Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial kicked off Monday with jury selection not slated to be finalized until Friday.
According to the Associated Press, Judge Arun Subramanian granted a request Wednesday from attorneys to extend the time allowed to decide on which potential jury members to exclude after they were asked to fill out questionnaires last week.
Prospective jurors have been questioned for the past three days to establish whether or not they would be fair and unbiased. Lawyers for Combs and the prosecution will be able to eliminate individuals from the jury panel on Friday, whitling down the numbers until a final jury is produced along with over 12 alternates.
Opening statements are expected to begin Monday in federal court in Manhattan, while the trial itself is set to take up to two months.
Combs is accused of operating his music business as a racketeering enterprise to facilitate crimes including kidnapping, arson, bribery, and sex trafficking, all of which Combs has pleaded not guilty to.
He is further accused of orchestrating drug-fueled orgies or “freak offs” with coerced women and male sex workers, which Combs and his attorney’s claim was consensual.
Since his arrest in September, Combs has remained in custody without bail and could face a prison sentence of life if found guilty.
