Sean “Diddy” Combs’ current sex trafficking trial will likely wrap up sooner than expected, as his defense team has chosen not to call witnesses to the stand.
Announced in court Monday (June 23), Combs’ defense team will only be submitting a few pieces of evidence without presenting anyone to testify under oath, ABC News confirmed.
Federal prosecutors added that they now expect to rest their case on Tuesday (June 24), after special agent Joseph Cerciello of Homeland Security Investigations concludes his testimony. Due to the change in schedule, Judge Arun Subramanian is expected to hold a charging conference Wednesday (June 25) followed by summations on Thursday (June 26).
Sean Diddy Combs at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 15th, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Brenton Ho/Billboard/Penske Media via Getty Images)
The decision to not call witnesses comes days after it was reported that the Bad Boy founder would not be testifying on his on behalf. Suge Knight, the incarcerated Death Row Records founder who has been following the case closely, offered his take that Diddy taking the stand could be the difference between a “guilty” and “not guilty” verdict.
“The only way [Combs] can even begin to take some of that pain away is if they have Puff Daddy on the stand,” Knight told PEOPLE. “And the truth come out […] Puffy should get on the stand and look these people in the eye and say, ‘This what I did.’”
Combs has been charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution, maintaining his innocence. If convicted, Combs could face 15 years to life in prison.
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