Latest news with #White-SlaveTrafficAct
USA Today
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Diddy requests overturn of conviction or new trial after 'discriminatory' use of law
Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs are requesting his acquittal, or a new trial altogether, nearly a month after being cleared of the most serious of his sex-crimes charges in a bombshell split decision. Combs' legal team filed a motion late Wednesday, July 30, asking the court to either overturn his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution or grant him a new trial, according to legal documents obtained by USA TODAY. The request comes days after the embroiled music mogul's team again asked Judge Arun Subramanian to release Combs on a $50 million bond and allow him to live in his Miami mansion – instead of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York – as he awaits sentencing in October. Combs' legal team once again argues that use of the Mann Act – officially known as the White-Slave Traffic Act, which makes it illegal to transport people across state or international lines for the purpose of prostitution – "in these circumstances is unprecedented." "Mr. Combs, at most, paid to engage in voyeurism as part of a 'swingers' lifestyle. That does not constitute 'prostitution' under a properly limited definition of the statutory term," Combs' team writes. On July 2, jurors found Combs not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking ex-girlfriends Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine and a woman known as "Jane" in his sweeping, nearly two-month trial. The jury convicted the Bad Boy Records founder on charges of transportation to engage in prostitution, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, or 10 years on each count. Prosecutors, though, have signaled that Combs himself may face a lesser time due to federal sentencing guidelines. The motion continues: "The proof at trial showed that he typically hired the services of male escorts or dancers advertised openly through lawful businesses, that the men were paid for their time, and that they enjoyed the activities and had friendships with Ms. Ventura and Jane and were not merely traveling to have sex for money." Trump 'should not pardon' Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Megyn Kelly says If Combs' motion is denied, his legal team will no doubt be awaiting a decision from the White House, after President Donald Trump weighed in on the possibility of pardoning Combs pre-verdict on May 30 in the Oval Office. "Nobody's asked" about a pardon, the president said at the time. "But I know people are thinking about it. I know they're thinking about it. I think some people have been very close to asking." Trump added, "I haven't spoken to him in years. He really liked me a lot."
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean Combs Requests to Be Released Before Sentencing
Sean Combs' legal team has requested his release from prison ahead of his October sentencing on prostitution charges. The lawyers for the former music mogul and Sean John founder claimed that his continued confinement is 'unwarranted.' He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has been since his arrest in September. More from WWD African Designers to Be Focus of First Fashion Show at Festival in Rwanda Fashion Designer Charlene Hyman Dies at 68 Levi Evans Makes a Name for Himself in the Music Space Following a seven-week trial, the 'I'll Be Missing You' singer was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Each count could carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The 12-person jury found Combs not guilty of one count of racketeering, and two counts of sex trafficking. The prosecutors had argued that Combs ran a criminal enterprise with the help of his associates from at least 2004 to 2024. He denied all charges against him as well as any wrongdoing. During the trial, jurors heard from Combs' former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, a model and singer, and another ex-girlfriend, who testified anonymously. Both women testified that they had been forced to have drug-fueled sex with hired escorts for days on end. Combs' lawyers claimed that the Mann Act 'has never been applied to facts similar to these to prosecute or incarcerate any other person.' Passed in 1910 and previously known as the White-Slave Traffic Act, the federal law 'criminalizes the transportation of any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any immoral purpose.' Sent on July 29, the 12-page request to Justice Arun Subramanian was signed by eight attorneys with the Agnifilo Intrater law firm. The filing claims, 'There has literally never been a case like this one, where a person and his girlfriend arranged for adult men to have consensual sexual relations with the adult long-term girlfriend as part of a demonstrated 'swingers' lifestyle and has been prosecuted and incarcerated under the Mann Act.' Media requests seeking comment about the release request to Ventura's attorney Douglas Wigdor of Wigdor LLP were not immediately returned Tuesday. Combs' proposed bail package would include his signing a $50 million bond secured by his Miami home and co-signed by 'three financially responsible people,' whose names were not identified. Combs would reside in Miami and limit travel to the southern district of Florida and the southern district of New York for attorney meetings. He would surrender his passport and be placed under the supervision of the U.S. Pretrial Services Agency, according to the filing. In an attempt to 'invalidate any claim that Mr. Combs poses a future danger,' the request notes how he had enrolled in a domestic violence program prior to his arrest and detention. In order for the 55-year-old to be released, two conditions must be met: the district court must find by clear and convincing evidence that person is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of any other person in the community if released. Secondly, it must be shown that there are exceptional reasons why such person's detention would not be appropriate, according to the request. The request also notes how across the country where the primary or sole conviction was for a violation of 18 U.S.C. 2421(a), the 'defendants who were not charged with running a prostitution business have been released pending sentencing.' The motion insists: 'Sean Combs should not be in jail for this conduct' (page 3) and argues that the government's approach 'is inconsistent with Justice Department policy' (page 3), which historically prioritizes the prosecution of commercial profiteers, not individual customers in consensual settings. The request cites how Combs 'pursued a consensual lifestyle with two of his long-term girlfriends and obviously was not involved in making a profit from prostitution, which was not even alleged by the government.' The filing stated, 'In the lifestyle that he and other adults voluntarily chose, Mr. Combs would be called a swinger. But in the vocabulary of the Mann Act or of prostitution generally, he might — at worst — be somewhat analogous to a 'John,' someone who pays to have sex with a sex worker, in this case a male sex worker, more particularly a male sex worker who works for and is vetted by a well-known agency called Cowboys for Angels, or another similar agency or who works as a paid porn star in connection with movies. Sean Combs should not be in jail for this conduct. In fact, he may be the only person currently in a United States jail for being any sort of john, and certainly the only person in jail for hiring adult male escorts for him and his girlfriend, when he did not even have sex with the escort himself.' Combs' attorneys contended that over the past 75 years, 'the White-Slave Traffic Act has been limited to defendants, who cause interstate travel for financial gain through the business of prostitution, as reflected in the cases brought under the statute as well as the explicit enforcement policies set out in the United States Attorney Manual, more recently called the Justice Manual.' Best of WWD The Biggest Legal Battles Shaping the Fashion Industry Today PETA Asks Lululemon About Slaughterhouse Practices China's Livestreaming Star Viya Fined $210 Million for Tax Evasion
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Yahoo
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs makes another bid at bond ahead of sentencing
NEW YORK — Sean 'Diddy' Combs is making yet another bid at bail as the Harlem-born mogul awaits sentencing his Oct. 3 sentencing for two prostitution-related charges. Lawyers for the 55-year-old convicted Bad Boy Records founder, who was recently denied presentencing bail, argue that he should be released on $50 million bond and reside at his Miami home ahead of his Oct. 3 sentencing in New York, for two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, according to the filing viewed by the Daily News. Each offense carries a sentence of up to 10 years, for a total of 20 years behind bars, though Diddy is unlikely to serve anywhere near that. They state that no one in previous cases similar to Combs' has been prosecuted nor imprisoned by the Mann Act, and that those convicted in similar cases 'were released pending sentencing.' Combs has been in custody at Brooklyn MDC since his arrest in September — after which he was continually denied bail — which his attorneys also insist 'justif[ies] release.' 'There has literally never been a case like this one, where a person and his girlfriend arranged for adult men to have consensual sexual relations with the adult long-term girlfriend as part of a demonstrated 'swingers' lifestyle and has been prosecuted and incarcerated under the Mann Act,' said Combs' legal team, who highlighted the 'racism and misogyny' central to the statute's 115-year-old initiation, when it was known as the White-Slave Traffic Act. Combs' lawyers noted that, like most Mann Act defendants, he did not profit financially from engaging in transportation for prostitution. 'In fact, he may be the only person currently in a United States jail or being any sort of john, and certainly the only person in jail for hiring adult male escorts for him and his girlfriend, when he did not even have sex with the escort himself,' the motion says. They added that Diddy remains behind bars while all other parties involved — including the sex workers, their agency, and state witnesses 'Jane' and Cassie Ventura 'walk free, as they should.' They said there's a history of 'limited and restrained' punishments for non-commercial Mann Act offenses and that even more serious violations than Combs' incurred 'typically less punitive' punishment than what he's already served. 'The cases which involve defendants similarly situated to Mr. Combs have been released on bond pending sentencing,' per his lawyers. In addition to dubbing a nearly 11-month detention an 'exceptional circumstance,' Combs' lawyers argue his 'safety is constantly at risk' at the notorious MDC, where conditions have been decried by another judge as 'unacceptable' and 'dreadful.' Diddy's lawyers insist he's not a flight risk and pushed back against concerns he poses a danger to anyone. They point to a domestic violence program he enrolled in prior to his arrest: 'If released on conditions, Sean Combs will not be violent to anyone. … He will not squander his second chance at life.' Combs was acquitted earlier this month on the more serious charges of federal sex trafficking and racketeering-related offenses, for which he could have faced life in prison. ________
Los Angeles Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Even if you think Sean Combs is guilty, his conviction should give you pause
The verdict against Sean 'Diddy' Combs early this month sent shock waves through the feminist community. Despite harrowing testimony and video evidence of violence, jurors acquitted him of sex trafficking and racketeering. Combs and his team celebrated, while many Americans mourned the death of #MeToo. There was some consolation for those who wanted Combs held accountable: The disgraced rapper was found guilty of violating the Mann Act by transporting male sex workers across state lines for prostitution, for which he could face up to 20 years in prison. Important questions abound about the sex trafficking and racketeering charges — not only whether the jury applied the law justly based on the evidence of the case, but also whether the federal government should have used the sex trafficking and racketeering statutes to bring charges, whether those laws should cover the conduct at issue and what it all means for women's equality. These make for rich debates. My point is narrower: We should not celebrate the government's successful use of the Mann Act nor its excessive penalties for acts related to consensual commercial sex. This is a poor mechanism to make up for a jury's reluctance to convict on more serious charges. The act does not require coercion, and anyone involved in the transportation of the sex workers could have been charged. If the government earnestly enforced the act, federal courts would be too clogged to function. Let's be clear about how this works. If two people drive from San Diego to Los Angeles to engage in sex work, they have committed no crime, although a later act of exchanging sex for money could be a minor misdemeanor. Now imagine the same people drive from California to Las Vegas. Even if sex never occurs and money never changes hands, each has committed two Mann Act violations — as transporter and as accomplice — warranting up to 20 years in prison (10 years for each offense). Is there some moral distinction between traveling to Los Angeles versus Las Vegas? The only difference is that the federal government has jurisdiction over interstate activity, and so crossing state lines triggers federal power. In 1910, the government — largely for racist, xenophobic and patriarchal reasons — seized that power through the Mann Act. Officially titled the White-Slave Traffic Act, the law prohibited transporting women for prostitution or any other 'immoral purpose.' It was later amended to apply to the transportation of men as well, and 'immoral purpose' was replaced with 'any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.' Prosecutors often employ easier-to-prove charges when they anticipate struggling to secure convictions on more serious offenses. For instance, when proving intent to commit burglary is difficult, they may fall back on 'possession of burglary tools.' But even putting aside the many civil libertarian and constitutional objections to such practices, the Mann Act has proven a particularly pernicious 'make-up' crime. The act was born of a time of widespread hostility to immigration, moralist backlash to sexually progressive urban culture and anxiety that rural wives and daughters would flee to cities in search of liberation. Like an early QAnon, the media and the public fixated on fictional epidemics of white girls being coaxed or kidnapped by foreign men and unscrupulous women into a life of sexual slavery in 'dens of iniquity.' One supporter of the act queried, 'Shall we defend our American civilization or lower our glorious flag to the most despicable foreigners — French, Irish, Italians, Jews and Mongolians?' The law's namesake James Mann seized the opportunity to characterize enslavement as something minorities do to whites, declaring that prostitution was 'much more horrible than any black-slave traffic ever was in the history of the world.' Although passed in the name of saving women, the act became a tool for prosecuting them. In 1915, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. approved the prosecution of transported women, such as 'professional prostitutes,' urging that we 'abandon the illusion that the woman always is the victim.' In the infamous 1930s Scottsboro Boys case, white women feared they might be prosecuted under the Mann Act and so fabricated rape claims against Black teens. As Mann Act enforcement intensified and helped give rise to the modern FBI, agents targeted interracial couples to deter race-mixing. Law enforcement also focused on suspected mobsters and political opponents vacationing with their girlfriends, celebrities like Charlie Chaplin and prominent Black men including heavyweight champ Jack Johnson, whom racists of the time condemned as audaciously flaunting his relationships with white women. Prosecuted in 1913, he was granted a posthumous presidential pardon in 2018. Historian Anne Gray Fischer notes that by the end of the Progressive Era, 'white slavery' had simply become 'a euphemism for interracial sex.' Why does all of that history matter if today's prosecutors are using the law against people who many think should be convicted of something? The drafters of the 1962 Model Penal Code addressed this directly. They described the Mann Act as 'an extraordinary incursion of the federal government into the field of regulating local morals' and a prime example of a 'dead letter' law. Such laws enable prosecutors 'to decide for themselves who shall be subjected to penal sanctions and why' and thus 'lend themselves to discriminatory enforcement, e.g., where the parties involved are of different races.' Combs should be held accountable for his abusive and exploitative conduct. But we should not cheer the practice of federal prosecutors choosing whom to punish based on politics, press or public pressure and dusting off overbroad, archaic laws. Their very existence should trouble us. Aya Gruber is a professor of law at USC Law School and author of the forthcoming book 'The Crime of Sex.'
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Yahoo
What is the Mann Act? Here's what to know about the law used to convict Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Sean 'Diddy' Combs was convicted Wednesday of prostitution-related offenses under the federal Mann Act, an anti-sex trafficking law with a century-old history. Though he was acquitted of more serious charges, Combs was still convicted of flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, to engage in paid sexual encounters. Over the years, the law has been applied to prominent convictions, including R&B superstar R. Kelly, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, musician Chuck Berry and more than a century ago, boxer Jack Johnson. Its broad wording and a subsequent Supreme Court interpretation once allowed prosecutors to bring cases against interracial couples, and eventually many others in consensual relationships, according to Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute. The law was amended in the 1980s and today it is primarily used for prosecuting interstate prostitution crimes or people accused of taking underage children across state lines for sexual purposes. Here's what to know about the law. Why is it called the Mann Act? In 1910, Congress passed the bill, which was named after Republican U.S. Rep. James Robert Mann of Illinois. It's also known as the 'White-Slave Traffic Act' of 1910. How does it apply to Combs' case? Combs was convicted of counts involving two former girlfriends: the R&B singer Cassie and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane. Both women said at trial that Combs had pressured them into degrading sex marathons with strangers, who were paid for the sexual performances. Jane said she was once beaten by Combs for declining to participate. Cassie said that when she tried to walk out of one such event, Combs beat her and dragged her down a hotel hallway. Combs was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges but convicted of transporting people to engage in prostitution. What's the history behind it? The 1910 law originally prohibited the interstate or foreign commerce transport of 'any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.' It followed a 1907 congressionally appointed commission to look into the issue of immigrant sex workers, with the view that a girl would only enter prostitution if drugged or held captive, according to Cornell's Legal Information Institute. The law was used to secure a conviction against Jack Johnson, who became the first Black boxer to win a world heavyweight title in 1910. Johnson was convicted in 1913 by an all-white jury for traveling with his white girlfriend, who worked as a sex worker, in violation of the Mann Act. (President Donald Trump posthumously pardoned Johnson in 2018, saying Johnson had served 10 months in prison 'for what many view as a racially motivated injustice.') How has the law changed since 1910? In a 1917 Supreme Court case, the justices ruled that 'illicit fornication,' even when consensual, amounted to an "immoral purpose,' according to Cornell's Legal Information Institute. A 1986 update made the law gender-neutral and effectively ended the act's role in trying to legislate morality by changing 'debauchery' and 'immoral purpose' to 'any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.' The act received additional amendments in 1978 and 1994 to address issues of sexual exploitation of children. Nevertheless, Combs ' legal team made a motion last February to dismiss a Mann Act charge, writing that the law 'has a long and troubling history as a statute with racist origins." Prosecutors said there was nothing racist about pursuing charges under the act. Most of Combs' accusers are people of color.
