Online Reporter
NEW YORK. — Hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs wore a grey suit with a white shirt and glasses as his trial finally opened in court here yesterday.
He was mostly seen looking down and reading documents which were in front of him. In the overflow room, there were several of Diddy’s family and friends, as well as Lisa Bloom, a lawyer representing some of the victims.
Bloom was seated next to her mother, Hollywood attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing victims in disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial. Combs, who is also known as “P. Diddy”, “Puffy”, “Puff Daddy”, among other aliases, was set to face a New York City jury for the first time.
He faces charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.The line to get into the building extended down several blocks.
Some people have been camped out here since Sunday evening to secure a position. The last time Combs was seen was at jury selection last week.
He was in a prison jumpsuit, his hair was greyed and he wore glasses.Jury selection took all of last week and the opening statement was set to be delivered.
Combs is facing charges that include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
If he’s convicted, he could face life in prison. Some of the most severe allegations fall under the racketeering charge, which includes accusations of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sex, and threatening them with firearms or violence. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.Combs is one of the most successful music moguls in the US.
His career has spanned decades, from launching the careers of Notorious B.I.G and Mary J. Blige in the 1990s, to a Grammy nomination for a solo album in 2023.Though his discography as a rapper is well-known, his vast empire was built through his label – Bad Boy Records. Over the years, it has collaborated with Faith Evans, Ma$e, 112, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez. Outside of music, he has also appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows – including starring alongside Russel Brand and Jonah Hill in the 2010 comedy Get Him to The Greek. Outside the courthouse we heard from Holly Baird, a representative for Diddy.
Baird said the whole family will be here to support him that Diddy was feeling “upbeat and ready for his side of the story to be told”.
The judge presiding over this trial is Arun Subramanian, who has been on this bench for about two years. He was nominated by former President Joe Biden and confirmed in a 59-23 US Senate vote.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer originally recommended Subramanian to Biden, and said in his Senate hearing introduction that “our courts need more people like Arun Subramanian”.
Schumer also said Subramanian, the son of Indian immigrants, is the first South Asian judge in the Southern District of New York. During jury selection, he joked around with lawyers and jurors, comparing one document’s length to that of Lord of the Rings.
Before his nomination in 2022, he had a private law practice. Earlier in his career, he also clerked for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. —BBC
