Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Pleads Not Guilty to New Criminal Indictment

Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared in Manhattan court today for a pretrial hearing in his federal case, pleading not guilty to a superseding indictment.

Earlier this month, prosecutors filed a second superseding indictment against Combs, highlighting new allegations of abusive treatment and the forced labor of his employees. In late January, Combs was hit with an initial expanded indictment that included two new female victims and accused him of engaging in criminal conduct four years earlier than previously stated. Both superseding indictments did not list additional charges.

Also discussed at the hearing, per NBC News, was a CNN tape that showed Combs allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. Yesterday, prosecutors and Combs’ legal defense filed a letter in New York court that accused CNN of doctoring the footage and destroying the original copy, which CNN denied. Judge Arun Subramanian told the lawyers that they need to come to a compromise in using the video in the trial, and if not, to both file motions.

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Combs’ lawyers said they “recently came into possession of a great deal of medical records,” and need an expert to “explain what they mean.” Subramanian set jury selection for May 5, and the trial is slated to begin on May 12.

Combs has been incarcerated at a Brooklyn prison since his September arrest. He is being charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution, and will remain in detention until his criminal trial. He pled not guilty to the three charges initially lobbed against him, and the judge denied his requests for bail release numerous times before he inevitably withdrew his bids late last year.