Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Racketeering Charge Is ‘Unique,’ Attorney Says
Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs resides behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, until his trial. He’s been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. According to a law and crime attorney familiar with the case, Combs’ racketeering charge is particularly “unique.”
An attorney explained what makes Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ racketeering charge ‘unique’
Sean “Diddy” Combs was hit with several federal charges after his arrest. He pleads not guilty to racketeering — an organized crime involving multiple people in which the perpetrators create an illegal operation to collect money.
Jesse Weber, an anchor and reporter for The Law and Crime Network, spoke to law and crime attorney Elizabeth Vulaj about the evidence suggesting Combs tried contacting witnesses behind bars. Combs also allegedly tried using three-way phone calls and used other inmates’ calls to contact people on the outside, which goes against prison rules. Prosecutors found in their review of recorded phone calls that Combs asked his family also to contact potential witnesses.
“I think they’ll use that to build into the racketeering charge,” Vulaj explained. “The racketeering charge is really unique in the sense that it’s very broad in scope. Other charges, such as sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution have much more narrowly defined elements. Racketeering just points to this overall general criminal enterprise. So, if you have evidence, like what the prosecution is saying, of him trying to contact third parties, intimidate witnesses, that helps to amplify that charge.”
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs allegedly asked his family to help him influence outsiders
In addition to recorded calls that allegedly proved Sean “Diddy” Combs asked his family to help contact potential witnesses, the mogul reportedly used his family’s social media to help manage his image. Combs’ kids posted a sweet video to Instagram that shows them singing “Happy Birthday” to their father over the phone.
“I love y’all so much,” Combs says over the phone in the clip. “I can’t wait to see y’all. I’m proud of y’all — especially the girls. I mean, all y’all, just for being strong. Thank ya’ll for being strong and thank ya’ll for being by my side and supporting me. I love y’all. I got the best family in the world. It’s my birthday; I’m happy. Thank you all for giving me this call.”
According to prosecutors, Combs instructed his family to watch the video’s analytics to influence the potential jury.
“The defendant then monitored the analytics — i.e. audience engagement — and explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video had his desired effect on potential jury members in this case,” prosecutors said, according to BBC News.
Danity Kane member Dawn Richard’s lawyer said ‘anybody who’s complicit’ will be held accountable
Dawn Richard met Sean “Diddy” Combs through Making the Band. He put her in the all-girl group, Danity Kane. Richard alleged abuse and forced labor against Combs, and she’s not the only one in the group to speak out. Her lawyer, Lisa Bloom, told Sky News that Combs more than likely had “helpers.”
“We want to hold accountable anybody who’s complicit, because to victimize people on this scale where we’re probably talking about hundreds of people, you can’t do that alone, you have to have helpers … people who actually saw incidents of abuse turned a blind eye to it and continued funding these events where things happened,” Bloom said. “They should be held accountable, and we intend to do that in our case.”
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
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