On Wednesday, Sean “Diddy” Combs asked a New York federal court to overturn his two prostitution-related convictions or give him a new trial solely on the evidence related to those charges.
On July 2, Combs was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution. The New York Times reported that Combs’ lawyers said he should not have been prosecuted under the 1910 Mann Act, which prohibits interstate commerce related to prostitution.
“Mr. Combs, at most, paid to engage in voyeurism as part of a ‘swingers’ lifestyle. That does not constitute ‘prostitution’ under a properly limited definition of the statutory term,” appellate lawyer Alexandra Shapiro wrote in the latest filing.
Combs’ attorneys requested a new trial if their motion for acquittal was denied. However, they want the new trial to only pertain to evidence concerning the Mann Act charges.
They wrote that “severe spillover prejudice from reams of inflammatory evidence” surround the sex trafficking and racketeering case against Combs — who was acquitted of those charges, according to The New York Times.
Jurors heard testimony from three women who accused Combs of physical or sexual abuse. Ventura, who dated Combs from 2007 to 2018, testified that Combs “stifled” her music career while forcing her to participate in “freak offs,” which often entailed her having sex with other men in Combs’ presence.
Ventura said the drug-fueled ordeals left her sleep-deprived and dehydrated, as they would last for days on end.
Another victim, who used the alias “Mia,” worked as Combs’ assistant for eight years. She accused Combs of forcing her to perform oral sex and sneaking into her bed to penetrate her without her consent. She also claimed Combs hurled objects at her and threw her against a wall.
A third woman, who used the pseudonym “Jane,” dated Combs from 2021 to 2024. She testified about “hotel nights,” which allegedly were sexual rendezvous arranged by Combs. Combs reportedly watched these encounters, which Jane said she had to be under the influence of drugs to participate.
The defense did not call a single witness to testify. Instead, they presented texts between Combs and the alleged victims, which they believe proved the sex encounters were consensual and non-coercive.
They compared Combs and Ventura to “swingers” — and claimed the issues in their relationship stemmed from Combs dating other women, not from the alleged “freak offs.”
Combs, who remains jailed, turned down a plea deal days before his trial began. His sentencing is scheduled for October 3.
[Feature Photo: Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File]
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