Sean “Diddy” Combs, the troubled American singer and business tycoon, turned down a plea deal offered by the US government on Thursday.
Had he accepted the plea agreement, P. Diddy, as he is commonly known, could have avoided the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence.
But he said, “Yes, I do, Your Honour,” in response to Judge Arun Subramanian’s question about if he was turning down the offer from the federal prosecutors.
Jury selection is planned to begin on Monday, when Combs is expected to go on trial. He is accused of forcing women into protracted sexual encounters that he allegedly called “freak-offs” and is charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and prostitution.
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A guilty plea, according to Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey, would have drastically cut down on Combs’ potential jail sentence. If found guilty on all counts during the trial, the punishment would be essentially life in prison.
Combs wore a beige jail uniform when he appeared in court. He grinned, gave his legal team a hug, and gave Teny Geragos, one of his attorneys, a fist bump.
During the brief session, Geragos expressed worries about public remarks made in a documentary by Lisa Bloom, a Los Angeles-based lawyer who represents at least two of Combs’ civil accusers.
“Her behavior here has us worried,” Geragos stated.
In response, Judge Subramanian said he would urge “all counsel” and witnesses to follow court procedures and professional behavior guidelines when making potentially biased public remarks that would compromise Combs’ right to a fair trial.
