*The Met Gala would have almost always been attended by Sean Combs, who would have relished in the theme of Dandyism and Black men’s style, but the music mogul spent fashion’s famed First Monday in May—as it’s called—in court for the jury selection on his case where he’s facing five federal charges.
Combs and his defense team entered a plea of not guilty for:
- One count of Racketeering Conspiracy, carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison
- Two counts of Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud or Coercion, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison
- Two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison
“I’m nervous,” Combs admitted to Judge Arun Subramanian, who is presiding. The music mogul who changed his name one last time before all of this happened to “Love” asked to go to the restroom, hands shaking. His hair is now a mixture of gray and black—more gray than black.
His last record was a dedication to rhythm and blues and had all the swagger of Harlem (where he’s from) wrapped up in stellar production. What did he call it? “The Love Album,” of course. That said, the only time you’ll get a shake in Harlem is during the craze that took over the early 2000s and then again during the dance’s social media revival.
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The Harlem music mogul, once known for a contagious sense of self-confidence, was nervous.
Two days into jury selection, Judge Subramanian anticipates a week-long process for the jury pool. But what’s getting the most attention are the names linked to the process before witness testimony has begun.
Prospective jurors have been asked about Michelle Williams, Bad Boy choreographer Laurieann Gibson, Bad Boy VP Harvey Pierre, Kid Cudi who previously dated Cassie, actor Mike Myers, Michael B. Jordan who shares an ex-girlfriend in Lori Harvey, Dallas Austin, who grew up dating Kim Porter, and Kanye West.
The now viral video that shows Combs physically assaulting Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway kicking and punching the singer as she tried to leave while barefoot has been seen by more than a few prospective jurors. Combs’ defense has tried to get the video removed from evidence saying it was sped up and is inaccurate—even though the mogul apologized via social media for his actions.
Prospective jurors who admitted to watching the video and were determined to not be impartial, have been dismissed. Judge Subramanian anticipates jury selection to finish this week with the start of regular proceedings to start on Monday, May 12.
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