The federal choose overseeing Sean “Diddy” Combs’ imminent sentencing on the 2 lesser counts a jury discovered him responsible of within the cut up verdict at his sensational racketeering and intercourse trafficking trial over the summer time is now weighing the argument from the mogul’s protection group that his conviction ought to be vacated if he should have a brand new trial.
On Thursday, simply over every week earlier than Combs, 55, is scheduled for sentencing after he was discovered responsible of two counts of transportation to have interaction in prostitution, Decide Arun Subramanian advised the court docket that he would problem a call “very shortly” on the protection’s argument about Combs’ crimes and their relation to the Mann Act. In any other case, Subramanian stated, he would “see everybody again right here subsequent Friday.”
On Friday, the courts closed for the weekend with no announcement from Decide Subramanian on his choice.
The high-profile authorized group that oversaw Combs’ protection on the eight-week federal trial, which ended with him discovered not responsible on a lot weightier intercourse trafficking and racketeering expenses, argued for a slim interpretation of what constitutes prostitution when it comes to the Mann Act in Combs’ case. The authorized precedent says that solely those that engaged within the sexual acts or benefited financially from prostitution are criminally liable.
Combs didn’t acquire any revenue, his legal professionals clarify, when hiring male intercourse employees that he had no less than two long-term girlfriends of his over the previous 20 years have interaction in “freak-off” events — drug-fueled events that might final for days and largely concerned Combs’ associate partaking with the male prostitutes in intercourse acts as he seemed on — with them. His attorneys additionally argue that Combs didn’t even take part within the intercourse acts.
At Combs’ trial, proof was offered that he and the 2 companions had employed the intercourse employees, however it was all funded by the near-billionaire mogul.
The Mann Act criminalizes the transport of an individual throughout state traces for the aim of prostitution. Whether or not this could apply to voyeurism, protection legal professional Mark Tack stated, is on the heart of Combs’ case at this level. He advised the court docket it doesn’t. Prosecutor Meredith Foster advised the court docket that that is inappropriate, as Combs had employed the boys and paid for his or her fights and people taken by the 2 long-term girlfriends.
The protection group can be making the case that, as a result of Combs would movie the freak-off occasions as he directed the motion going down, lighting, music and wardrobe have been all below his purview, as was said in trial testimony — his freedom of expression rights can be violated if the Mann Act is to be enforced.
Federal prosecutor Christy Slavik, in refuting this argument, advised the court docket that the Mann Act criminalizes transportation of people for prostitution, and “it doesn’t criminalize filming intercourse acts of any sort.”
In a sentencing movement submitted this week, protection attorneys argued that Combs ought to be handed not more than 14 months for the 2 counts. Given the time he’s been serving in a Brooklyn federal lock-up since September 2024, this might see the fallen rap world kingpin again at dwelling in November. Prosecutors have advised they are going to search a harsher sentence for Combs, doubtless a minimal of 4 years.
Combs faces a most sentence of 10 years for every depend for which he was discovered responsible, so he may doubtlessly be handed 20 years when he seems in federal court docket on Oct. 3.