There’s a reason fans of the TV show Law and Order could be banned from attending Diddy’s jury during his upcoming sex trafficking trial.

Sean Combs, better known from his stage name P Diddy, is facing five criminal charges, including sex trafficking by force, conspiracy racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution after several accused the star of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sex acts.

In March, he was also hit with a new indictment that accuses the rapper of forcing employees to work long hours and of threatening to punish those who did not assist in his alleged sex trafficking scheme.

Combs has denied all of the allegations and entered a plea of not guilty on September 17 last year, with his trial set to be heard in the coming weeks.

Before his hearing, however, official jury selection is slated to begin on May 5, which could see fans of true crime and police dramas like Law and Order possibly weeded out.

The trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is expected to start in May (MEGA/GC Images)

According to files seen by The Mirror, prosecutors are particularly interested to know about potential jurors’ TV diet.

They ask ‘What television programs the juror regularly watches’, as per the news outlet, and specifically asks ‘Whether the juror watches Law and Order, CSI or other police dramas’.

There are some surprising connections between both the shows and Diddy, for instance in Law and Order season 3 in the episode ‘Dawg Night’, a fictional rapper was lurking around a nightclub that becomes the scene of a crime while a Latina pop star also makes an appearance.

Fans say the episode could have been inspired by a similar 1999 shooting which allegedly involved Diddy and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, though the rapper was acquitted and charges against J-Lo were dropped.

Then, Diddy appeared on two episodes on CSI: Miami in 2009, playing the part of a lawyer.

However, it remains unclear if Diddy’s connection to the shows is why they’re specifically included in the quiz, or whether or not potential jurors who have watched them could be booted out of the running to attend.

Combs was found innocent by a jury on charges of gun possession in 2001 (Robert Mecea/Newsmakers)

Attorney Anthony Capozzolo at the litigation firm Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss previously predicted potential jurors could face such questioning, saying the questionnaire might ask for details about ‘TV shows they watch, news sources, hobbies and other activities all to try to provide some insight into they type of juror they would be’.

Such pretrial questions are apparently common to help both the prosecution and the defense to build an impartial jury, though each side clearly want a model jury that will help them to win the case.

Once the jury has been selected, opening statements for the high-profile trial are scheduled to begin on May 12.

There is no set end date for the case which could go on anywhere between eight to 10 weeks though Criminal Defense Solicitor and legal expert Katie McCreath told the news outlet that the complexity of the case could see it drag out for even longer

“Prosecutors must prove a pattern of criminal conduct within an enterprise, likely relying on multiple victims, digital evidence, and financial trails,” she explained. “Trials of this nature often run six to twelve weeks, sometimes longer.”

Diddy’s trial is well into its second week, with new witnesses taking to the stand in Manhattan, New York.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ trial officially began on Monday (May 12), and last week, his former partner Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, was questioned extensively about the rapper-producer.

Combs was arrested last September while he was in New York, accused of racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, among other charges.

Combs has repeatedly denied all the charges against him and has pleaded not guilty.

Cassie alleged Combs forced her to participate in so-called ‘freak-off’ sex parties, which she claimed involved her having sex with a male escort while he watched on, as well as several instances of physical violence.

Cassie broke down towards the end of her testimony last week (Johnny Nunez/Getty Images)

She also spoke about Combs’ alleged drug use, including a supposed overdose at the Playboy Mansion in 2012, and stated his ‘drugs of choice’ were ecstasy or MDMA and that she witnessed him consume opiates daily.

This week has seen Cassie’s mom Regina Ventura, Diddy’s former PA David James, and singer Dawn Richard all take to the stand.

Here’s what they had to say…

Dawn Richard alleged disturbing act Diddy did to Cassie

Richard, who was signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records label from 2005 until 2011, alleged to have witnessed Ventura being assaulted a number of times by the producer.

Prosecutor Christy Slavik said per Inner City Press more about what she claims to have observed.

Richard claimed: “He would drag her and kick her and punch her in the mouth.”

She was then asked to clarify what she believed prompted the 55-year-old to allegedly beat Ventura when they dated, to which she claimed would occur ‘when she would speak up for herself’.

Richard was further quizzed on who saw these attacks, to which she explained two members of the disgraced producer’s security team.

Dawn Richard was signed to Bad Boy Records (Getty Images/ George Napolitano/FilmMagic)

She added that Ventura would get hit on ‘her knees, her face, all over’.

She then described an incident she said occurred during a music festival in Central Park, while she was at Combs’ residence.

Richard testified: “He punched Cassie. She came into the bathroom crying… she was hurt,” before Combs’ lawyer objected and the judge sustained it.

Richard also claimed she saw Cassie with a swollen eye and once witnessed Combs allegedly slap her to tell her to ‘shut the f*ck up’.

She said she feared for her safety and never intervened, adding, “If he did that to someone he supposedly loved, what would he do to an employee? So I’d approach Mr. Combs with softness.”

Ventura’s mom said Diddy demanded $20,000 for daughter’s sex tape

While on the stand, Ventura’s former relationship with fellow musician Kid Cudi was referenced and how Diddy was supposedly enraged about her dating someone else in the music industry.

As a result of his jealousy, he allegedly demanded $20,000 from Regina Ventura, Cassie’s mom, for a sex tape with the Honey 3 actress in it.

“I was physically sick,” Regina Ventura claimed, as per The Independent. “I did not understand it, the sex tape threw me. He was trying to hurt my daughter.”

Regina Ventura, Cassie’s mom, has testified against Diddy (John Lamparski/Getty Images)

Regina said she proceeded to take out a loan to be able to pay off Diddy and stop the tape’s release. She allegedly wired the cash over to him, but said it ended up back in her account a few days later.

She claimed the matter was never discussed between the pair again.

Ventura’s mom also spoke of the photographs she took of the bruising she saw on her daughter when she visited mother’s home in Connecticut for the holidays in 2011.

“She was bruised and I wanted to make sure we memorialize it,” Regina said of the pictures that have been shown to the jury. “I was scared for my daughter’s safety.”

Diddy’s former PA claimed he ‘feared for his life’

Diddy’s former PA David James – who worked closely with him between 2007 and 2009 – also took the stand, and testified about a moment where he said he feared for his life.

That moment that James claims happened occurred when he and D-Roc, one of Combs’ security guards, allegedly encountered rival record producer Suge Knight in Mel’s Diner in Hollywood while picking up food.

Knight, who is currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for voluntary manslaughter in a fatal 2015 hit-and-run case, co-founded Death Row Records – which was in a bitter rivalry with Combs’ Bad Boy Records.

In court, prosecutor Slavik asked James if there was an ‘incident at Mel’s Diner with Suge Knight’.

James replied: “Yes. I drove the silver Navigator to get cheeseburgers there. D-Roc said, ‘That’s motherf*cking Suge Knight’.

David James, witness for the prosecution, arrives at Manhattan Federal Court ahead of taking the stand (John Lamparski/Getty Images)

“He went over and said, ‘What’s up?’ Suge didn’t recognize him. D-Roc said, ‘I’m Biggie’s boy’.”

James continued: “We noticed four black SUVs to different sides of the parking lot. I saw someone hand Suge Knight a gun. D-Roc said, ‘We gotta get out of here’. We drove back to the house.”

When asked what they found upon returning, James said: “Cassie was crying. Mr Combs got in the vehicle.

“I saw three guns on his lap. I felt calm because we’d been in a silver vehicle, now a black one – they wouldn’t see us coming.” He claimed that when they got back to the diner, Knight and his entourage were gone, but Combs instructed them to continue driving around the block to look for him.

James ultimately decided ‘to leave the company,’ adding: “They offered me other positions. But I just wanted to leave – my life was at risk.”

Male escort told the court what really happened at ‘freak-off sessions’

A male escort known as The Punisher – real name Sharay Hayes – spoke to the courtroom and gave alleged details about Diddy and Cassie’s sex life and how he was involved.

Hayes claimed that he was hired between eight and twelve times for additional freak offs after first meeting the couple in 2012, telling the court the last one happened in March of 2015.

He said: “She explained to me that her and her husband liked to create a sexy scene that consisted of me and her mutually applying baby oil, applying it to ourselves and to possibly each other, and try to create a sexy environment that her husband would eventually come out to watch.”

He testified that he usually received $1,200 or $2,000 after each session and said he wondered why the amount varied at times.

Hayes also alleged that he eventually engaged in sexual activity with Cassie while Diddy watched and often gave instructions. He said that the encounters would last about four hours.

Cassie and Diddy dated on and off for 11 years (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Speaking about how Diddy was involved, he claimed: “I was specifically told to not acknowledge her husband, try not to look at him, no communication or anything.

“[Diddy] would at some point come into the room, sit in the distance, gave subtle directions to Ms. Ventura based on… angles, lighting, positionings, and sometimes the sexual activity.”

Hayes said his last encounter with the former couple saw Ventura allegedly pay him and thank him for ‘respecting their privacy in terms of [their] interactions’.

‘Freak-off’ items found in Diddy’s home and hotel room

On Wednesday (May 21), Homeland Security Investigations special agent Gerard Gannon resumed his testimony, speaking about a search warrant that had been obtained to enter Diddy’s properties in Star Island and Los Angeles.

In March 2024, some 80 to 90 federal agents used an armored vehicle to breach the gates of the Star Island estate. Gannon previously testified that items such as lingerie, lubricant, condoms, and weapons were discovered during the search. The Southern District of New York later released more than 500 images from Combs’ Miami mansion, documenting the findings.

Bags of pink powder were found in Diddy’s hotel room (Department of Justice)

Gannon described several of these images in court. One showed high heels and sex items in the master closet; another revealed three cell phones hidden in a pair of boots.

Authorities also seized 31 bottles of Astroglide, 25 containers of baby oil, firearm components, and a Gucci bag containing a crystal-like substance.

Though no photos of Combs with the firearms were found, various pills, nitrous oxide canisters, and marijuana – labeled with ‘Diddy’ – were also discovered.

Messages written on a bathroom mirror included phrases like ‘What do you WANT?’ and ‘You a legend.’

Prosecutors also released images from Combs’ Manhattan hotel room, where they allegedly found clonazepam, two bags of pink powder (one testing positive for ketamine, the other a mix of MDMA and ketamine), and about $9,000 in cash, which they claim points to preparation for a drug-fueled ‘freak-off’.

What Combs’ attorney has said

In response to the news of Combs’ arrest last year, his attorney Marc Agnifilo told UNILAD at the time: “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.

“To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

The trial is expected to last around eight weeks. If convicted, Combs faces up to life in prison.

UNILAD has previously contacted representatives for Combs and Ventura for comment.

The trial continues.

If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.

Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing

Cassie Ventura has revealed the alleged text messages Diddy sent her the day she ran away from a so-called ‘freak off party’ in a hotel.

The rapper, real name Sean Combs, is currently on trial after being charged with racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.

Ever since the musician was arrested at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York last September, he has maintained his innocence.

After the opening remarks on Monday (May 12), Cassie has taken to the stand to be questioned by the prosecution, including being asked about ‘freak off’ parties.

Cassie has taken to the stand once more on Wednesday (Emma McIntyre/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

Explaining ‘freak-offs’, Cassie said they were ‘sexual encounter[s] called voyeurism’ where Combs would watch her have sex with another man.

A CCTV video that had been made public last year was shown to jurors, which appeared to show Combs attacking her inside a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.

Cassie has testified in court on Wednesday (May 14) that after the incident she was sent a series of texts from Combs in which he repeatedly demanded that she call him.

The messages from Diddy read:

“Call me”

“Yo pls call me”

“I got six kids”

“Pls call me”

“Yo pls call Im surrounded”

“Call me”

“For my kids help”

Cassie later said to the court how she responded to the messages by asking to ‘put the robe on’, adding that ‘he was running around in a towel, and I was just looking out’.

Cassie and Diddy pictured together at the 2018 Met Gala (John Shearer/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter)

After the 2016 footage was released to the public, Cassie’s legal team hit out against Combs’ claim that it was edited.

Ventura’s attorney, Douglas H. Wigdor, told the Daily Mail: “It’s not surprising Diddy would make a disingenuous argument to exclude the disturbing video from being shown to the jury in the upcoming trial.

“I am confident that the video fairly and accurately represents what happened, will be admitted into evidence, and that Combs will be held accountable for his depravity.”

After the disturbing footage was made public, Combs took to Instagram to apologize to Cassie.

He wrote: “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.

“I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” he added. “I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.

Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie has detailed the disturbing way he would allegedly ‘punish’ her during her testimony in court on Tuesday (May 13).

Diddy – whose real name Sean Combs – was arrested and charged with racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion last year after being detained at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York.

The rapper has denied all allegations made against him.

Since his arrest, Combs has spent the past months at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center before his trial began on Monday (May 12).

After the opening remarks by both prosecution and defence were delivered yesterday, his ex-girlfriend, Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura, has taken to the stand today to detail how Diddy allegedly would ‘punish’ her during their relationship, which lasted on-and-off from 2007 to 2018.

Cassie has been testifying in court on Tuesday (Gotham/Getty Images)

Cassie told the court that Combs would take away her things as part of a punishment, claiming that he would ‘take the car away, the house, jewelry’, as well as her laptop and phone.

She further claimed that his staff or security would be the one to take them ‘if she wasn’t there’. Cassie continued to say that he would take things away ‘depending on how he felt’, adding: “It depended on how long I was being punished for.”

When asked if there was anything else he’d take beside her car and apartment, she replied: “My self-confidence.”

During her testimony, the singer also spoke about the alleged ‘freak-offs’, where she claimed there were ‘sexual encounter[s] called voyeurism’ where Combs would watch her have sex with another man.

She also recalled what happened when she was first introduced to these so-called ‘freak-off’ parties.

“I remember my stomach falling to my butt,” she said. “Just the nervousness and confusion… I had just turned 22.”

Cassie claims it involved hiring an escort and Combs would watch her with another man while directing them, as per the BBC.

Cassie and Diddy pictured together in 2018 (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

She explained in court how she didn’t want to be involved, but ultimately did so because she ‘loved him [Diddy] very much’ and ‘wanted to make him happy’.

She added: “The freak offs became a job. There was no time to do anything else but do them then try to recover. The longest was four days, significant periods of time.”

Cassie also spoke about the alleged nature of their relationship and claimed that Combs had his abusive ways, telling the prosecution how Diddy’s moods would vary day to day and that when it ‘swung’ he would show ‘anger’.

Speaking of how it impacted her, she said: “Greatly. The next thing I knew I was getting hit in the face. There was also psychological abuse. He’d tell me to watch my mouth, change my face.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline on 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) 24/7. You can find a list of local resources here.