Sean “Diddy” Combs, 54, is scheduled to face a sex trafficking and racketeering trial in May 2025. The rapper, arrested in New York last month, remains in custody after being denied bail. At a pretrial hearing on Thursday, Judge Arun Subramanian set the trial date for May 5, 2025, according to Forbes.
This marked Combs’ first court appearance since his arrest. His mother, Janice Combs, and several of his children were present in the courtroom.
Combs, who has seven children from various relationships, faces serious charges including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion.
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Just days before the pretrial hearing, Combs’ lawyer, Alexander A.E. Shapiro, filed an appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, requesting his release until the trial.
The documents argued that Combs was denied a fair opportunity for bail, despite offering restrictive conditions to ensure he wouldn’t flee or pose a danger.
Shapiro emphasized that under the Bail Reform Act, pretrial detention is meant to be an exception, not the norm.
Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, had his initial bail request of $50 million denied on September 17. An appeal for bail was swiftly filed but was rejected again a day later, with Judge L. Carter of the Southern District of New York expressing concerns about potential witness tampering or obstruction of justice.
Currently, Combs remains at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center as he awaits his day in court.
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