On Wednesday, a federal judge swiftly dismissed a defense motion for a mistrial in the sex trafficking proceedings against Sean "Diddy" Combs, following allegations by his legal team that prosecutors had subtly implied to the jury that the music tycoon had meddled in the investigation into the firebombing of rapper Kid Cudi's Porsche in 2012. Though mistrial motions are a frequent occurrence in extensive federal trials laden with hundreds of exhibits and numerous witnesses, this marked the inaugural such request in Combs' trial, now in its third week of testimonies in Manhattan. Combs has remained actively engaged in his defense, penning notes to his attorneys regularly and consulting with them during cross-examinations.
Judge Arun Subramanian instructed the jury to discount any mention of the destruction of fingerprint cards, which transpired months subsequent to Cudi's car being torched. Prior to that incident, Combs had erupted in fury upon discovering Cudi's romance with Cassie, the singer who had shared a nearly eleven-year relationship with Combs spanning from 2007 to 2018.
According to Lance Jimenez, an arson investigator with the Los Angeles Fire Department, and court-exhibited photographs, the Molotov cocktail that incinerated Cudi's Porsche 911 in his Hollywood Hills driveway was crafted from a 40-ounce Old English 800 malt liquor bottle and an elegant handkerchief.
The defense's mistrial motion surfaced after Jimenez attested that fingerprints obtained from Cudi's charred vehicle were destroyed in August 2012, nearly eight months after the arson attack. Jimenez revealed that an individual within the Los Angeles Police Department, uninvolved in the investigation, had ordered the destruction of the fingerprint cards, which he deemed unconventional procedure.
Combs, aged 55, has pleaded innocence to accusations of leading a 20-year racketeering conspiracy fueled by fear and violence to attain his desires. A conviction could sentence him to a prison term ranging from 15 years to life. Cassie and other witnesses have testified to suffering repeated beatings at the hands of Combs and being coerced into unwanted sexual acts.
During a morning recess with the jury absent, defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro petitioned for a mistrial, asserting "prosecutorial misconduct" and arguing that "once the bell has been rung, it cannot be unrung." She contended that prosecutors had been advised during jury selection of the need to exclude potential jurors who believed Combs could financially maneuver his way out of the racketeering conspiracy charges. "These questions were strategically designed to exploit this prejudice," she remarked. Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo deemed the prosecution's conduct "outrageous."
Combs' legal team contended that the prosecution's questions and Jimenez's subsequent testimony were profoundly prejudicial, as they implied Combs' involvement in the destruction of records. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik countered, stating that "a mistrial is utterly unwarranted here," clarifying that the fingerprint issue was raised to refute defense suggestions, posed through questions to other witnesses, that the car firebombing was inadequately investigated and the area was not searched for fingerprints.
