Why the Diddy Trial Isn’t on TV or YouTube

The sex trafficking and racketeering case against disgraced hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is underway and everyone has been glued to their phones as live updates pour in across news outlets and social media. It would be easier to keep up if the trial was able to be live streamed, but it is not.

High profile cases involving the likes of Johnny Depp and O.J. Simpson were televised. But in this case, we are relying on courtroom sketches. 

USA Today reports that due to Combs being engulfed in federal criminal charges, “electronic media” is banned by a procedural rule passed in 1946. Per the Entitled Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, photographs and broadcasting media are barred from the courtroom of a federal criminal trial. R&B singer R. Kelly’s federal criminal trial, which was similar in charges, was also not televised.

Key witnesses are expected to testify under aliases to protect their identities. Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, will take the stand. Much of the case is centered around their years-long relationship that was allegedly filled with physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. 

Diddy has pleaded not guilty to two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, and one count of racketeering. USA Today reports racketeering is “the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations contributing to criminal activity.”

Combs is accused of drugging women and forcing them to participate in what he dubbed as “freak offs” with paid sex workers in which he recorded the acts, directed the acts, and also participated. His legal team is arguing that the women who participated did so willingly. They claim they are accusing him of crimes for financial gain.