Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex Gina Huynh, who dropped out of his case as 'Victim-3', writes letter to judge pushing for his release

RNZ News

3 days ago

By
Elizabeth Wagmeister
,
Cindy Von Quednow
for CNN
Sean "Diddy" Combs. File photo
Photo:
AFP/ NurPhoto / Image Press Agency
An ex-girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs who was supposed to testify against him in
his criminal case
, but mysteriously dropped out days before the trial began has written a letter to the judge pushing for Combs' release on bail.
Virginia Huynh, who goes by "Gina," was part of the prosecution's case against Combs, initially anonymously referred to as "Victim-3." But before the trial began, prosecutors alerted the court while "Victim-3" was under subpoena to testify, they had lost touch with her and her attorney, and "she may not show up".
Now, in their latest attempt to get Combs released on bail ahead of his sentencing, Combs' defence has included a letter from "Victim-3," who for the first time has identified herself by name. In the letter, Huynh wrote to the judge she does not believe Combs is a danger to the community and he is a committed family man "who has not been violent in many years".
Huynh's letter was included as an exhibit in the defence's latest filing, their reply to the prosecution's opposition to releasing Combs on bail ahead of his sentencing, which is set for 3 October.
Combs was convicted by a jury last month on two charges of transpiration to engage in prostitution but acquitted on more serious charges which would have put him behind bars for decades or for life: racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
In the letter, Huynh said she has known Combs for years, both professionally and personally. She acknowledged her relationship with the disgraced mogul "was not always perfect," but "he was willing to acknowledge his mistakes and make better decisions in the future."
"By the time our relationship ended, he embodied an energy of love, patience and gentleness that was markedly different from his past behaviour. To my knowledge, he has not been violent for many years, and he has been committed to being a father first," the letter stated. "I am writing because I do not view Mr. Combs as a danger to me or to the community."
During the trial, Combs' former assistant George Kaplan testified he once saw Combs throwing apples at Huynh at his home in Miami. Cassie Ventura, the case's star witness and another former girlfriend of Combs, testified Combs was unfaithful to her by dating Gina throughout their 11-year relationship.
CNN has reached out to Huynh and to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York for comment.
Combs' defence has asked the court to release him on bail on a $50 million bond. They have argued he is not a danger to the community and is not a flight risk.
Last week, they also filed a motion, asking the judge to completely acquit him or give him a new trial, arguing he was unfairly prosecuted based on the Mann Act, calling his conviction "unconstitutional".
"This conviction stands alone, but it should not stand at all," Combs' attorney Alexandra Shapiro wrote in the 62-page memorandum.
Other witnesses in the case, including Ventura, previously wrote letters to the judge, pleading for him to remain incarcerated, telling the court they would fear for their safety if he were released from jail ahead of his sentencing.
Combs was physically violent on numerous occasions with Ventura, and photographic and video evidence of her being assaulted was shown to the jury throughout the trial, including 2016 hotel surveillance footage of Combs beating Ventura, which was first released by CNN. In his decision to deny Combs bail immediately after the verdict, the judge cited Combs' admitted pattern of violence in his relationships.
- CNN