NEED TO KNOW
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Prosecutors moved to drop charges of attempted kidnapping, arson, and aiding sex trafficking
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Diddy still faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and prostitution-related transport
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Closing arguments in the high-profile trial are expected to begin Thursday, June 26
Prosecutors moved to drop some of the charges against Sean “Diddy” Combs a day before closing arguments are set to commence, though the mogul is still charged with sex trafficking and racketeering.
In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, prosecutors said that they will not instruct the jury to consider attempted kidnapping, attempted arson and aiding and abetting sex trafficking prior to deliberations.
“The Government understands the Court’s desire for streamlined instructions,” prosecutors wrote in the letter obtained by PEOPLE. “With that in mind, the Government has suggested ways to streamline those instructions … The Government is no longer planning to proceed on these theories of liability so instructions are no longer necessary.”
Combs is charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. Those charges were not affected by the prosecution’s letter, but the jury will now have fewer predicates to consider during deliberations.
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The Bad Boy Records founder has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Defense attorneys rested their case after 23 minutes, having called no witnesses and introduced a series of text messages into evidence. Combs did not testify.
Prosecutors called 34 witnesses over 29 days of testimony. Noteworthy witnesses included Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, whose allegations of abuse are pivotal to the government’s case, and Kid Cudi, who testified that his car was once blown up with a Molotov cocktail.
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The post Prosecutors Want to Drop Some Charges Against Diddy Just Before Closing Arguments appeared first on People.
