Ellie Kemp
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault allegations which some readers may find distressing.
Hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs is set to face trial today (May 5) for a raft of accusations spanning more than three decades.
Once famed for producing some of the biggest artists in the music game - including Usher, Mary J. Blige and the Notorious B.I.G. - Diddy has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons since his September 2024.
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On September 16, the 54-year-old was arrested at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York, after a grand jury indicted him.
Diddy has since been accused of a series of serious crimes by four unnamed people.
The 'I'll Be Missing You' hitmaker was also accused of hosting wild, drug-fueled parties - famously known as 'freak offs' - where women were allegedly pressured into having sex, and sometimes recorded without their permission, while Diddy and others are said to have watched on.
Diddy's charges include sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, racketeering and transportation for prostitution purposes.
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It's alleged that Diddy and his group would threaten victims, blackmailing them with said video recordings, or even physical violence, to keep them quiet.
Prosecutors claim numerous witnesses have come forward to accuse Diddy of terrorising people into silence by choking, hitting, kicking and dragging them, often by the hair.
The indictment also accuses Diddy of dangling someone from a balcony.
Diddy denies all allegations and has pleaded not guilty. His legal team maintain that all sexual activities that took place were consensual.
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The music mogul's attorney previously told UNILAD: "As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus.
"That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors.
"He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation."
During a pretrial conference on Thursday (April 29), he confirmed to a judge that he turned down a plea offer that would have carried a lesser penalty than what he might face if he is convicted at the upcoming trial.
One of the most bizarre findings from this investigation so far is what officers claim they uncovered during raids at Diddy's homes.
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His properties in Los Angeles, California, and Miami, Florida, were subject to raids by Homeland Security last March 'as part of an ongoing investigation'.
Officers claim they found 1,000 bottles of baby oil during these searches.
Diddy's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, went on to explain to the New York Post why federal prosecutors leaked that the large number of bottles of baby oil and lube were discovered during the raids.
"I don’t think it was 1,000. I think it was a lot. I mean, there is a Costco right down the street. I think Americans buy in bulk, as we know," he said.
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"And you know these are consensual adults doing what consensual adults do, you know, we can’t get so puritanical in this country to think that somehow sex is a bad thing because if it was there would be no more people."
Diddy's jury selection is scheduled to begin today (May 5) at a federal courthouse in Manhattan, with testimony likely to start the following week.
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Prosecutor Emily Johnson told the court the government's case would last at least three weeks.
Meanwhile, Diddy's defence attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said they would need a week for theirs.
The trial is expected to take at least eight weeks.
If convicted on all charges, Diddy faces a possible sentence of decades in prison.