The highly anticipated federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs officially began in early May 2025 in New York, marking one of the most closely watched criminal cases of the decade. Jury selection began on May 5, and opening statements are scheduled for May 12, launching a process expected to last up to eight weeks. Combs, 55, is facing five federal criminal charges, including conspiracy to extort, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals for the purpose of prostitution. He has been held without bail since September 2024, after being indicted by a grand jury.

The investigation into Combs has been unfolding for years, but gained new momentum after a formal lawsuit was filed by his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, in November 2023. She accused him of rape, repeated physical abuse, and of keeping her in a coercive and violent relationship for years. Although the civil case was settled quickly and confidentially, Ventura is now the prosecution’s main witness in the criminal trial. According to sources close to the case, she is expected to testify about episodes of forced sexual abuse, beatings, drug use, and parties organized by Combs that, according to federal prosecutors, functioned as fronts for a systematic exploitation scheme.

During the investigation, federal agents raided Combs’ properties and seized illegal firearms, drugs, and over a thousand bottles of lubricant, further supporting the allegations that he ran an organized network of abuse. The case is being handled by the Civil Rights Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, which has declared it the largest and most complex case it has faced since its founding.

The defense, led by renowned attorney Marc Agnifilo, is expected to pursue an aggressive strategy aimed at discrediting Cassie Ventura. They have already announced their plan to portray the relationship as “mutually violent” and argue that all sexual activities were consensual among adults. The defense is also attempting to normalize Combs’ extravagant party lifestyle, stating that he simply participated in a “swinger” scene and is now the target of a moral judgment disguised as a criminal trial.

In addition to the ongoing criminal trial, Combs is facing more than a hundred civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct, physical and psychological abuse, with accusations coming from both men and women. Among the dismissed and sealed cases, a portrait emerges of a powerful and feared figure behind the scenes of the music industry, with a history of predatory behavior sustained by silence, out-of-court settlements, and economic influence.

The trial, held at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse in Manhattan, will not be televised but is open to the public and the press. It is expected to draw intense media coverage, especially as key witnesses begin to take the stand. Combs has pleaded not guilty so far, but if convicted, he could face life in prison.

The impact of the trial goes far beyond the fall of an entertainment icon: it is a direct confrontation between the culture of power within the music industry and the movement for accountability and justice for victims of sexual and psychological abuse. It is a case that promises to resonate not only in court but also across the structures that, for decades, enabled or concealed the abuse committed by powerful figures like Sean Combs.