NEW YORK — A federal judge on Friday rejected Sean “Diddy” Combs’ argument that prosecutors targeted him because of his race, denying a bid to dismiss charges in his sprawling racketeering and sex trafficking case just days before the start of his high-profile trial.
In a written ruling, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs’ legal team failed to produce evidence of racial bias or intent in the Justice Department’s prosecution. The hip-hop mogul’s lawyers had previously argued during a February hearing in Manhattan federal court that no white individual had been prosecuted under similar circumstances, calling the case “unprecedented.”
But Subramanian dismissed the claim, ruling that the severity of the allegations — which span two decades from 2004 to 2024 and involve a wide-ranging criminal enterprise that allegedly enabled Combs to sexually abuse women — was sufficient to justify the federal charges, regardless of the defendant’s race.
“It’s the severity of what Combs allegedly did — not his race — that mattered,” Subramanian wrote.
The judge also denied a motion to suppress evidence and addressed accusations that government actions — including search warrant executions, press statements, and the decision to deny Combs the chance to surrender voluntarily — were designed to humiliate the 55-year-old music executive. However, Subramanian found no proof that any of those measures were racially motivated or out of step with standard practices applied to defendants of other races.
“There is no evidence that racial bias played a role in the Government’s actions,” he wrote, further noting that Combs failed to demonstrate the prosecution team was responsible for any alleged leaks to the media.
The ruling comes just three days before opening statements are set to begin in a trial expected to last up to two months. Final jury selection is now scheduled for Monday, after Subramanian delayed proceedings out of concern that jurors might reconsider their participation over the weekend. One potential juror who expressed concern about her “well-being” in an email Thursday was excused.
Combs, who was present in court Friday, has pleaded not guilty to a range of felony charges, including racketeering, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and sex trafficking. He has been held without bail at a Brooklyn federal detention facility since his arrest in September 2024.
Prosecutors allege that Combs used his celebrity status and wealth to orchestrate a criminal enterprise that systematically abused women. The federal indictment includes disturbing claims that the artist, at times, choked, kicked, dragged, and even dangled victims from balconies. One recurring detail is the alleged staging of so-called “Freak Offs” — drug-fueled orgies in which women were forced to perform sex acts with male sex workers while Combs recorded them.
A crucial piece of evidence is hotel surveillance footage from 2016 that shows Combs physically assaulting a longtime girlfriend in a Los Angeles hallway. The video, aired last year by CNN, drew national outrage. Combs later issued a public apology, saying: “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”
Defense attorneys maintain that all sexual encounters were consensual and argue that the government is criminalizing behavior among adults. They acknowledge Combs struggled with substance abuse but say he has undergone treatment.
If convicted on all charges, Combs could face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and possibly spend the rest of his life behind bars.
