PROSPECTIVE jurors in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial acknowledged on Monday being familiar with allegations against the hip-hop mogul, seeing a video of him allegedly assaulting a woman and hearing a comedian joke about baby oil that prosecutors say was found in his residences.
But having followed the case in the media did not exclude them from potentially serving on the jury for a trial expected to last up to two months on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. The “Bad Boy Records “founder is known for elevating hip-hop in American culture in the 1990s and 2000’s and hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez.
In a 26th-floor courtroom in Lower Manhattan, US District Judge Arun Subramanian questioned 32 prospective jurors one-by-one, a process known as voir dire, in a bid to seat a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates who can be fair and impartial to both sides despite heavy media coverage of the case.
Opening statements are scheduled for May 12.
(SABCNEWS)
