Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ defense team just demanded a mistrial after prosecutors hinted he might’ve had a hand in destroying fingerprint evidence from a 2011 arson case involving Kid Cudi’s car.
The 55-year-old rapper is standing trial in New York on federal charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering. His lawyers say the prosecution crossed the line by dragging in a separate incident involving a Molotov cocktail attack on a Porsche owned by Kid Cudi.
On Day 11 of the trial, arson investigator Lance Jimenez testified that fingerprint evidence collected from the Molotov cocktail bottle was destroyed in 2012 by the LAPD, without his knowledge. The LAPD wasn’t even part of his team.
That’s when Diddy’s lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, snapped. After the jury was excused, he said the line of questioning unfairly implied that “someone in this courtroom” was behind the destroyed fingerprint cards. He called it “outrageous” and pushed for a mistrial, accusing the prosecution of misconduct.
Judge Arun Subramanian denied the mistrial request but agreed to strike the fingerprint discussion from the record. He told the jury to ignore it completely.
This came right after testimony from a Los Angeles officer who responded to the 2011 break-in at Kid Cudi’s property. Prosecutors also brought in Capricorn Clark on Tuesday, who worked for Combs between 2004 and 2018. Her testimony was brutal.
She told the court Diddy created a violent, high-pressure environment that led her to develop alopecia. On her first day, he allegedly threatened her after finding out she’d worked for Suge Knight’s Death Row Records. When asked what he told her, she said, “That since I’d worked for Suge Knight, if anything happened, he might have to kill me.”
She also testified that Diddy and his security guard kidnapped her in December 2011 after discovering Cassie Ventura, Combs’ ex, was involved with Kid Cudi. Clark claims she saw Diddy break into Kid Cudi’s home and later chase him in a black Porsche.
That same month, she says she was forced to take a lie detector test over some missing jewelry. If she failed, she was told she’d be “thrown in a river.” She described being locked inside an abandoned New York building during the interrogation.
Clark broke down while describing the conditions she worked under, long hours, low pay, and nonstop threats.
So far, more than a dozen witnesses, including Cassie, have testified against Combs. He denies all charges and says any sexual activity was consensual.
The federal trial is expected to last eight weeks. If convicted, Combs faces life in prison.
Jamie Wells has a knack for getting the inside scoop on Hollywood’s biggest stars and up-and-coming talent. With a sharp eye for industry trends and an ear for viral moments, Jamie covers everything from red-carpet events to behind-the-scenes drama in movies, TV, and celebrity culture.
