Diddy Rejected Plea Deal Ahead of Sex Trafficking Trial, Judge Rules Assault Video Admissible

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ high-profile sex trafficking trial is set to begin in two weeks, and new court filings reveal the Bad Boy Records founder turned down a plea deal that could have altered the course of the case.

During a hearing on Friday, prosecutors disclosed that Combs was offered a plea agreement but chose to reject it, opting instead to face trial. According to Rolling Stone, prosecutors asked Judge Arun Subramanian for permission to “allocute” Combs on the record—confirming in open court that he understood and declined the deal. Judge Subramanian scheduled the plea discussion for May 1.

The terms of the plea offer remain undisclosed, but this marks the first official confirmation that one had been extended.

In a separate decision Friday, Judge Subramanian ruled that a video from 2016 showing Combs allegedly assaulting singer Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel room will be admissible as evidence during the trial.

The prosecution also intends to introduce audio from a 2011 911 call in which one of Combs’ alleged victims reported a break-in at their Los Angeles home. The call is expected to support the prosecution’s claim that Combs engaged in a pattern of coercive and violent behavior.

Meanwhile, Combs’ legal team had sought a two-month delay to better prepare for trial amid mounting charges, but that request was swiftly denied during an earlier court session on April 18. Judge Subramanian criticized the defense for filing the motion at the “last minute,” emphasizing that Combs had “sufficient time to prepare” given that four law firms are currently representing him.

The trial will proceed as originally scheduled, beginning on May 5.

Combs was arrested in New York City on September 16, 2024, and faces charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation for the purposes of prostitution. Court documents allege that Combs used his companies to finance “Freak Off” events, where victims were allegedly drugged and subjected to sexual abuse.

Currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, Combs has been denied bail on multiple occasions.

His trial is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched celebrity court cases in recent years.