SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
The sex trafficking trial of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs begins in New York City next week. Combs has been in custody since his arrest last September. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and the music industry will be watching the trial closely. It wasn't long ago that Combs was being celebrated for his long and influential career. NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento has been following the allegations against him - and a warning that this story contains descriptions of sexual assault. Hi, Isabella.
ISABELLA GOMEZ SARMIENTO, BYLINE: Hi, Sasha.
PFEIFFER: What exactly is Combs being accused of?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: So to answer that, we have to go back a couple of years when Combs was at a real career high. And you may recall his career dates all the way back to the 1990s, so some listeners might know him better as Puff Daddy or P Diddy. But if we fast-forward to 2022, he'd gotten a lifetime achievement award from BET. The next year, New York City mayor Eric Adams awarded Combs a key to the city. I mean, he was just really on top of his game and getting all of these recognitions for his decades not just as an artist but as a key player in the music and media industry. In November 2023, he gets nominated for a Grammy and then very quickly, his reputation takes a huge hit. Combs' ex partner, the singer Cassie Ventura, files a civil lawsuit claiming that Combs trafficked, raped and violently beat her throughout their relationship. She alleges that the abuse went on for over a decade and that Combs employees helped him cover it up. Now, Combs denies all of Ventura's allegations, but the next day, they settle that lawsuit out of court for an undisclosed amount, and the accusations are so shocking that Combs' reputation just doesn't really bounce back.
PFEIFFER: Isabella, you said that Ventura filed a civil lawsuit. So explain how Combs has ended up in jail facing criminal charges.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Yeah, that's right. After Ventura comes forward, many, many more people file civil lawsuits against Combs, alleging very similar kinds of abuse, and Combs keeps denying the allegations. But like you said, these are not criminal charges. Then, in March of 2024, federal law enforcement agents raid several properties linked to Combs. They confiscate weapons, they confiscate electronics, all sorts of things. And two months later in May, CNN obtains and releases a hotel surveillance video that shows Combs violently kicking and hitting Ventura. It was an incident from 2016, and Combs posts this online.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SEAN COMBS: My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I'm disgusted.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: In September of 2024, Combs is arrested in New York City. The federal government charges him with sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy, basically alleging that he used his businesses to facilitate and conceal sex crimes dating back more than a decade. There's a description of that hotel incident in the criminal indictment, though it doesn't refer to Ventura by name, and prosecutors point to that video to argue that Combs should not be released on bail because he could behave violently. A judge ultimately sides with them, and Combs remains in custody awaiting this trial.
PFEIFFER: Once his trial starts next week, give us a sense how it's likely to play out.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Yeah. There are several alleged victims expected to testify against Combs, and those could very well include people who filed some civil lawsuits against Combs. The CNN video will be admitted as evidence. And, you know, Combs' attorneys maintain his innocence. They say that all of these encounters were consensual. But if he is convicted, if the jury finds him guilty of all of the charges, he could spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
PFEIFFER: That's NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento. Thank you.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF BADBADNOTGOOD & GHOSTFACE KILLAH SONG, "STREET KNOWLEDGE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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