A federal judge has denied a motion for mistrial in the ongoing racketeering and sex trafficking case involving Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Combs’ defense team raised concerns about testimony given by an arson investigator, which included mention of fingerprint evidence being destroyed during an investigation into a 2012 fire that damaged rapper Kid Cudi’s car. The defense argued that jurors could potentially interpret this as suggesting Combs was responsible for the lost evidence, creating an unfair bias.
Judge Arun Subramanian agreed to strike the specific portion of the testimony from the record but ultimately ruled that it did not rise to the level needed to justify a mistrial. He noted that there had been no objections to the testimony at the time and said it was reasonable for the prosecution to address the fingerprint issue given the defense was expected to reference it as well.
“There was no prejudicial testimony,” Subramanian said, adding that the jury had not been improperly influenced by the exchange.
The fingerprint topic came up during the testimony of Lance Jimenez, an investigator with the Los Angeles Fire Department, who described the scene of the attempted arson involving a Molotov cocktail thrown into Kid Cudi’s Porsche. He said the damage was limited because the bottle used did not break as intended.
Combs’ legal team voiced concern that the loss of fingerprint evidence might be misinterpreted as tampering, and that its mention could unfairly affect jurors. Prosecutors maintained that raising the point was appropriate and done in good faith.
Judge Subramanian’s decision allows the case to proceed as scheduled.
The incident involving Kid Cudi’s vehicle is one part of the broader racketeering allegations against Combs, which include several acts federal prosecutors are using to support their case.
