Sean “Diddy” Combs told the judge overseeing his sex trafficking case he was “a little nervous” as jury selection in his long-awaited trial began on Monday, May 5.
Combs was in federal court in Manhattan Monday as prospective jurors began facing the disgraced rap mogul whose freedom they will deliberate on. More than 600 potential jurors filled out questionnaires.
At one point, Combs asked Judge Arun Subramanian if he could have a quick bathroom break, which was initially denied.
Combs — dressed in a blue blazer and bearing gray hair and beard — then told the judge “I’m sorry, your honor, I’m a little nervous today.” Subramanian then granted him a two-minute break to relieve himself.
The Bad Boy Records founder is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty, but if convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
Combs was arrested in Manhattan in September and indicted by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.
The indictment centers around alleged “freak offs,” which prosecutors claim were “elaborate and produced sex performances” involving coerced women and male sex workers that Combs allegedly orchestrated.
Combs’ defense team has maintained that the sexual encounters were consensual.
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Cassie Ventura, Combs’ ex, is expected to testify during the trial, PEOPLE previously reported.
In the indictment, prosecutors referenced surveillance video from a Los Angeles hotel appearing to show Combs assaulting Ventura.
Jurors were also asked if they were familiar with people on a list of hundreds of names that included major celebrities, including Kanye West, Mike Myers, Michael B. Jordan and Kid Cudi. It’s not clear how they will come up in the trial nor if any will be called as witnesses.
Combs has been incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest.
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