Jury selection began on Monday (May 5) for the sex trafficking and racketeering trial of hip-hop mogul Sean Combs. Both the defense team and prosecutors questioned potential jurors about their views on wealthy individuals and Combs’ self-professed “swinger” lifestyle. The jury selection process – which involves whittling down 150 prospective jurors into a final pool of 12 men and women and six alternates – is expected to last three days, with opening statements set to begin next week. The trial itself is expected to last at least eight weeks, with Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Entertainment, facing five felony counts and up to 15 years to life in prison if convicted.
The heart of the case alleges that Combs used his billion-dollar business as a “criminal enterprise” for sexual gratification, including the alleged sex trafficking of two former girlfriends. The defense – who already rejected a plea deal – will portray the alleged sexual encounters as consensual and part of Combs’ alternative lifestyle. One of the key witnesses against Combs will include his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who was allegedly sex trafficked between 2008 and 2018, with a 2016 surveillance video surfacing last year of Combs violently assaulting Ventura in a California hotel. (Rolling Stone)