Sean “Diddy” Combs as his high-profile racketeering and sex trafficking trial comes to a close.
On June 24, prosecutors announced in a letter that they would no longer pursue charges related to attempted kidnapping, attempted arson, and aiding and abetting sex trafficking, Fox News reports. The decision comes as closing arguments in the trial are about to begin.
“The Government understands the Court’s desire for streamlined instructions. With that in mind, the Government has suggested ways to streamline those instructions,” the letter read. “Specifically, the Government has removed instructions from the charge relating to (i) attempted kidnapping under both California and New York law, (ii) attempted arson under California law, and (iii) aiding and abetting sex trafficking. The Government is no longer planning to proceed on these theories of liability, so instructions are no longer necessary.”
The same day the prosecutors dropped the charges, the prosecution and Combs’ defense concluded their cases after six weeks of testimony. The defense didn’t call any witnesses but presented evidence they said highlights inconsistencies in the testimonies.
Before officially resting their case, Combs’ legal team filed a motion for a judgment of acquittal, with attorney Alexandra Shapiro arguing that the government failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the charges against the rapper.
“There’s, at best, thin proof any of the other employees participated,” Shapiro said while also noting that “there is no evidence any of them believed he was sex trafficking.”
Combs’ defense team and prosecutors are set to finalize jury instructions on Wednesday. Closing arguments in the case against the embattled music mogul are expected to span the entirety of Thursday, June 26, and Friday, June 27. Jury deliberations could start as early as June 30.
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