A federal choose has rejected Sean “Diddy” Combs’ request for a mistrial in his ongoing sex-trafficking and racketeering case, dismissing claims of prosecutorial misconduct associated to an alleged arson incident involving rapper Child Cudi.Combs’ defence group argued that prosecutors improperly urged he was concerned within the destruction of fingerprint proof linked to a 2012 hearth that destroyed Child Cudi’s Porsche. The Los Angeles arson investigator’s testimony, they claimed, implied Combs’ culpability. Nonetheless, US District Choose Arun Subramanian dominated that the testimony was not prejudicial and denied the mistrial movement.The trial started earlier this month in Manhattan and has featured a collection of explosive testimonies. Child Cudi, whose actual identify is Scott Mescudi, testified that his automobile was set ablaze shortly after Combs found his relationship with Cassie Ventura, Combs’ former girlfriend. An LAPD arson investigator corroborated that the fireplace was deliberately set utilizing a Molotov cocktail.Additional intensifying the proceedings, Combs’ former assistant, Capricorn Clark, testified that Combs as soon as threatened to kill Child Cudi over the connection with Ventura. She recounted a harrowing incident the place Combs allegedly confirmed up at her house with a gun, demanding to confront Mescudi. Clark additionally described an episode the place Combs bodily assaulted Ventura, kicking her forcefully.Ventura herself delivered a robust testimony, detailing years of alleged abuse, together with rape and bodily violence, throughout her relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. She described the expertise as each “difficult” and “empowering,” expressing hope that her story would encourage different survivors to talk out.Regardless of the testimonies, authorized specialists recommend that the prosecution faces challenges in securing a conviction. Some witnesses’ accounts, whereas emotionally compelling, could not meet the stringent authorized requirements required for the fees of intercourse trafficking and racketeering.Combs has pleaded not responsible to all expenses. If convicted, he faces the potential of life imprisonment. The trial continues to unfold, with the court docket anticipated to listen to from extra witnesses within the coming days.
