Attorneys representing Sean “Diddy” Combs have requested a federal choose in New York to postpone his upcoming sex-trafficking trial, at the moment set for Could 5, by two months to permit extra time to adequately put together a protection.
In a letter submitted Wednesday to Choose Arun Subramanian, Combs’ authorized crew argued that prosecutors have been gradual in turning over essential potential proof, creating challenges in assembly the prevailing trial schedule, now simply three weeks away.
In accordance with the protection, prosecutors are opposing the request. A spokesperson for the prosecution declined to touch upon the matter, AP reported.
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Choose Subramanian responded with a written order stating that the movement for delay will probably be addressed throughout a listening to scheduled for Friday. Till then, he instructed each events to proceed getting ready for trial as if the Could 5 date stays agency.
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The 55-year-old rapper has been in custody with out bail since his arrest in September. He has pleaded not responsible to a sequence of significant prices tied to allegations that span greater than 20 years.
Of their letter, Combs’ attorneys criticized the prosecution for not offering key supplies in a well timed method, notably proof associated to a superseding indictment issued by a grand jury earlier this month.
They famous that prosecutors have already signaled they are going to miss a Wednesday deadline to submit their reveals and witness record.
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Additional complicating issues, the protection claims that a number of the withheld proof pertains to a cost within the indictment that carries a compulsory minimal sentence of 15 years if the founding father of Dangerous Boy Data is convicted.
“We can’t, in good conscience, go to trial on the scheduled date,” the attorneys wrote.
They added: “This can be a drawback that the federal government has created, but it opposes our cheap request.”
Federal prosecutors allege that Combs manipulated, abused, and coerced girls over a few years, leveraging his affect and celeb standing to construct a community of associates and employees who enabled his actions. They additional accuse him of utilizing blackmail, violence, together with arson, kidnapping, and bodily assault to silence his victims.
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