It goes without saying that it's been a rough few months for Diddy. In September of last year, the Bad Boy founder was arrested on charges related to alleged sex trafficking and racketeering. He's currently behind bars at the MDC in Brooklyn awaiting his trial, which is expected to begin in May. On top of his criminal case, Diddy is also facing various lawsuits from people accusing him of sexual assault, abuse, and more.
Today (March 14), he was arraigned in court on a new indictment, which includes allegations of forced labor. He pleaded not guilty, according to NBC News. He previously pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. His next pretrial conference has been scheduled for April 25.
Diddy's Trial Date
Judge Arun Subramanian added that lawyers can schedule another conference ahead of the trial if necessary. He also announced that jury selection will begin on May 5, with the trial beginning on May 12. Reportedly, several of Diddy's family members were present. Diddy's latest not guilty plea comes shortly after his team accused CNN of destroying the original security footage of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie at a hotel in 2016. His team also accuses CNN of altering the version of the footage that was released.
"CNN purchased the only known copy of the Hotel's surveillance footage, uploaded that footage into a free editing software, altered the video and then destroyed the original footage, even though it knew about and repeatedly reported about the federal investigation," they alleged. The news outlet released a statement in response, vehemently denying the allegations. "CNN never altered the video and did not destroy the original copy of the footage, which was retained by the source," it reads. "CNN aired the story about the video several months before Combs was arrested."
