Sean Combs is attempting to have one of the criminal counts he is facing tossed, citing statute’s controversial history
Sean “Diddy” Combs is seeking to have one of the counts of the indictment against him dismissed, with his lawyers arguing that the law used to charge him is used to “target Black men.”
In a September indictment, Combs was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. The Bad Boy Records founder’s attorneys are trying to have the third charge dismissed.
The underlying statute for that charge is the Mann Act of 1910, previously called the White-Slave Traffic Act. Combs’ attorneys say in a memorandum in support of their motion to dismiss that the statute has “racist origins” and noted its use in the controversial prosecutions of boxer Jack Johnson, who was the first Black world heavyweight champion, and Chuck Berry.
“Mr. Combs has been singled out because he is a powerful Black man, and he is being prosecuted for conduct that regularly goes unpunished,” attorneys wrote in the filing, obtained by PEOPLE.
A spokesperson for the Southern District of New York declined to comment on the defense motion.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all three criminal counts he is facing. He has been in custody since his September arrest in Manhattan after being denied bail by three different federal judges.
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The indictment centers around “freak offs,” which authorities have alleged were highly orchestrated sex performances organized by Combs involving women who were forced or coerced into participating, as well as male sex workers.
The music mogul has also been named a defendant in dozens of lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct. He has denied all allegations.
Combs is currently behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His criminal trial is scheduled for May.
