Sean “Diddy” Combs formally rejected a government plea deal on Thursday — just three days ahead of his sex trafficking trial.
Judge Arun Subramanian asked the rapper in court if he rejects an offer made by federal prosecutors that would spare him an extended prison sentence, provided he pleaded guilty, per ABC News.
“Yes I do, your honor,” Combs, who attended court in a beige jail uniform, said. Specific details of the rejected deal were not disclosed.
Combs’ trial, scheduled to begin Monday to address charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, will begin with jury selection. Opening statements will begin May 12.
The charges allege the music mogul used coercion to convince women to sexually participate in his infamous “freak-off” parties.
Assistant United States attorney Maurene Comey said the rejected deal would have allowed for reduced prison time, versus a trial conviction.
The latter, if he’s convicted on all counts, has the potential to put him behind bars for life.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Combs reportedly arrived in court smiling and giving attorney Mark Geragos a fist bump.
The disgraced rapper was charged in a sex trafficking indictment in 2024 and subsequently arrested in September.
More indictments followed, alleging that the fashion designer led a criminal enterprise that enabled him to abuse his alleged victims on multiple occasions across a number of years.
The Bad Boys records founder has vigorously denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to The Post, lawyers plan to argue at trial that the Grammy winner wasn’t acting as a rapist, but simply enjoying a “swinger” lifestyle.
“There’s a lifestyle, call it swingers or whatever you will, that he thought was appropriate because it was common,” Marc Agnifilo, an attorney for Combs, said at a Manhattan pre-trial hearing on April 25. “Many people think it’s appropriate because it’s common.”
Witnesses including Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura are expected to testify during the trial, which will run eight to ten weeks. The R&B singer famously accused Combs of rape and abuse in 2023.
The case was quickly settled within 24 hours, and no details about the terms of the settlement were publicly disclosed.
Prosecutors explained in court papers that during the trial, witnesses will give “graphic testimony” regarding “years’ worth of beatings, drug-fueled coercive sex marathons and multiple rapes.
The “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper has been incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest, following raids of his lavish Los Angeles and Miami estates that infamously yielded AR-15 firearms and 1000 bottles of lubricant.
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