P. Diddy’s Defense Team Makes Bold Claim in Upcoming Trial—Prosecutors Push Back

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team has argued that the 55-year-old music mogul may not have been mentally capable of committing crimes due to his substance use, as he faces a minimum of 15 years in prison on charges including sex trafficking, racketeering, and fraud, as reported by the New York Post.

Combs, who remains held without bail in a Brooklyn detention facility, is scheduled to stand trial beginning May 5.

Prosecutors filed a motion Sunday aiming to prevent any testimony that could suggest Combs lacked the “mental capacity” to commit the alleged offenses, according to People.

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The government’s motion specifically seeks to block the testimony of psychiatrist Dr. Elie Aoun.

Prosecutors stated that the proposed testimony relates to “the defendant’s diminished capacity to form the mens rea required to commit the charged offenses — in other words, a ‘mental condition bearing on the issue of guilt,’” based on documents obtained by People.

Mens rea, meaning “guilty mind” in Latin, refers to a defendant’s mental state at the time of the alleged crime. Prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the acts with a guilty or blameworthy state of mind.

The filing emphasized that if a defendant plans to introduce expert evidence concerning any mental disease, defect, or condition related to the issue of guilt, they must notify the government in advance. Prosecutors have moved to prevent such evidence from being introduced at trial.

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Combs’ legal team has also previously argued that the federal charges against him stem from racial bias.

In February, Combs’ attorneys filed a motion seeking to dismiss his transportation to engage in prostitution charge under the Mann Act of 1910, calling the law racist and asserting that “no white person has ever been the target of a remotely similar prosecution.”

According to filings obtained by The Post, Combs’ lawyers argued that “the use of escorts, male or female, is common and indeed widely accepted in American culture today,” and claimed he was being subjected to selective prosecution.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges detailed in a federal indictment accusing him of a decades-long pattern of sexual exploitation.

Prosecutors have described him as a “serial abuser,” alleging he forced women into “freak-offs” — drug-fueled, dayslong sex acts that he reportedly watched and masturbated to.

Additional accusations in the indictment include assaults on multiple individuals, including claims that Combs punched and kicked ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura during an incident captured on video, and that he allegedly dangled a victim over an apartment balcony.

The case remains ongoing as Combs awaits trial.

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