For more than two decades, Sean “Diddy” Combs was known as one of hip-hop’s biggest entrepreneurs, making hits for top talent like Notorious B.I.G. and creating a business empire that included Bad Boy Records, a fashion brand, a TV network, deals with liquor companies and a key role in reality TV show Making The Band.
But now, U.S. prosecutors allege that for 20 years, behind the scenes, Diddy was coercing and abusing women with help from a network of associates who helped silence victims through blackmail and violence.
Diddy has pleaded not guilty and denied all of the allegations. Jury selection for his trial begins on Monday, May 5 at a federal courthouse in Manhattan with testimony set to follow the week of May 12.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the trial.
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What he’s on trial for
Diddy faces an indictment that includes descriptions of “Freak Offs,” which are defined in the …