Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial: Grand Jury Hears New Evidence in Rap Mogul’s Criminal Case, Sources Say

NEW YORK– A federal grand jury in New York will hear new evidence in the criminal case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, according to sources familiar with the case.

The grand jury is expected to convene Thursday, the sources said.

The sources declined to describe what the new evidence is or who might be called to testify about it.

Federal prosecutors previously raised the possibility of additional charges against Combs.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.

His trial is scheduled for May, but prosecutors have suggested the timing or length of the trial could change if they choose to add charges.

Combs has denied all allegations against him – both criminal and civil. In the wake of the criminal case, many individuals filed civil lawsuits against the music producer.

In a statement Monday, his lawyers responded to new allegations in a civil suit against the rapper — including one involving the sexual assault of a 10-year-old boy — accusing the plaintiff’s attorney of lacking credibility.

“The attorney behind this lawsuit is more interested in media attention than the truth, as is evident from his continued appearances in the press and his 1-800 number,” the statement said. “As we have said before, Mr. Combs cannot respond to every new publicity stunt, even in response to claims that are ridiculous or demonstrably false on their face.”

Defense attorneys said they and Combs “have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the legal process.”

“In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually abused or trafficked anyone – male or female, adult or minor,” the attorneys said.

As for the criminal case, Combs has already pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and prostitution charges and is being held without bail over the objection of his attorneys.

As part of his defense, Combs’ attorneys have asked a judge to order federal prosecutors to reveal the identities of his accusers, and on Wednesday a judge ruled that a Tennessee woman who claims in a civil lawsuit that Combs sexually assaulted her when she was still a teenager, The 19-year-old student from Brooklyn cannot continue her case anonymously and finds the woman’s arguments ‘completely worthless’.

“Simply put, allegations of sexual assault are not, by themselves, sufficient to entitle a plaintiff to sue under a pseudonym,” Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil wrote in the ruling.

The woman alleged that a security guard took her to a private room at a party Combs was hosting, and that the security guard told her, “You know what you’re here for.”

By asking to mask her identity, the woman argued that she could be harmed if her name were published, but the judge was ultimately unconvinced.

“Combs has had no contact with Plaintiff in the approximately twenty years since the alleged rape and Combs is currently incarcerated awaiting trial. As such, counsel has not identified any current threat of bodily harm to Plaintiff,” the decision said.

The judge also said Combs has the right to investigate his accuser and her credibility.

This ruling could affect a number of other cases brought by prosecutors who charged Combs under a pseudonym.