With his trial scheduled to begin in May, Sean “Diddy” Combs has chosen to reject a plea agreement offered by prosecutors, opting instead to contest the charges in court.
Get this, during an April 25 hearing, officials confirmed the music mogul turned down the deal, prompting prosecutors to request that Judge Arun Subramanian formally question Combs about his understanding of the rejected terms.
According to Rolling Stone, prosecutors asked the judge “to ‘allocute’ Combs on the plea agreement, essentially meaning, ask him in court and on the record if he understands the plea he was offered and rejected.” Judge Subramanian deferred addressing the matter until a May 1 hearing. While specifics of the plea deal remain undisclosed, this marks the first official acknowledgment of its existence.
In a pivotal ruling, the judge approved the use of a 2016 surveillance video showing Combs in an altercation with Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel as admissible evidence. Prosecutors also plan to introduce audio from a 2011 emergency phone call alleging Combs trespassed at a Los Angeles residence.
ICYMI, Combs’ legal team recently sought a two-month trial postponement, citing the need to prepare for accumulating charges. However, as CBS reported, the motion was denied “immediately” during an April 18 hearing. Judge Subramanian noted the request was filed “last minute” and emphasized that Combs, who has “four different law firms working on his case,” had “sufficient time to prepare.”
The trial will proceed as planned on May 5. Combs faces charges including racketeering conspiracy, trafficking-related offenses, and transportation for unlawful activities. Court documents allege he used business resources to organize events referred to as “Freak Offs,” where individuals were reportedly subjected to non-consensual acts after being administered substances.
Obviously, since his September 2023 arrest in New York City, Combs has remained in custody at a federal facility in Brooklyn, with multiple requests for release denied. The case continues to draw significant attention as proceedings approach.