NEW YORK (Reuters)

A year and a half after Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former longtime girlfriend accused him of sex trafficking in a bombshell civil suit, the hip-hop mogul is heading to court on Monday for jury selection in a criminal trial that offers him the chance to challenge allegations against him but could see him sent to prison for life.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment charging him with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has denied abuse allegations in more than 50 civil lawsuits filed against him starting in November 2023 when his romantic partner of 10 years, the R&B singer Casandra Ventura, filed her suit. The case settled for an undisclosed amount of money.

The accusations dealt a swift and severe blow to the onetime billionaire’s reputation. Once known for elevating hip-hop in American culture and hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez, Combs is now the latest powerful man in the entertainment industry to be accused of sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement encouraged women to speak up about abuse.

His rags-to-riches life story saw the New York City native move from an upbringing by a single mother to living in mansions in Los Angeles and Miami. But last year, Combs returned a symbolic key to his hometown at the behest of Mayor Eric Adams, and since September he has been held in a Brooklyn jail about an hour by subway from the Harlem neighbourhood where he was born.

On Monday, Combs will be driven across the East River by U.S. Marshals to the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, and is due to arrive in U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian’s courtroom at 8:30 a.m. EST (1230 GMT). There, the judge is expected to begin questioning prospective jurors one-by-one in a bid to seat a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates who can be fair and impartial despite heavy media coverage of the case so far.

Hundreds of prospective jurors have already filled out questionnaires designed to elicit any bias they may have about the case. Prosecutors say Combs used his business empire to coerce women into taking part in days-long, drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers, which the mogul called “Freak Offs.”

Combs’ defence lawyers and prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office agreed on about 150 who could proceed to in-person questioning by the judge, known as voir dire.

Subramanian said in a May 1 hearing that the goal will be to choose 45 potential jurors who are qualified to serve, and lawyers for both sides will then have the opportunity to dismiss jurors without stating a reason, known as peremptory strikes.

The jury will be anonymous, which is frequently the case in high-profile trials in which jurors could face threats or harassment if their identities are known.

Voir dire is expected to finish by the end of the week, and opening statements are scheduled for May 12.

Over the course of the two-month trial, Combs’ lawyers are expected to argue that the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual and to try to undermine the credibility of the four alleged victims expected to testify against him. In a hearing last month, defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said there was nothing criminal about a “swingers” lifestyle in which Combs and his girlfriends sometimes brought a third person into their relationships.

Any jury verdict must be unanimous.

If convicted on all counts, Combs faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and could face life in prison, though any sentence would be imposed by Subramanian at a later date.