Sean "Diddy" Combs pleads not guilty to two additional charges
Sean "Diddy" Combs was back in court Monday for arraignment on two additional charges.
His trial is set to begin in May, but his defense team may be seeking to change that.
Combs, 55, faces several charges, including sex trafficking. He entered the courtroom in tan prison clothing and blue slip-on shoes. He nodded his head, seemingly to an imaginary beat, while seated and waiting for the judge. Combs addressed the judge as "sir" or "judge." There were no friends or family of Combs in the courtroom Monday.
Combs pleaded not guilty to the new superseding indictment, which added two charges to bring the total to five. He's charged with racketeering conspiracy, transportation to engage in prostitution and sex trafficking.
It's alleged he used threats, force and coercion to get victims to engage in sex acts, once allegedly dangling a victim over an apartment balcony, according to prosecutors.
Jury questionnaires are scheduled to be distributed at the end of the month for a few days, and on May 5 prospective jurors will be questioned individually. Opening statements are set for May 12.
Defense raises possibility of two week delay
Defense attorneys brought up a discovery issue regarding emails and chats for one of the alleged victims who worked for Combs, and said a two-week adjournment related to this material might be necessary. They accused the government of cherry-picking certain messages and not obtaining all emails and messaging from this person. They told the judge, "It's troubling to us."
Prosecutors explained the accuser did a keyword search and that they are not in control of all her company emails - likely more than 200,000 of them.
"We are a freight train moving towards trial," the judge said.
The judge told Diddy's defense team they had 48 hours to file for an adjournment if that's what they planned to do. They did not speak outside the courthouse, but recently said of the last superseding indictment, "These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships. This was their private sex life, defined by consent, not coercion."
The next pretrial hearing is set for Friday.
Combs has been held without bail since being arrested in September.
