democracy is something to cherish, and public service is a worthy thing to do.'
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
NYT ‘Strands' Hints For Monday, June 16: Spangram And Answers For Today's Game
Today's NYT Strands hints and answers. getty Before today's Strands hints, spangram and answers, here are Sunday's: Hey, folks! Today's NYT Strands hints, spangram and answers for Monday, June 16 are coming right up. The New York Times' Strands puzzle is a play on the classic word search. It's available on the NYT website and in the NYT Games app alongside the likes of Wordle and Connections (which we also cover in daily guides at Forbes Gaming). There's a new game of Strands to play every day. The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters. The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common, and you'll get a clue as to what that theme is. When you find a theme word, it will remain highlighted in blue. You'll also need to find a special word called a spangram. This tells you what the words have in common. The spangram links at least two sides of the board, but it may not start or end there. While the theme words will not be a proper name, the spangram can be a proper name. When you find the spangram, it will remain highlighted in yellow. Every letter is used once in one of the theme words and spangram. You can connect letters vertically, horizontally and diagonally, and it's possible to switch directions in the middle of a word. If you're playing on a touchscreen, double tap the last letter to submit your guess. If you find three valid words of at least four letters that are not part of the theme, you'll unlock the Hint button. Clicking this will highlight the letters that make up one of the theme words. Be warned: You'll need to be on your toes. Sometimes you'll need to fill the missing word(s) in a phrase. On other days, the game may revolve around synonyms or homophones. The difficulty will vary from day to day, and the puzzle creators will try to surprise you sometimes. Scroll slowly! Just after the hint for today's Strands puzzle, I'll reveal what the answer words are. The official theme hint for today's Strands puzzle is... Key notes Need some extra help? Here's another hint... Sonic compositions There are seven theme words to find today, including the spangram. Spoiler alert! Don't scroll any further down the page until you're ready to find out today's Strands hints. Here are the first two letters of every theme word in today's puzzle. They're ordered from left to right, then top to bottom by any letter of the word appearing for the first time: Before I reveal the other the full word list, I'll first tell you the spangram and show you where that is on the grid. This is your final spoiler warning! Today's Strands spangram is... PIANO PIECES Here's where you'll find it on the grid… Today's Strands theme words are... Here's what the completed grid looks like... My mind instantly went to musical scales and instruments here. Nevertheless, I needed some hints, which gave me ETUDE and SUITE. Those were all the clues I needed to find the spangram. I had enough musical knowledge to find the remaining words by myself. I used two hints and the spangram was the third theme word I found. See you tomorrow for more Strands fun! Please follow my blog for more coverage of Strands, Connections and other word games as well as video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot! If you want to chat about Strands, Connections and other stuff with like-minded folks, join my Discord server! Also, follow me on Bluesky! It's fun there.
