The sex trafficking and racketeering trial for Sean "P. Diddy" Combs has hit a snag as a key witness in the case has gone missing, the UK Daily Mail reported. The female identified only as "Victim 3" and her attorney can't be reached.
The trial is set to begin next week in New York against Combs, 55. He is facing five counts against four victims that include charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
However, a portion of the trial could be in jeopardy if federal prosecutors can't contact Victim 3 and her lawyer. Victim 3 was set to give testimony of "very personal and explosive details" about how Combs allegedly abused her.
Maurene Comey, the lead prosecutor, informed US District Judge Arun Subramanian on Wednesday that Victim 3 remains unreachable. Comey added that Victim 3 "may not show up" even if she can be contacted in time.
Jury selection began this week in the trial that is set to spotlight decades of alleged abuse at the hands of Combs. He was known to have allegedly coerced his victims into depraved sexual activity during so-called "freak-outs."
One of his accusers is Cassie Ventura, formerly a longtime girlfriend of his, who has agreed to appear without an alias. Initially, Victim 3 had agreed to the same but later chose to remain cloaked in a pseudonym to testify against the entertainment mogul.
Her testimony was to add more charges of transportation to engage in prostitution and sex trafficking to Combs' growing list of crimes. However, with Victim 3 missing in action, those charges are now in question.
Teny Geragos, Combs' defense attorney, took the opportunity of Victim 3's absence to force the prosecution to decide whether to nix her testimony. The federal government will have until the end of the week to decide if they should revise the charges.
Prosecutors are still hopeful for a conviction against Combs even without Victim 3's testimony. Comey assured the judge that there are "many, many acts of racketeering apart from Victim 3."
According to the New York Post, Combs could spend life behind bars if he's convicted of the charges he's facing now. It's believed he was not only engaging in illicit activity, but that it was allegedly a criminal enterprise.
The details of Combs' depraved lifestyle are harrowing, especially if the alleged victims were indeed forced into the behavior. The indictment states that Combs held days-long parties that "often involved multiple commercial sex workers."
They were largely fueled by illicit drugs that were doled out like candy. "During freak offs, Combs distributed a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant," the indictment said.
After endless days of sex and drugs, Combs and his alleged victims "typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use," the indictment said. "Sometimes unbeknownst to the victims, Combs kept videos he filmed of victims engaging in sex acts with commercial sex workers," it added.
Combs was a powerful man in the entertainment industry, and it's not surprising that it would be difficult for anyone to testify against him. It remains to be seen whether Victim 3's absence will have any impact on a possible conviction, but there's sure to be more wild turns in this case.
