What is Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs allowed to wear during his sex trafficking trial?
Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs is set to begin his highly publicised trial on May 5th. The Bad Boy rapper is facing charges of racketeering, sex trafficking by force and transportation for purposes of prostitution.
In a filing on May 30th, Combs’ legal team requested that he appear in court without his prison uniform. The Southern District of New York permitted him to “receive non-prison clothing” for his trial, which includes five button-down shirts, five pairs of pants, five sweaters, five pairs of socks, and two pairs of shoes without laces.
Combs previously wore a tan prison uniform in court. Speaking on his appearance in December, Law & Crime reporter Elizabeth Milner said, “He appeared just astonishingly thinner, which you can expect [from him being] inside a federal detention centre for a couple of months now.
“A lot different from the luxury lifestyle that he was living before, but he appeared very noticeably thinner and maybe being locked up in detention is starting to wear on him.”
It was revealed that Combs rejected a plea deal during a court appearance on April 25th. Last month, he was hit with a new indictment, bringing his total counts to five. If found guilty, he faces up to life in prison.
Combs’ mother, Janice, addressed the allegations against her son last year. “It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies,” she wrote. “To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words.”
She continued, “Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence. I am not here to portray my son as perfect because he is not. He has made mistakes in his past, as we all have.”