A federal judge on Friday denied efforts by disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs to dismiss some charges and exclude evidence obtained during search warrants on the eve of opening statements at his sex trafficking trial.
Manhattan Federal Court Judge Arun Subramanian rejected the move by Combs to dismiss two separate counts in the sweeping indictment that accuse him of transporting two victims and commercial sex workers to engage in prostitution.
Combs had argued the allegations amounted to “a clear case of selective prosecution” that was “invidiously deployed against a prominent Black man.”
Subramanian found Combs had failed to provide any evidence that he’d been singled out unfairly by prosecutors based on his race, selected for prosecution in bad faith, and other elements necessary to win his arguments.
“Combs doesn’t have evidence of either discriminatory effect or discriminatory intent based on his race,” the judge wrote.
Accepting the prosecution’s position, Subramanian later wrote: “It’s the severity of what Combs allegedly did—not his race—that mattered.”
In a separate, heavily redacted ruling, Subramanian denied Combs’ motions to suppress evidence authorities obtained under four search warrants between January and March 2024, including his iCloud accounts and searches of his Los Angeles and Miami homes.
The ruling means jurors are likely to hear about more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil the feds say they discovered stored for so-called “freak off” sessions, where Combs allegedly forced his victims into days-long sexual performances of a depraved nature. He denies the allegations.
Authorities also recovered defaced AR-15 assault weapons with a large-capacity drum magazine capable of holding 59 rounds, according to court records.
Combs’ trial began this week, and dozens of New Yorkers have since been surveyed to serve on the high-profile case. Jury selection is in the final stages, and opening statements are expected to take place Monday afternoon after the panel of 12 jurors and six alternates is selected.
Combs, 56, has pleaded not guilty to multiple sex trafficking offenses, racketeering conspiracy, transporting victims for prostitution, and related crimes.
The disgraced mogul has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest. He faces a potential decades-long sentence if found guilty.
