Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs granted permission to wear special clothing in court for sex trafficking trial
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs will be allowed to wear special clothing at his trial this month, it has been revealed.
The disgraced musician, 55, is scheduled to stand trial beginning 5 May, 2025 in New York City on federal charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution - all of which he has denied.
He was arrested in New York City in September 2024 and later indicted by federal prosecutors on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, with the latter carrying a prison sentence of 15 years to life.
Since his arrest, Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn.
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With the start of the trial looming, it has emerged that Combs received permission from a judge to wear special clothing, meaning he will not appear in court wearing prison clothing.
According to the order, obtained by E!, Combs has been permitted by the Southern District of New York to 'receive non-prison clothing' for his trial after his legal team made the request on Wednesday, 30 April.
However, the judge set in place several limitations on what Combs can wear during the trial.
Per the order, 'he is permitted to have up to five button down shirts, up to five pairs of pants, up to five sweaters, up to five pairs of socks, and up to two pairs of shoes without laces to wear to court'.
Combs previously wore a tan-coloured prison uniform during his court appearances, which is what he wore back in March. At this court appearance, he was spotted with greying hair as seen in court sketches.
The Bad Boy Records founder pleaded not guilty to a superseding indictment that accused him of forced labour connected to his federal case.
Tony Buzbee, a Houston attorney, has stated that the victims involved are made up of 60 males and 60 females, and that 25 were minors at the time of the alleged crimes. One individual has stated that they were just nine-years-old when the abuse took place.
Combs has maintained his innocence, and following his arrest on 16 September last year, An attorney for Combs, Marc Agnifilo, Combs' attorney, told LADbible Group at the time: “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Sean 'Diddy' Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal."
In October a lawyer representing Combs said he emphatically and categorically’ denies the allegations, saying they are ‘false and defamatory’.
They added: "He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation."
Video evidence of Combs assaulting his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura had previously come to light in May last year.
CNN released video footage that showed Combs physically assaulting Ventura in a hotel lobby in 2016.
Despite previously denying the claims, Combs later apologised in an Instagram video, which included the statement: "So difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, sometimes you got to do that. I was f***ed up."
"I mean, I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses, my behaviour in that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video, I'm disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I am disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help, I got into going to therapy, going to rehab."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.