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There are no new charges in a superseding indictment that the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed today against Sean “Diddy” Combs in the Bad Boy Records founder’s sex-trafficking case. However, two new victims have been added to the New York case, which is scheduled to go to trial in May.
“The Government respectfully submits this letter regarding the S1 Indictment returned today in the above-referenced case by a Grand Jury sitting in this District (the ‘S1 Indictment’),” reads a letter from U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon that was submitted Thursday along with the new indictment. “As set forth below, the S1 Indictment contains no new charged offenses but includes additional allegations in Count One, the charged racketeering conspiracy, and specifies certain victims relevant to Counts One and Three. The Government has already produced the vast majority of discovery associated with the S1 Indictment and does not expect the S1 Indictment to affect existing pre-trial deadlines. The Government respectfully requests that the defendant be arraigned on the S1 Indictment at the next scheduled court conference.”
While the new filing by the feds reads pretty much the same as what was submitted to the courts after Combs was arrested in September, the prostitution charges against the rapper now include two other women. In addition to Victim-2 and Victim-3, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has extended the term of the racketeering charges from previously starting in 2008 to now starting in 2004.
Today’s superseding indictment was foreshadowed by prosecutors in a December hearing before Judge Arun Subramanian.
Arrested by the NYPD on September 16 in a Big Apple hotel lobby, Combs is charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Already behind bars and repeatedly denied bail, the heavily lawyered-up Combs’ trial is set to start May 5.
MORE TO COME…
Erik Pedersen contributed to this report.
