Jury selection in Sean Comb's sex trafficking and racketeering criminal trial began Monday, as both the hip-hop mogul’s high-powered defense team and Southern District of New York prosecutors quizzed prospective jurors on if they personally knew certain celebrities, Combs’ self-described “swinger” lifestyle, and if they had been following news reports about the high-profile case. 

Both sides began the process of whittling down 150 people into a final jury pool of 12 men and women and six alternates for the celebrity criminal trial that is expected to last at least eight weeks. Jury selection is expected to last three days, and opening statements are set for May 12. 

Greyed and sporting a goatee, the 55-year-old Combs was present in court, wearing black-framed eyeglasses and a dark sweater over a white collared shirt. Sitting between his defense attorneys Teny Geragos and newly hired Brian Steel — who recently represented Atlanta rapper Young Thug in a separate criminal trial — Combs was attentive throughout the selection process, whispering to his counsel on potential jurors he approved or disapproved of.

Around noon, his team requested for a quick bathroom break, with Combs confessing he was a “little nervous today.” The Bad Boy Entertainment founder has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution following his arrest last September. He faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted on the charges, and has already rejected a plea deal.

Potential jurors were brought in one by one in front of U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who began today’s voir dire by giving general instructions and presenting a brief overview of the charges to the pool. The heart of the government’s case alleges that Combs used his sprawling, billion-dollar business as a “criminal enterprise” that allegedly used physical violence, threats, and coercion to fulfill Combs’ “sexual gratification,” which included the alleged sex trafficking of two former girlfriends between 2009 and 2024.