Sean Combs has pleaded not guilty to a new indictment, which added accusations that the hip-hop mogul forced employees to work long hours and threatened to punish those who did not assist in his alleged two-decade sex trafficking scheme.
Combs, 55, entered his plea to the new indictment before US District Judge Arun Subramanian at a hearing in Manhattan federal court. A trial remains scheduled for 5 May.
With several of his family members looking on, Combs was led into the courtroom sporting grey hair, a grey beard, and a baggy, tan jail outfit.
Combs previously pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
While the new indictment added no new charges, it described what prosecutors called the "forced labour" that Combs allegedly demanded in connection with the 20-year alleged racketeering conspiracy.
It alleged that Combs and his associates "maintained control" over some employees by forcing them to work long hours with little sleep, through the use of or threats to use physical force, financial harm, psychological harm, and reputational harm.
Combs's defence lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, has said his client never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will.
Prosecutors with the Manhattan US Attorney's Office have alleged that Combs used his business empire, including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, to sexually abuse women between 2004 and 2024.
Combs's alleged abuse included allegedly having women take part in recorded sexual performances called "freak offs" with male sex workers, who were sometimes transported across state lines.
Agnifilo has said the "freak offs" were consensual sexual activity.
Combs also faces dozens of civil lawsuits by women and men who accused him of sexual assault and other misconduct. He has denied all wrongdoing.
At Friday's hearing, Judge Subramanian said prospective jurors would begin filling out questionnaires on 28 April. In-person questioning of jurors will start on 5 May, with opening statements on 12 May, the judge said.
Combs has been held in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial since his September 2024 arrest.
Combs founded Bad Boy Records and is credited with helping turn rappers and R&B singers such as Mary J Blige, Faith Evans, The Notorious B.I.G., and Usher into stars in the 1990s and 2000s.
His career has been derailed since federal agents raided his Los Angeles and Miami Beach, Florida, homes in early 2024 as part of the sex trafficking investigation that led to his indictment.
Source: Reuters
