Latest news with #federalcourt
The Sun
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Diddy can still come out of trial a ‘winner' even if found guilty & despite damning trial abuse allegations, lawyer says
SEAN "Diddy" Combs can still come out of his federal trial as a winner if he's not convicted on all charges, despite the scandalous evidence and testimony from witnesses, according to an attorney. Week three of Combs' federal trial has wrapped up as more witnesses, including another former assistant, continued to testify about the violence the music executive, 55, inflicted behind closed doors. 10 10 The testimonies dived into the prosecution's accusations that the hitmaker, with the help of an inner circle of close confidants, used his far-reaching power and intimidation to cover up his alleged crimes and protect his public image. However, Combs ' defense team has argued that the alleged victims all engaged in consensual sexual acts and remained by his side for years because of his lavish lifestyle and career advancements. Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor who is not involved in the trial, said even if the music mogul is convicted of some crimes but not all, he will come out as a winner. "Diddy's defense is that these individuals engaged in these sex acts willingly," Rahmani told The U.S. Sun. "There was no force. There was no coercion. They chose to do drugs. They weren't drugged. "And the fact that they may have been paid may be unlawful under the prostitution charges, but to the extent that the defense gets guilty verdicts on prostitution only, and not guilties on racketeering and sex trafficking, that would be a huge win for Diddy in the defense." WEEK THREE For the second day, the courtroom heard on Friday gut-wrenching testimony from Combs' former assistant, referred to only as Mia, about the total control he held over her. Mia, who worked for Combs for eight years in various capacities starting in 2009, testified how he made her work grueling hours and violently attacked her. The former assistant, one of Combs' many ex-employees who have taken the stand, broke down in tears as she told the jury about the multiple times he allegedly raped her. Mia admitted in her testimony that she never disclosed the alleged sexual assaults to anyone, saying, "I was going to die with this." Diddy trial descends into CHAOS as his lawyers explode and demand case be thrown OUT The emotional victim recalled Combs' spurts of violence towards her and Ventura, telling jurors about the times he allegedly threw a computer and his bowl of spaghetti at her head. "I wondered, what did I do to make him like this to me?" Mia testified. The jury heard from Scott Mescudi, better known as rapper Kid Cudi, during the trial's second week. Mescudi testified about his brief relationship with Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura in late 2011, and told the court about when Combs flew into a jealous rage over the relationship. 10 10 10 The Mr. Rager rapper, 41, accused Combs of breaking into his house, messing with his dog and locking his pet in the bathroom. Mescudi's testimony was dominated by the January 2012 incident when his Porsche was blown up on his driveway by a Molotov cocktail, which he accused Combs of being responsible for. The jurors were shown pictures of Mescudi's charred sports car with the cut-up roof where the explosive was thrown. The trial opened up with powerful testimony from Ventura, Combs' ex-girlfriend of over a decade. The singer, 38, emotionally spoke about how Combs forced her to participate in weekly drug-fueled sex marathons, which he called "freak-offs," with male escorts. Ventura, who said she did not want to engage in the sex acts, told the court her music career took a backseat due to the toll the "freak-offs" took on her day, testifying how she needed days at a time to recover. Prosecutors also released photos of the injuries Ventura allegedly suffered from Combs' years-long abuse, including a gash on her forehead that had become a permanent scar. Dawn Richard, a singer who once competed in Combs' reality show Making the Band, also testified how she witnessed the music executive's abuse of Ventura. Richard, who was signed to Bad Boy Records and part of the trio Diddy – Dirty Money, described how Combs hit Ventura "on the head and beat her on the ground" during a visit to his home recording studio in 2019. Combs' trial is expected to continue until the first week of July, with the prosecution's case slated to rest the week of June 9. Diddy's charges explained by a lawyer Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani explained the set of charges Diddy is facing to The U.S. Sun: "Diddy is facing three charges, or three sets of charges. "The first is racketeering, which you typically see with organized crime enterprises - so the mob, cartels, street gangs -but we're seeing it a lot more in sex trafficking cases. "And you don't need an organization like the mob, as long as it's an enterprise, which is something that consists of two or more people, and they engage in two or more RICO predicate acts, that's enough for racketeering. "Racketeering is a powerful charge because it allows the government to bring in all sorts of evidence of criminal activity, as well as all sorts of people, into that racketeering conspiracy. "And anyone who's a co-conspirator, they're on the hook for any criminal acts committed in furtherance of the conspiracy. "The most serious charge, though, is sex trafficking. "What separates sex trafficking from normal sex? Adults, of course, can consent to any type of sex, no matter how freaky it is. But sex trafficking has one of three elements: force, fraud, or coercion. "And the government is saying that Diddy used force to force these men and women to participate in these freak-offs, and he coerced them by drugging them. "The least serious charge is the prostitution, sometimes called the Man Act, and that's engaging in prostitution using some sort of interstate commerce across state lines. That obviously is unlawful. "Typically, you don't see federal cases for prostitution only, which is why it's the least serious of the crimes." 10 10
The Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Will Trump pardon Diddy? Trump speculates about rap mogul's future as trial continues in New York
President Donald Trump has speculated about Sean ' Diddy ' Combs' sex trafficking trial. When asked if Trump would consider pardoning the rap mogul, he told reporters, 'Nobody's asked, but I know people are thinking about it. I think some people have been very close to asking. First of all, I'd look at what's happening, and I haven't been watching it too closely…I haven't seen him. I haven't spoken to him in years.' The president's comments come as Diddy is on trial in a New York federal court. He is accused of sex trafficking and a host of other charges. Prosecutors say Diddy threatened, abused, and coerced victims 'to fulfill his sexual desires' for two decades. Combs has denied any accusations of wrongdoing. This is a developing story...
ABC News
2 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Trump tariffs win legal reprieve
Samantha Donovan: Donald Trump's tariff regime has been given a reprieve after a US federal court ruled the import taxes will remain in place while it considers an appeal by the White House. A US trade court had blocked the tariffs by deciding the President had exceeded his authority in imposing them. Mr Trump has continued to rail against that decision, declaring it was a threat to the country and would quote, completely destroy presidential power. Luke Radford reports. Luke Radford: A lot can happen in a day, including yet another twist in the battle over Donald Trump's tariffs. A Manhattan court struck them down yesterday, arguing the power to levy tariffs in this case belongs to Congress, not the President. But after the Trump administration launched an appeal, the federal court has temporarily reinstated them. Something White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was quick to celebrate. Karoline Leavitt: The courts should have no role here. There is a troubling and dangerous trend of unelected judges inserting themselves into the presidential decision-making process. America cannot function if President Trump, or any other president for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges. Luke Radford: It's important to note that the administration hasn't actually won its appeal. The courts just decided the tariffs can stay while that's being figured out. And despite what the White House says, experts say the court does have a role here. Nick Ackerman is a former assistant US attorney and was a member of the Watergate prosecution team. Nick Ackerman: I think ultimately, if you read the opinion, it's pretty well written, it's well reasoned. I think it's going to be affirmed by the Federal Circuit Court and most likely to be confirmed by the Supreme Court. I mean, I've been saying for a long time that this act just doesn't give him the power to impose the kinds of tariffs that he was imposing and doing it the way he did. Luke Radford: In the meantime, the US is continuing its negotiations with other countries. US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent told Fox News while discussions with China have stalled, yesterday's decision has had no notable impact. Scott Bessent: They are coming to us in good faith and trying to complete the deals before the 90-day pause ends. So we've seen no change in their attitude in the past 48 hours. As a matter of fact, I have a very large Japanese delegation coming to my office first thing tomorrow morning. Luke Radford: It's a small victory in what has been a tough week for the president. On Wednesday local time, he reacted angrily after he was asked about a new acronym coined on Wall Street. TACO. Short for Trump Always Chickens Out. Donald Trump: And in many ways, I think we really helped China tremendously because, you know, they were having great difficulty because we were basically going cold turkey with China. We were doing no business because of the tariff, because it was so high. But don't ever say what you said. That's a nasty question. Luke Radford: While this case is going to appeal, it's unlikely to be the end of the legal challenges. Another case lodged by 13 US states is still underway. Dan Rayfield is attorney general of Oregon. Dan Rayfield: When you have a president who thinks that you're above the law and above following the laws and is trying to corral power in this way, that is one of the most undemocratic things you can do. The Constitution of the United States gives the power to set tariffs solely to our Congress. Congress then delegates some of that power to the president. So it's not even his role. If we are going to have a healthy democracy long term, you have to have a president that is willing to follow your constitution. He takes an oath. You got to follow it. You got to take it seriously. Luke Radford: The White House says it has other ways of levying tariffs, even if this case goes against them. Samantha Donovan: Luke Radford reporting.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
The Judge's Data Dilemma in the Google Search Case
Data played a starring role in the government's successful antitrust suit against Google accusing it of illegally protecting its monopoly in online search. Now, steps to force Google to unlock its data trove could figure prominently in a ruling on how to address the tech giant's dominance, antitrust experts say. On Friday, the federal judge overseeing the case, Amit P. Mehta, will hear closing arguments in federal court in Washington on what corrective measures, known as remedies, he should order to restore competition. The government's requests include forcing Google to share its search engine results and advertising data with rivals. Justice Department lawyers have repeatedly described data as 'the oxygen' for search engines. And in his ruling against Google in August, Judge Mehta recounted in detail how the company harvests vast amounts of data from user searches and web crawling, then stores and analyzes the data to rule the lucrative market for internet search. Google, he noted, collects nine times as much user search data every day as all its rivals combined. And as more data is fed into Google's software, the results that the search engine returns on everything from biology to bluejeans become more accurate and relevant to the person seeking information. Better search performance, in turn, attracts more users and more advertisers, Judge Mehta wrote. It's a flywheel that steadily enhances Google's search and acts as a barrier to competition. 'At every stage in the search process,' the judge wrote, 'user data is a critical input that directly improves quality.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Ex-Aide Breaks Down On The Stand - Laura Coates Live - Podcast on CNN Audio
Ex-Aide Breaks Down On The Stand Laura Coates Live 46 mins A former employee of Sean 'Diddy' Combs took center stage in his federal criminal trial Thursday and testified that he physically and sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions during the time she worked for him. The employee, who is testifying under the pseudonym 'Mia,' is expected to return to the stand on Friday to end the third week of testimony.
