May 1 (UPI) — Accused sex-trafficker Sean “Diddy” Combs rejected a plea offer from federal prosecutors on Thursday and ahead of jury selection that starts Monday in New York City.
Combs, 55, told U.S. District Court for Southern New York Judge Arun Subramanian he rejects the plea offer during a pretrial hearing at the Manhattan federal courthouse, NBC News and ABC News reported.
Federal prosecutors have charged Combs with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded “not guilty” to all charges.
Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said Combs discussed the plea offer with his legal team, which they agreed to reject.
Details of the plea offer were not announced, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey said Combs would have gotten a lighter sentence if he had accepted the plea offer than he would if a jury finds him guilty.
Combs could be sentenced to up to life in prison if found guilty on all charges and has been jailed since he was arrested in New York City and charged in September.
The racketeering and sex-trafficking charges each have a maximum penalty of life in prison. The minimum sentence for sex trafficking is 15 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors expect the trial to last several weeks and possibly months and intend to call up to 20 witnesses to testify against Combs. The trial is scheduled to start on May 12.
Combs is a former rapper and music mogul who federal prosecutors say arranged “highly orchestrated sex performances” that he called “‘freak-offs,'” People reported.
He is accused of coercing or forcing women to participate in extended sexual activities while using his position within the music industry as leverage over them.
