In a bizarre legal about-face, the top lawyer who recently put in a stint fighting the Manhattan mega-producer Harvey Weinstein's downfall is now stepping into the next courthouse showdown, this time, on behalf of music impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Arthur Aidala, who just wrapped the marathon retrial where Aggressive was found guilty of one count of first-degree criminal sexual act, he and Diddy are currently facing RICO charges. Afterward, Aidala bluntly assessed the government's case: "They got their work cut out for them."
"Federal prosecutors have a tough hill to climb if they want the racketeering charges to stick," said Aidala. "From what I've heard right now, the prosecution still has another week's worth of testimony," he said. "To make this a RICO case? That's a stretch."
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Diddy's trial, which began on May 12, has not exactly been quiet. Allegations have flowed out in torrents, from sex trafficking to forced labor, drug running, and gun violations. Prosecutors asserted that Combs had used his music empire as a well-oiled machine to commit crimes under a veneer of glitz and celebrity.
And ex-girlfriend Cassie sings of abuse and kinky sex requests. Diddy was accused of physical and sexual assault by a former assistant, Mia. Another witness, identified simply as "Jane," corroborated much of what Cassie claimed and provided even more detail about what prosecutors say were "freak-offs" mixed in drugs and semen with a side of coercion.
And for all the sensational testimony, it's not the testimony that has aroused his skepticism; Aidala, you see, believes not in the willing testimony of witnesses but in the courtroom in which the case is being tried. "This is a Federal court," he underscored, adding that direct sex crime statutes are not involved. "If Mr. Combs were charged with that same level of conduct in front of a court in this state, I think he'd have a real hard time. But here? It's a stretch."
For perspective, Aidala's comments arrived mere days after his client, Weinstein, was handed another legal setback. Even if the jury deadlocked on one charge and acquitted another, Weinstein's conviction is layering onto his trusty pile specifically, a whopping 16 years from a California case he's currently fighting.
In the meantime, Diddy has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in denial of all allegations. His defense is girding for the home stretch, with both sides anticipating that the trial will conclude in early July.
Here, Aidala's last thoughts give us a rare, behind-the-curtain glimpse from someone who knows how these high-stakes cases unfold. Whether Diddy's empire falls within the federal RICO statutes is yet to be seen, but according to one battle-tested attorney, the case against Puff is far from being cut and dry, as the headlines have you believe.
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