Sean Combs, the American music mogul famously known as Puff Daddy or Diddy, returned to a New York federal courtroom on Monday to plead not guilty to a superseding indictment that added fresh sex-trafficking charges to an already damning racketeering case.
The court appearance at the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York marked another chapter in the ongoing legal saga that has kept Combs behind bars at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) for nearly seven months.
Despite efforts by his legal team to secure bail, judges have ruled that Combs, Inmate 37452-054, poses a threat to the community and could tamper with witnesses. This has kept him confined to 4 North, a dormitory-style unit of the jail known to house high-profile inmates.
Wearing a tan prison uniform and showing signs of age with gray hair and beard, Combs remained calm in court, acknowledging he had reviewed the updated charges before again entering a not guilty plea. Jury selection for his trial is set to begin April 28.
Federal prosecutors allege that Combs led a violent criminal enterprise involved in kidnapping, arson, drug crimes, and sexual abuse. The new indictment intensifies the gravity of the accusations, now involving a second major sex-trafficking charge.
Combs’s lawyers have pushed back, arguing that the allegations stem from consensual relationships and do not amount to racketeering or trafficking. They have acknowledged the mogul’s struggles with substance use and complicated relationships but say those do not justify the charges.
Life inside MDC is a stark contrast from the luxury mansions and red carpets Combs once dominated. He now lives in a unit with around 20 inmates, sharing a common space equipped with TVs, a microwave, and workout equipment.
Though 4 North offers more mobility than solitary units, inmates are cut off from the internet. Combs has access to music and movies via tablet and is allowed to use a non-Wi-Fi-enabled laptop during the day to review the case evidence.
Prosecutors, however, have raised concerns about his communication habits behind bars, alleging that Combs used other inmates’ phone privileges and attempted to manipulate public perception through social media and third-party calls. His defense team denies any wrongdoing in these actions.
As the trial date nears, attention remains focused on one of the entertainment industry’s biggest names, now facing a battle not on stage or in the boardroom—but in court.
