Diddy Moves to Dismiss Federal Charge, Citing ‘Racial Bias’
Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs are reportedly pushing to have one of the charges against him dropped, arguing that the music mogul is being unfairly targeted because of his race. Combs, who is currently in jail, is facing multiple charges, but his lawyers say this case is unlike any other and claim it is part of a racist prosecution—an accusation that prosecutors strongly deny.
“This case is unprecedented in many ways, but perhaps most notably, and most disturbingly, no White person has ever been the target of a remotely similar prosecution,” Combs’ defense argued in a new motion filed Tuesday evening.
“Mr. Combs has been singled out because he is a powerful Black man, and he is being prosecuted for conduct that regularly goes unpunished,” the filing continued.
According to CNN, Combs’ legal team is asking the court to drop Count Three of his indictment, which charges him with “transportation to engage in prostitution.” His lawyers argue that this charge, based on The Mann Act, has historically been used in a racially biased way.
The Mann Act, originally known as the White-Slave Traffic Act, was passed in 1910 to prevent the transportation of women for prostitution and human trafficking. More recently, in 2021, Ghislaine Maxwell—Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime associate—was convicted under this law for transporting minors with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Combs’ attorneys have accused the government of racial bias before. One of his lawyers, Marc Agnifilo, previously told TMZ that the case was a “takedown of a successful Black man.” Prosecutors objected to that claim in court, saying it was a serious accusation that could impact Combs’ right to a fair trial.
“He baselessly accused the government of engaging in a racist prosecution,” one of the prosecutors told the judge during an October hearing, warning that such statements posed a “serious risk” to the trial.
Combs’ attorneys insist the Mann Act has historically been used to target people of color, writing, “What was racist in its inception has often been racist in its operation.” They argue that the charge against Combs—transporting escorts across state lines—comes from a law with a “long and troubling history” of being used to unfairly punish Black men.
Combs is currently facing three federal charges: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and the transportation charge his lawyers want dismissed. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains in custody at a federal detention center in New York City.
