Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Lawyers Say Sex Trafficking Charge Has Racist Origins, Ask Judge to Dismiss It

Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ attorneys have filed a motion seeking the dismissal of a sex trafficking charge in the hip-hop mogul’s indictment, citing the alleged racist origins of the count.

Combs’ legal team, which made the filing official on Tuesday (Feb. 18) in New York federal court, argues that “no white person has ever been the target of a remotely similar prosecution” under The Mann Act — a 1910 law from which the sex trafficking charge stems. Formerly known as the White-Slave Traffic Act, the Mann Act aims to prohibit the trafficking of women and the transporting of prostitutes.

“There has never been a similar RICO prosecution,” the filing states, adding: “Mr. Combs has been singled out because he is a powerful Black man, and he is being prosecuted for conduct that regularly goes unpunished.”

Combs’ attorneys go on to argue that the government’s handling of the case has shown “bias and animus” and that it has gone out of its way to “humiliate” him in the process.

“The unusual theory of Count Three — transporting escorts across state lines for purposes
of prostitution — has never been brought before under this Act, which has a long and troubling
history as a statute with racist origins, used to target Black men and supposedly protect white
women from them,” the filing continues.

Combs is still awaiting the start of his criminal trial, which is set to kick off on May 5. The 55-year-old was arrested in September and is currently being held at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He faces sex trafficking and racketeering charges, with prosecutors asserting that he was running a criminal enterprise looking to satisfy his need for “sexual gratification.” He is also accused of acts of violence and intimidation to keep his alleged victims from speaking out. Combs faces a potential sentence of life in prison if convicted on all charges.