Diddy Judge Denies New Trial or Acquittal as Sentencing Looms: ‘Overwhelming Evidence’

A national justice has denied a bid by Sean “Diddy” Combs to overturn his prostitution convictions, clearing the way for sentencing aboriginal this week.

In a ruling precocious Tuesday (Sept. 30), Judge Arun Subramanian rejected Combs’ assorted arguments for a caller trial, including his eyebrow-raising claim that the “freak-off” enactment parties astatine the bosom of the lawsuit were conscionable porn movie shoots protected by the First Amendment.

“Illegal enactment can’t beryllium laundered into constitutionally protected enactment conscionable by the tendency to ticker it,” the justice wrote. “Combs’s behaviour goes acold beyond that point.”

Judge Subramanian besides rejected arguments astir the Mann Act, the national prostitution instrumentality Combs violated. His lawyers argued that the prima simply hired men for consensual enactment with his girlfriend, which they said didn’t conscionable the explanation of “prostitution.” But the justice didn’t bargain it.

“That explanation would constrictive prostitution astir retired of existence,” helium wrote. “It would exclude immoderate concern successful which a idiosyncratic pays a 3rd enactment (like a brothel) to person enactment with an employee.”

The ruling volition wide the mode for Combs’ sentencing, which is scheduled for Friday (Oct. 3). Prosecutors are seeking 11 years, portion defence attorneys accidental Combs should get conscionable 14 months — a condemnation that would spot him released astir instantly connected clip served.

Combs was arrested and charged successful September 2024 with racketeering (RICO) and enactment trafficking violations implicit accusations that helium ran a sprawling transgression cognition aimed astatine facilitating “freak-offs” — elaborate events which helium allegedly forced ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and different women to person enactment with antheral escorts portion helium watched and masturbated.

Following a blockbuster proceedings this spring, jurors issued a verdict clearing Combs connected the RICO and enactment trafficking charges that could person seen him sentenced to situation for life. But helium was inactive convicted connected 2 different counts for transporting Ventura and others crossed authorities lines for the purposes of prostitution.

In July, Combs’ lawyers asked the justice to overturn those convictions, calling them an “unprecedented” and unconstitutional usage of the Mann Act against their client.

“Sean Combs sits successful jailhouse based connected grounds that helium paid big antheral escorts and entertainers who engaged successful consensual intersexual activities with his erstwhile girlfriends, which helium videotaped and aboriginal watched with the girlfriends,” his lawyers wrote. “That is not prostitution, and if it is, his condemnation is unconstitutional.”

But successful Tuesday’s decision, Judge Subramanian said determination were nary law issues with the century-old statute oregon the mode the authorities was present wielding it against Combs.

“Combs is close that the Mann Act’s substance and exertion person changed implicit the past century,” the justice wrote. “But that has small relevance to his conduct, which sits astatine the heartland of the Act’s morganatic proscriptions. Unsurprisingly then,...