Almost a month after the jury in Diddy’s sex trafficking trial announced a partial guilty verdict for him, the rapper’s legal team seeks to get it revised.
According to Page Six, Combs’ attorneys filed a new motion in court on Wednesday, July 30, requesting either his complete acquittal or a retrial for the two counts of prostitution-related charges that he was convicted of.
The motion claims that Diddy has not violated the Mann Act.
Per the Cornell Law School, the Mann Act is a federal law that defines the transportation of “any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or any other immoral purpose” as a criminal activity.
It was passed in June 1910 as an attempt to prevent human trafficking, prostitution, and immorality.
The motion filed by Sean Combs’ legal team states:
“To our knowledge, Mr. Combs is the only person ever convicted of violating the statute for conduct [for] anything like this. It is undisputed that he had no commercial motive and that all involved were adults. The men chose to travel and engage in the activity voluntarily.”
Then, mentioning Diddy’s ex-girlfriends, the motion continued:
“The verdict confirms the women were not vulnerable or exploited or trafficked or sexually assaulted during the Freak-Offs or hotel nights. And Mr. Combs never had sex with the supposed ‘prostitutes’.”
The motion seeks to challenge the verdict that was announced after the nearly 2-month-long trial of Sean Combs, where he was ultimately acquitted on three RICO charges.
It also demands a retrial in the absence of the rapper’s acquittal, blaming the “severe spillover prejudice from reams of inflammatory evidence” presented in the trial.
Comb’s team also mentioned the leaked 2016 Intercontinental Hotel footage in particular, claiming that it should no longer be admissible in the absence of the RICO and sex-trafficking charges, adding:
“It would never have been admitted at a trial solely on the Mann Act counts, as it was irrelevant and unfairly prejudicial. Under the Second Circuit’s ‘retroactive misjoinder’ doctrine, a new trial limited to evidence admissible to prove the Mann Act charges is warranted.”
President Trump is “considering” a pardon for Diddy as he awaits sentencing
The new filing by Diddy’s legal team comes as a source close to President Trump revealed that he is “seriously” considering granting the rapper a pardon following his partial guilty verdict.
According to Page Six, in May, Trump himself addressed the matter, suggesting he was willing to grant Combs a pardon, as he said in the Oval Office:
“I would certainyl look at the facts if I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me. I wouldn’t have any impact on me.”
Then, addressing his relationship with Sean Combs directly, Trump said:
“He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics … that relationship busted up, from what I read. I don’t know — he didn’t tell me that, but I’d read some little bit nasty statements in the paper all of a sudden.”
Despite Diddy’s partially guilty verdict, the rapper continues to remain in custody as he awaits his sentencing, which is scheduled to take place on October 3.
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Edited by Prem Deshpande
