Diddy is ready to fight his latest charges head-on, maintaining his innocence ahead of trial.
On Monday, the producer pleaded not guilty to a new five-count federal indictment that includes racketeering and sex trafficking charges. The 55-year-old appeared before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan, reaffirming his earlier plea to a prior three-count indictment.
“These are not new allegations or new accusers,” Diddy’s lawyers explained in a statement. “These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships.”
Prosecutors allege Diddy used his business empire to exploit women over a two-decade period, from 2004 to 2024, including orchestrating recorded sex acts called “freak-offs” with male sex workers, sometimes across state lines.
Marc Agnifilo, one of Diddy’s attorneys, countered, saying his client “never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will,” and that the “freak-offs were consensual sexual activity.”
The father of seven has been held in a Brooklyn jail since September and faces multiple civil suits from both women and men alleging sexual abuse.
CNN previously aired surveillance footage showing the Revolt founder striking and dragging ex-girlfriend, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura in 2016. He later apologized, and Agnifilo described their relationship as “a toxic, loving 11-year relationship,” arguing the video “was not evidence of sex trafficking.”
Despite his legacy as the founder of Bad Boy Records and the force behind stars like Notorious B.I.G. and 112 to name a few, prosecutors say his fame masked a darker reality.
Jury selection begins May 5th, with opening statements set for May 12th. If convicted, Diddy could face years in prison.
