Sean “Diddy” Combs suffered a setback on Wednesday as a bid for a mistrial in his ongoing sex trafficking case was denied by a Manhattan federal judge. Combs, 55, is currently facing five charges including racketeering and sex trafficking, with potential sentences reaching life imprisonment if convicted on all counts.
The mistrial request stemmed from defense claims that prosecutors improperly suggested Combs was involved in the destruction of evidence related to an alleged 2012 arson.
During the trial, rapper Kid Cudi testified that his car was set ablaze shortly after Combs discovered his romantic involvement with Combs’ then-girlfriend, Casandra Ventura. Defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro contended that prosecutors’ inquiries to an arson investigator implied Combs’ participation in destroying fingerprint evidence. However, US District Judge Arun Subramanian dismissed the motion, declaring there was no prejudicial testimony presented. The judge instructed jurors to disregard references to the fingerprint evidence as irrelevant.
The trial, now in its third week, highlights prosecutors’ allegations that Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, coerced women including Ventura into drug-fueled, prolonged sexual performances dubbed “Freak Offs” with male sex workers over approximately two decades. Prosecutors also posit that violent and illegal measures, including the alleged arson of Kid Cudi’s car, were tactics used by Combs or his associates to maintain control over these women and conceal the abuse.
Kid Cudi asserted despite no direct evidence placing Combs at the scene of the fire, he believed Combs was connected to the incident. Meanwhile, Combs’ defense maintains he was uninvolved in the arson and acknowledges past domestic abuse but insists that the women's participation in the alleged sexual events was consensual, as stated by defense lawyer Teny Geragos during opening statements.
The high-profile trial continues to unfold in the Manhattan federal court, drawing significant attention to the serious accusations against Combs and the defense's efforts to refute damaging claims.
