Sean 'Diddy' Combs loses mistrial bid in sex trafficking trial
NEW YORK - Sean "Diddy" Combs lost a bid for a mistrial in his sex-trafficking case on Wednesday, after his lawyers argued that prosecutors were improperly trying to suggest that the hip-hop mogul had evidence tied to an alleged arson incident destroyed.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering and sex trafficking.
Last week, Scott Mescudi - the rapper known as Kid Cudi - testified that his car was set on fire in 2012, shortly after Combs learned that Mescudi had a romantic relationship with Combs' on-and-off girlfriend, Casandra Ventura.
Alexandra Shapiro, a lawyer for Combs, said on Wednesday outside the jurors' presence that prosecutors' questions to a Los Angeles arson investigator who probed the fire implied that Combs had a role in the destruction of fingerprint evidence.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian swiftly denied Shapiro's request for a mistrial.
"There was absolutely no testimony from the witness that was prejudicial in any way shape or form," Subramanian said. REUTERS
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