Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Attorney Says 'Food's Probably the Roughest Part' of Mogul's Life in Prison

Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial date on sex crimes charges has been set for May 5, 2025

Sean "Diddy" Combs attends Day 1 of 2023 Invest Fest at Georgia World Congress Center
Sean "Diddy" Combs. Photo:

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Attorneys for Sean "Diddy" Combs say the music mogul's most difficult adjustment to being behind bars is the food he's eating.

“I think the food’s probably the roughest part of it," Combs' attorney Marc Agnifilo told reporters outside of a federal courthouse in Manhattan after a status conference.

In court, on Thursday, Oct. 10, Combs' trial date on sex crimes charges was set for May 5, 2025.

Combs is being housed at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center while he awaits trial. On Sept. 20, PEOPLE previously reported that his day behind bars started at 6:00 a.m. with a breakfast of cereal, fruit and a breakfast cake.

On weekdays, lunch is served at 11:00 a.m. and dinner is served after the 4 p.m. headcount. The lunches are comprised mostly of main courses including hamburgers, baked fish or beef tacos, with scrambled eggs and biscuits on the weekend. 

At dinner, the menu includes choices like chicken fajitas, pasta and roast beef. The prison also serves "heart healthy" meals and vegetarian dishes like lentils, tofu and baked beans.

During his Thursday court appearance, Combs, wearing tan prison clothing, was motionless and looked straight ahead. 

When he walked out of the holding cells, he waved to his relatives in the gallery and hugged his lawyers.

Combs' mother flew from Florida and was present in the courtroom, Anthony Ricco, one of his attorneys, said in court Thursday. Combs' children were also present.

A source tells PEOPLE, “The kids were very happy to support their father. The whole family was. They are united in their support and he was happy to see them all there."

Prosecutors said they expect it will take about a month to extract data from his seized devices. Describing the quantity of data as "extraordinary," they said they might bring a superseding indictment once the data is all extracted. 

Combs has spent nearly the last month behind bars after two judges denied bail requests, though his attorneys have filed an appeal to get him released pending trial.

The mogul, who for decades consolidated an enormous amount within the music industry and beyond, was indicted on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution on Sept. 17.

Combs is accused by federal prosecutors of organizing alleged "freak offs," which were described in the indictment as highly orchestrated sex performances. Prosecutors accuse Combs of forcing or coercing women into participating with male sex workers.

After Combs' bail request was denied, with judges citing the possibility of witness tampering, his attorneys filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit two days before the hearing on Oct. 10.

In another defense filing this week, Combs' lawyers claimed that prosecutors had leaked surveillance video appearing to show the mogul violently assaulting his ex, Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.

The video, which was reported by CNN in May, appeared to show Combs put his hands around Cassie's neck, strike her, kick her and throw an object at her.

The filing by the defense requests that the video be concealed.

"The leaks have resulted in damaging and highly prejudicial media coverage, particularly sensationalizing the investigation and the involvement of Mr. Combs’ family," his attorneys claimed.

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The claims were firmly denied by prosecutors in a letter sent to a judge obtained by ABC News.

"The Government was not in possession of the video before its publication by CNN," prosecutors wrote. "Indeed, at the time of CNN's publication, the Government did not possess any video of the March 2016 incident."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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