A federal decide on Friday denied efforts by disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs to dismiss some prices and exclude proof obtained throughout search warrants on the eve of opening statements at his intercourse trafficking trial.
Manhattan Federal Court docket Decide Arun Subramanian rejected the transfer by Combs to dismiss two separate counts within the sweeping indictment that accuse him of transporting two victims and business intercourse employees to have interaction in prostitution.
Combs had argued the allegations amounted to “a clear case of selective prosecution” that was “invidiously deployed against a prominent Black man.”
Subramanian discovered Combs had failed to supply any proof that he’d been singled out unfairly by prosecutors based mostly on his race, chosen for prosecution in dangerous religion, and different parts essential to win his arguments.
“Combs doesn’t have evidence of either discriminatory effect or discriminatory intent based on his race,” the decide wrote.
Accepting the prosecution’s place, Subramanian later wrote: “It’s the severity of what Combs allegedly did—not his race—that mattered.”
In a separate, closely redacted ruling, Subramanian denied Combs’ motions to suppress proof authorities obtained underneath 4 search warrants between January and March 2024, together with his iCloud accounts and searches of his Los Angeles and Miami properties.
The ruling means jurors are more likely to hear about greater than 1,000 bottles of child oil the feds say they found saved for so-called “freak off” periods, the place Combs allegedly pressured his victims into days-long sexual performances of a wicked nature. He denies the allegations.
Authorities additionally recovered defaced AR-15 assault weapons with a large-capacity drum journal able to holding 59 rounds, in accordance with court docket information.
Combs’ trial started this week, and dozens of New Yorkers have since been surveyed to serve on the high-profile case. Jury choice is within the closing levels, and opening statements are anticipated to happen Monday afternoon after the panel of 12 jurors and 6 alternates is chosen.
Combs, 56, has pleaded not responsible to a number of intercourse trafficking offenses, racketeering conspiracy, transporting victims for prostitution, and associated crimes.
The disgraced mogul has been held on the Metropolitan Detention Middle in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest. He faces a possible decades-long sentence if discovered responsible.
