SEAN 'DIDDY' COMBS SHOCKING TRIAL BEGINS

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOGUL'S MAY 5 TRIAL ON CHARGES OF RUNNING A SEX CRIME RING-WHICH COULD SEND HIM TO PRISON FOR LIFE

- By DANIELLE BACHER

For decades Sean “Diddy” Combs reigned in the entertainment world. But now the 55-year-old disgraced mogul—worth as much as $1 billion just three years ago—spends his days moving with little fanfare through the maze of hallways and rooms that make up the federal justice system, his once jet-black hair and beard faded to gray. Eight months after being arrested in the lobby of a five-star Manhattan hotel, the man now known as inmate 37452-054 is going on trial on racketeering, sex trafficking and other charges, accused of abusing numerous people. Jury selection is set to begin on May 5, and the proceedings are expected to take eight weeks. Combs, however, has remained defiant, denying all wrongdoing. “[It’s] sad.... I’m Puff Daddy in jail,” he told Kanye West in a leaked call from behind bars in March. Long famous for his high-flying, champagne-popping lifestyle, Combs has been confined to 4 North—a fourth-floor dormitory-style unit in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn that he shares with about 20 other men. Inside, Combs keeps a low profile. He meets regularly with his legal team and pores over evidence from prosecutors on a prison-issued laptop with no Wi-Fi. After failing to delay the trial, Combs will soon face a jury. If they convict, he could go to prison for 15 years or even life, though the maximum sentence would be unlikely. “This is a very strong case for the prosecution,” says outside expert and attorney Neama Rahmani. “The sheer number of victims, yea