Jury selection starts in Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial

US prosecutors claim Combs used violence and intimidation to coerce his victims into sexual acts. If convicted, the US hip-hop mogul could spend life in prison.

Jury selection started in the federal trial of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs in New Yorkon Monday.

The hip-hop mogul stands accused of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transporting to engage in prostitution. He could face life in prison if convicted.

The start of testimony is only expected next week in the trial, which could take at least six weeks.

Combs has pleaded not guilty.

What is 'Diddy' accused of?

According to the 17-page indictment against Combs, he "abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct."

Prosecutors allege that Combs manipulated women into drug-fueled sexual performances and used a mix of influence and violence, including beatings and arson, to control them. He allegedly offered career boosts for compliance or resorted to violence if they resisted.

Once, according to the indictment, he even dangled someone from a balcony.

Combs' attorney, Marc Agnifilo, acknowledged that Combs was "not a perfect person" and that there were issues with drug use and toxic relationships.

However, he emphasized that all sexual activity between Combs and others was consensual.

Agnifilo said there was nothing criminal about a "swingers" lifestyle in which Combs and his girlfriends sometimes brought a third person into their relationships.

The celebrity musician became embroiled in a sex scandal last year, which escalated whena woman accused him and another famous hiphoper, Jay-Z, of raping her when she was a minor. The woman dropped the case in February this year.

What else to know about the trial

The jury will be anonymous, which is frequently the case in high-profile trials.

Prosecutors and the defense team have agreed on 150 potential jurors and will choose a 12-member panel ahead of the opening statements scheduled for May 12.

The trial will not be televised.

Combs, also known as Diddy, Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, wore dark glasses and a dark sweater over a white shirt in court on Monday.  

He smiled and hugged his attorneys when he arrived at court.

Combs was arrested in September last year and denied bail.

He has been held at Brooklyn's notorious Metropolitan Detention Center. It is the same detention facility that once housed Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and Sam Bankman-Fried, the former billionaire cryptocurrency wunderkind who was convicted of fraud.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic