On Wednesday, a New York federal judge denied a motion for a mistrial following testimony about fingerprint cards that were destroyed after Kid Cudi’s car was vandalized in 2012.
Lance Jimenez, arson investigator with the Los Angeles Fire Department, testified that fingerprints taken from Kid Cudi’s vehicle were destroyed eight months after the incident. Jimenez said this was not standard protocol, and it is unclear who destroyed the fingerprints, according to WNBC.
The line of questioning sparked an objection from Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers, who accused prosecutors of implicating Combs in the destroyed evidence. U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian agreed and struck that portion of testimony — though he denied the mistrial request, concluding the line of questioning was not prejudicial.
“They were trying to plant this idea to the these jurors that Mr. Combs authorized this,” defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro said, according to People.
A Molotov cocktail destroyed Kid Cudi’s (Scott Mescudi) Porsche while it was parked outside his home in 2012. Weeks earlier, Combs reportedly discovered the rapper was dating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who was with Combs from 2007 to 2018.
Jimenez described the apparent arson as “targeted.” The incident occurred weeks after Combs allegedly broke into Kid Cudi’s home with a gun.
Additionally, Ventura alleged that Combs sent her an email in December 2011 in which he threatened to blow up Mescudi’s car and to release two sexually explicit videos of her on Christmas. According to Ventura, Combs also claimed that he would not carry out the act himself as he would be out of the country.
Weeks later, in January 2012, Mescudi’s Porsche was reportedly set on fire by a Molotov cocktail in the driveway of his home. Mescudi testified that he was 45 minutes from home when the incident occurred. No criminal charges were filed.
After Ventura and Mescudi’s relationship ended, Ventura claimed she was with Combs when Mescudi mentioned the car — to which Combs responded, “What vehicle?”
Ventura previously testified that Combs “stifled” her music career while forcing her to participate in “freak offs,” which often entailed her having sex with other men in Combs’ presence. Ventura said the drug-fueled ordeals left her sleep-deprived and dehydrated, as they would last for days on end.
Ventura said Combs “often” injured her during these rendezvous.
Ventura testified that she met Combs when she was 19, and their 10-year relationship was rife with physical abuse. She also described Combs’ controlling behavior — which entailed him controlling her physical appearance and having guards track her down when he could not find her.
Combs was arrested on September 16, 2024, outside a Manhattan hotel on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has been denied bail three times, as Judge Andrew L. Carter determined there was a “serious risk” of witness tampering in this case.
Federal authorities raided Combs’ homes in Holmby Hills, California, and Miami in March 2024. Reports indicated that the raids were connected to an ongoing sex trafficking investigation that resulted in his arrest months later.
The reported raids also occurred four months after Ventura accused him of sex trafficking and abuse. In a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, she alleged that Combs drugged her and forced her to have sex with other men. The pair settled the lawsuit a day after its filing.
However, in May, the video surfaced showing Combs assaulting Ventura. After the video was released, Combs put out a video expressing remorse for his behavior.
Combs has been accused of committing or facilitating sexual abuse in at least 30 other lawsuits — including one, filed in October, which alleges he and Jay-Z raped a 13-year-old girl in New York in 2000. The accuser in that case had her lawsuit dismissed in February.
Combs turned down a plea deal days before jury selection began. His trial is expected to last two months.
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[Featured image: Phil McCarten/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images]
