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Sean “Diddy” Combs Will Not Testify or Present Any Witnesses at His Criminal Trial. John Heiderscheidt of Subscription Lawyer Shares His Input.

On June 23., it was announced that Sean “Diddy” Combs will not testify in his ongoing criminal trial in Manhattan, New York. Combs, 55, was initially charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and one count of transportation to engage in prostitution in September 2024.  

In April 2025, prosecutors added two more charges: an additional charge of sex trafficking by force and another count of transportation for purposes of prostitution. Combs pleaded not guilty to all five charges. Combs has also been accused of physical and sexual violence towards women and others, bribery, arson, kidnapping, illegal drug distribution and other crimes.  

Opening statements for the trial began on May 12. Since then, the prosecution has had 34 witnesses take the stand against Combs, each recounting their traumatic experiences with Combs and his alleged criminal enterprise. The prosecution has also presented a wide range of evidence, consisting of videos, photos, receipts, phone records, text messages and other forms of evidence to confirm the accusations against Combs.  

John Heiderscheidt, Criminal, Immigration and Civil Law attorney of Subscription Lawyer shares his input on Comb’s decision to not testify:  

“The question of whether to testify as a defendant at your own trial is often one of the most important decisions that you will have to face before the case proceeds to the jury. Each case is different and sometimes there can be a benefit to a defendant testifying. However, in my experience, unless there are close factual questions that can only be resolved for the jury through defendant testimony, often the risk is not worth the reward. 

We saw this to be the case in a very popular criminal defense trial recently against former Speaker Madigan in Illinois. After the jury returned a guilty verdict, at the sentencing hearing, the judge specifically referenced Madigan’s testimony as an aggravating factor that led to a more extensive sentence than we saw in the Ed Burke case. 

The lawyers representing Mr. Combs may feel that his testimony would not be helpful to the jury in resolving the limited factual questions before them, and they may not have wanted to risk a more harsh sentence in the event of a conviction on some or all charges,” said Heiderscheidt.

The trial is being presided over by United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York, Arun Subramanian. He has stated that he hopes the trial will be concluded by July 4. Further updates on the case are expected as the trial continues.