Kanye at Diddy trial
FOX 5 NY captured the moment Kanye West arrived outside 500 Pearl Street Friday morning, where Diddy is currently standing trial.
NEW YORK – Day 23 of the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial opened with a federal agent detailing guns, drugs and lubricant seized as rapper Kanye “Ye” West appeared outside the courthouse in support.
FOX 5 NY captured the moment Kanye West arrived outside 500 Pearl Street Friday morning, where Diddy is currently standing trial.
The rapper hopped out of a Maybach without saying much. He confirmed to a reporter that he was there to support Diddy.
Ye could be seen wearing an all-white denim outfit and sunglasses just before noon while the trial was on a break.
Diddy, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, alleging that he used his fame, fortune and violence to commit crimes over a 20-year period.
For months Kanye has expressed public support of Diddy even apparently keeping in touch while he’s been detained in a Brooklyn jail.
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 04: Puff Daddy and Kanye West perform during Puff Daddy and Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour at Madison Square Garden on September 4, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Live Nation)
A leaked clip of a phone call between the rapper this spring included snippets of Mr. Combs encouraging Ye to make new music and promising to call again.
“Fifty-nine more days before trial, so I’ll definitely be touching in, to tap into your energy or something,” Diddy could be heard saying in the recording.
Ye’s appearance at the courthouse came a day after a woman identified in court only by the pseudonym “Jane” finished six days of testimony.
Diddy trial latest
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex crimes trial resumed Thursday with heated arguments over secrecy and witness anonymity.
Defense attorneys objected to closed-door discussions about a January 2024 Vegas trip involving Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, known in court as Jane, and a famous rapper she visited.
They criticized the judge’s decision to keep parts of the proceedings private, saying it undercuts the public’s right to know. Jane testified that the rapper is “an icon” and described a night involving strip clubs and a hotel scene with escorts, though she said nothing happened between her and the rapper.
Prosecutors accused the defense of using the push to name witnesses as a tactic to intimidate Jane, and the judge upheld his earlier ruling to protect identities.
What did ‘Jane’ say?
She testified that during a relationship with Combs that stretched from 2021 until his arrest last September at a Manhattan hotel, she felt coerced into having sex with male sex workers while Combs watched.
Defense attorneys have argued that Combs committed no crimes and that federal prosecutors were trying to police consensual sex that occurred between adults.
Jane testified that during a three-month break in her relationship with Combs, she flew to Las Vegas in January 2023 with a famous rapper who was close friends with Combs.
Prior to Jane’s testimony on the subject, lawyers and the judge conducted a lengthy hearing out of public view to discuss what could be divulged about the January trip.
Jane was asked if the rapper she accompanied along with the rapper’s girlfriend was “an individual at the top of the music industry as well … an icon in the music industry.”
“Yes,” Jane replied.
Once in Las Vegas, Jane testified, she went with a group including the rapper to dinner, a strip club and a hotel room party, where a sex worker had sex with a woman while a half-dozen others watched.
She said there was dancing and the rapper said, “hey beautiful,” and told her he’d always wanted to have sex with her in crude terms. Jane said she didn’t recall exactly when, but she flashed her breasts while dancing.
What is Diddy charged with?
Dig deeper:
Federal prosecutors have charged Combs with a series of crimes including:
- Count 1: Racketeering Conspiracy. Count One charges that, from at least in or about 2004 through in or about 2024, the defendant participated in a racketeering conspiracy during which he agreed with other employees and associates of his businesses to commit kidnapping, arson, bribery of a witness, obstruction of justice, drug distribution, forced labor, sex trafficking, and transportation for purposes of engaging in prostitution.
- Count 2: Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion. Count Two charges the defendant with sex trafficking an adult female victim through force, fraud, and coercion between ~2009 and ~2018.
- Count 3: Transportation to Engage in Prostitution. Count Three charges the defendant with transporting that female victim and male commercial sex workers to engage in prostitution between ~2009 and ~2018.
- Count 4: Sex trafficking. Count Four charges the defendant with sex trafficking a second adult female victim through force, fraud, and coercion between ~2021 and ~2024.
- Count 5: Transportation to Engage in Prostitution. Count Five charges the defendant with transporting that second female victim and male commercial sex workers to engage in prostitution between ~2021 and ~2024.
He also faces more than 60 lawsuits from alleged victims.
How many years does Diddy face?
If convicted, the 55-year-old Diddy could face 15 years to life in prison.
In documents obtained by FOX News Digital, Diddy’s defense team admitted the disgraced rapper committed “domestic violence” against a partner. Diddy’s strategy seems to be to “admit to what is a lesser, state crime to avoid federal prison.”
When was Diddy arrested?
Diddy was arrested in Oct. 2024 at the Park Hyatt New York in Midtown Manhattan. He’s been in jail ever since.