The sex-trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, which kicks off on Monday, marks the highest-profile case so far for a nascent group in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office focusing on criminal prosecution of civil rights violations.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges that include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ prosecutors are having trouble contacting a key witness for the trial, who they now say “may not show up,” according to the New York Post. The accuser, one of five witnesses set to testify,

The judge in the sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs announced that the parties agreed on a final pool of New Yorkers that will be used to find 12 jurors and 6 alternates. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all the allegations in the case. NBC New York’s Erica Byfield reports.

By Jack Queen and Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) -Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs on Friday said they plan to accuse the hip-hop mogul's ex-girlfriend of domestic violence when she takes the stand in his sex trafficking trial.