New York – The final stage of the jury selection for the extortion and sexual trafficking of the hip-hop magnate Sean “Diddy” combs It was postponed until the beginning of next week, just before starting opening arguments, a federal judge decided on Friday.
Prosecutors claim that combs, 55, used His fame and power At the top of the hip-hop world to sexually abuse women from 2004 to 2024. He declared himself innocent after his arrest in September and has remained detained without bail in a federal confinement in Brooklyn.
Judge Arun Subramanian granted a request from the defense lawyers to delay the final step in the jury selection process, which is expected to last less than an hour. Prosecutors opposed without success.
The possible members of the jury were not present on Friday when federal prosecutors and lawyers met in a Chamber of the Manhattan court, with combs also present, to reduce a group of 45 possible jurors to a jury of 12 and six alternatives that will listen to the listened two -month judgment.
For three days this week, jurors had been asked to help the judge and lawyers determine if they could be fair and impartial. And they were also interrogated to ensure that they could decide the case of the facts even after watching explicit videos of sexual activity that some I could find disturbing.
On Monday, prosecutors will be allowed to attack six possible jury jurors, while defense lawyers were allowed 10 strikes before the jury is completed. In general, lawyers do not have to explain why they are expelling people from the panel. The process was expected to take up to an hour.
If combs is convicted of all charges, which include organized crime, kidnapping, caused fire, bribery and sex trafficking, would face 15 mandatory prison and could remain behind bars for life.
Prosecutors claim that the founder of Bad Boy Records used His fame and power At the top of the hip-hop world to sexually abuse women from 2004 to 2024.
An accusation includes descriptions of “Freak offs”, integrated orgies in which women were forced to have sex with male sex workers while the combs filmed them.
The charges against him also portray the combs as abusive of his victims, sometimes drowning, hitting, kicking them and dragging them, often by hair. Once, he alleges the accusation, he even hung someone from a balcony.
Their lawyers argue that prosecutors are trying to criminalize sexual activity among adults they consent. They admit that Comong had abused several substances, but they say it has undergone treatment.
A centerpiece of the evidence against him is the registrations of combs that have exceeded a bride for a long time in a hall of the Los Angeles Hotel in 2016.
After a video of the meeting broadcast on CNN last year, Comink apologizedsaying: “They assume all the responsibility of my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did. Now I am disgusted.”
Numerous jurors interviewed by the judge this week said they had seen the video and that some were considered too affected by him to be impartial and remain in the jury group.
