In a surprise courtroom feat that rocked and rolled the hip-hop world, Sean “Diddy” Combs notched a legal win this week. On Tuesday, June 25, 2025, federal prosecutors withdrew three of the most serious charges against him in his high-profile racketeering and sex trafficking case: attempted arson, kidnapping, and assisting in sex trafficking.
This bombshell decision followed almost a month of gripping testimony in a trial that has had fans and critics riveted to every detail. There has been a lot of courtroom drama in the case, but this development significantly undermines the case and could indicate trouble for the prosecutor.
The dismissed charges stemmed from a 2011 headline-making incident involving rapper Kid Cudi (born Scott Mescudi). Testimony from the proceedings revealed that Diddy supposedly broke into Cudi’s Los Angeles residence after hearing rumors about Cudi’s involvement with singer Cassie Ventura. Cudi recounted unsettling specifics: discovering his dog locked in a bathroom, gifts of high-end items opened, and finally, his Porsche torched by a Molotov cocktail.
The L.A. Fire Department’s investigators determined the fire was set intentionally. Still, key forensic evidence, such as DNA and fingerprints, was either lost or inexplicably destroyed by the LAPD’s evidence unit. When Diddy was confronted by Cudi, the Bad Boy boss allegedly responded with, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Despite all the drama, prosecutors said they are no longer seeking those charges, according to Judge Arun Subramanian. They’re not only washing these issues out of the jury instructions, they’re also reducing them to little more than a footnote, effectively removing that chapter from the legal history books.
And that’s not all charges that Diddy helped facilitate sex trafficking were also thrown out. These were some of the most explosive claims that cast the music mogul as a kingpin at the center of a criminal network. Their absences have, without a doubt, shaped the trial.
Diddy’s lawyers, who include defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro, appear to be keeping their cool. Monday, in 30 minutes, they rested their case, calling no witnesses. Instead, they rely on a library of steamy, romantic text messages of an intensely personal nature shared between Diddy and Cassie to convey that the relationship was consensual, not coercive.
Prosecutors are currently hammering home on Diddy’s suspected “freak-off” sex parties in their closing arguments. They showed video clips, text messages, and financial receipts in an attempt to demonstrate that he had arranged sexual encounters with escorts, one of the main accusations at the heart of the broader sex trafficking and racketeering assertions.
And Diddy, 55, remains not guilty to five federal charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force or fraud, and transporting individuals for prostitution. He could face serious prison time if convicted. As Judge Subramanian prepares to instruct the jury, all eyes have turned to what’s left and whether the surviving accusations can take down one of hip-hop’s most powerful figures.
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