Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has officially declined a federal plea deal just days before the start of his highly publicized sex trafficking and racketeering trial. The rejection sets the stage for a legal showdown that could lead to a life sentence if he’s convicted on all charges.
Appearing in court Thursday in a beige jail-issued uniform, Combs told Judge Arun Subramanian, “Yes I do, your honor,” when asked if he was rejecting the offer from federal prosecutors.
The proposed plea deal, whose specific terms remain undisclosed, would have reduced Combs’ potential prison time in exchange for a guilty plea. Prosecutors made clear that turning it down could mean facing the full weight of a life sentence if convicted at trial.
Combs, who has been held without bail at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center since September 2024, appeared in surprisingly high spirits in the courtroom.
He reportedly smiled and fist-bumped one of his attorneys, Mark Geragos, in a display that sharply contrasted with the gravity of the charges he faces.
The charges against Combs are staggering. Federal prosecutors allege that the rapper and music industry mogul led a criminal enterprise responsible for years of sexual exploitation, coercion, and