Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s Sex Trafficking Trial Begins Jury Selection

The jury selection began on Monday at the Federal Judgment of Sean combs, which is expected to last well until summer.

The judge supervising the case, Arun Subramanian, questioned the potential jury gathered in the Federal District Court in Manhattan about what they have seen and read about the accusations against the high -profile accused, whose alleged fest was Narl and a half. He declared himself innocent of organized crime and sex traffic charges.

Many of the members of the potential jury said they had been exposed to the case: on a television in the gym, through a “water refrigerator talk” among the coworkers, through a comedian making jokes on Instagram. That exposure was not necessarily disqualified provided that potential jury members, who are not identified by the name, said they could decide the case based only on the evidence they saw in court.

“Do you understand that Mr. combs is presumed innocent?” Judge Subramanian asked a possible member of the jury, who said he heard about the case on the radio and that he had been aware of the music and celebrity of Mr. Combs since the 1990s.

“Absolutely,” she replied.

The Government has been accused by the Government of administering a criminal company responsible for facilitating a pattern of crimes in two decades, including sexual trafficking, kidnapping, fire and drug violations. Prosecutors have accused Mr. combs to coercion four women in sex, including their ex -girlfriend Casandra Ventura, who is expected to be a star witness in the trial.

The lawyers of the music tycoon have said that sex at the center of the government’s case was a consensual.

The judge allowed Mr. Combs, who is detained in a Brooklyn prison, had five shirts with buttons, five pairs of pants, five sweaters and two pairs or shoes without laces to use for his trial.

On Monday, hey, a navy sweater and a shirt with a white collar. He observed with attention to the possible jurors, sometimes leaning about to whisper to his lawyers. After one of them asked Judge Subramanian for a break for the bathroom and the judge expressed doubts, Mr. Combs spoke letters.

“I regret your honor, today I am a little nervous,” he said.

Many of the members of the potential jury indicated that they had seen videos or images of an incident in the center of the case: Mr. Combs assaulting Mrs. Ventura inside a hotel in 2016, which was captured in security images that leaked CNN last year. Judge Subramanian ruled that some images that represent the assault could be shown in the trial.

“It was annoying to see,” said a possible jury, “but I don’t know the full story.”

The New York asked for the jury selection in the case faced questions that are commonly asked in criminal cases, even if they had ever led the victim of a crime or had experience in the application of the law. As is typical in a case that involves accusations of abuse, the potential jury was asked if they had experiences with sexual assault or domestic violence.

Some of the questions were more adapted to the case. Did the potential jury have experiences with “artists in the community of hip-hop” that could endanger its impartiality? What about the accusations surrounding the “commercial sex workers”, what is a central part of the government’s case?

Potential jury members were asked to read a long list of people and places that could be mentioned in the case to see if they recognized them. Some were family members or former employees of Mr. Combs; Others were celebrities of large notes whose connections with the case are an uncle.

Before the possible members of the jury entered the courtroom, Judge Subramanian said that the list of names in this case, which is expected to last eight weeks, was particularly long. “I felt that I was reading an appendix from ‘The Lord of the Rings,” he said.

Twelve jurors are expected to be selected for the case this week. Opening statements are scheduled for May 12.