New York (CNN) – Sean “Diddy” Combs, arrested this week on charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking, pleaded not guilty Tuesday and was ordered to remain in custody until his federal trial in New York.
What’s next for the 54-year-old music mogul? And what about the anonymous employees and partners accused of conspiring with him?
Damian Williams, the prosecutor for the Southern District of New York who brought the charge, was ambiguous when asked whether Diddy or others could face more charges.
“I can’t rule out anything. Anything is possible,” she said. “Our investigation is very active and ongoing, and I think many of those who cover this office know that when we say those things, events are certainly foreseeable, but I cannot predict them sitting here today.”
Several witnesses who worked for Combs have met with prosecutors, a source familiar with the federal investigation told CNN. At least one sex worker is expected to testify before the grand jury in the coming days, according to the source, who added that the witnesses’ accusations go beyond the details of this week’s indictment.
Prosecutors previously said they have interviewed more than 50 victims and witnesses in the case.
CNN spoke with several legal experts to try to understand what lies ahead for Combs and those in his orbit. Experts do not expect a plea deal for the music mogul, and note that the allegations against him could expand further.
“I’ll be very curious, especially since he’s being held without bail, to see if that gives other survivors the courage to come forward,” said Shea Rhodes, director of the Villanova Law Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation.
As for the people who were allegedly part of Combs’ criminal enterprise, experts highlighted difficult questions for prosecutors about whether to charge them or get them to testify against him.
“The prosecution is going to have to deal with witnesses with a rough past or who admit to engaging in criminal activity,” said trial attorney Misty Marris. “There are many people with dirty hands in a criminal association case.”
The path ahead for Combs began with a series of court decisions made in recent days.
Combs, 54, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges of criminal conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution. The indictment alleges that she “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around her to satisfy her sexual desires, protect her reputation and conceal her conduct.” He also claims that he formed a criminal enterprise that engaged in “sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnappings, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.”
He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the criminal conspiracy charge. The sex trafficking charge carries a legal minimum sentence of 15 years.
He will remain in federal custody ahead of trial after his lawyers failed Wednesday in their appeal against a judge’s decision to deny him bail. In his ruling, Judge Andrew Carter said there were no conditions that would reduce the risk of witness tampering or obstruction.
Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, told CNN that he will appeal the sentence again.
Although many federal cases end in plea deals, Agnifilo said that’s not likely between Combs and prosecutors here and said he planned to take the case to trial. “I believe that he is innocent of the charges and that he is going to go to trial, and I believe that he is going to win,” he told CNN on Tuesday.
Marris said a plea deal is unlikely, in part because of the mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years for the sex trafficking charge.
“I think what the defense is really saying is, ‘Okay, let’s take him to trial because a plea deal is unlikely to be that favorable,'” he said. “We are talking about charges that carry a minimum of 15 years. “The idea that a plea deal is going to be something that carries a not-so-severe penalty is not really in the cards in this case.”
Additionally, Combs could face more criminal charges. Prosecutors have said the investigation remains “active and ongoing.” And they have made a public appeal for potential victims to contact authorities.
According to Rhodes, it will be difficult for victims to come forward in this case, especially given the allegations of violence against those who have attempted to speak out in the past.
“It’s shame and fear of whether they will believe you or not. (Also) If these accusations about how he had really implicated his entire organization in covering up what was happening, who isn’t behind bars who can carry out additional intimidation tactics or instill additional fear in the survivors who do want to? report?” he stated.
CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig noted that the criminal conspiracy charge is already so broad that it covers a number of different types of crimes, including, according to the indictment, “sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery.” and obstruction of justice.” That said, new victims and witnesses could lead to new charges, she added.
The federal indictment against Combs alleges that he was part of an extensive conspiracy with staff, assistants, supervisors and associates to commit criminal conspiracy from 2008 until now.
According to the indictment, the “Combs Enterprise” consisted of Combs, the leader; business entities, including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment; and employees and associates, including security staff, domestic staff, personal assistants and senior supervisors.
“Members and associates of the Combs Enterprise engaged and attempted to engage in, among other activities, sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for the purpose of prostitution, coercion and incitement of prostitution, narcotics crimes, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice,” the indictment states.
Despite these serious accusations, he is the only one facing charges. Because?
Several legal experts said the lack of charges for those around Combs indicated they may be cooperating with the prosecution.
“There are other people who you could say were his enablers, who the government is not investigating, who are trying to help the government prove its case,” said CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson.
Prosecutors could choose to grant these alleged conspirators immunity or non-prosecution agreements to get them to testify against Combs, Marris said.
“The reason prosecutors would do that is because the target in this case is Diddy,” Marris said. “To have a rock-solid case against him, information is necessary and testimony is necessary.”
Additionally, the lines between victim, witness, and offender can be surprisingly blurry. Rhodes calls it “victim-offender overlap” and notes that it is especially pronounced in cases of sexual violence and sex trafficking.
In the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking case, for example, several of the women who testified as victims said they had also recruited others to participate in sexual encounters.
“Just because a prosecutor can charge someone as a co-conspirator doesn’t mean they should,” Rhodes said. “(Prosecutors) could have charged one of those victims as a co-conspirator by recruitment, but that is not appropriate.”
Were some of Combs’ alleged co-conspirators also victims of other acts of violence? Combs’ indictment indicates as much, stating that one of the purposes of the criminal enterprise was to “ensure the absolute loyalty of the members of the Combs Enterprise, including through acts of violence and threats.”
The best indicator of what lies ahead for Combs is to examine another recent criminal conspiracy case.
Nadia Shihata, a former federal prosecutor who brought the racketeering case against singer R. Kelly, told CNN that there may or may not be other defendants in the Combs case.
“Certainly, additional people could be charged. It is also possible that other people have already been charged, have pleaded guilty and are cooperating in the case,” she said. “But the fact that this is a company-based criminal conspiracy allegation doesn’t necessarily mean that more people are going to be charged.”
For example, in the R. Kelly case — which Shihata acknowledged had some key similarities to Diddy’s — no one else was charged on that charge. At trial, some of his former employees testified against him, including a general assistant and a tour manager. Kelly was ultimately found guilty.
Generally, prosecutors have discretion to decide the breadth of their network in criminal conspiracy cases, Honig said.
“You can decide to accuse everyone. Or you can decide to target only those primarily involved,” she said. “(You can say:) ‘I’m going to focus my resources and my attention on the bosses, the big guys, and I’m not going to burden this accusation with more peripheral actors.’”
– CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this report.
