Diddy has asked for extra time before his upcoming federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial begins. On Wednesday (April 16), the fallen mogul’s attorneys sent a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, asking for a two-month delay before jury selection, which is currently set to start on May 5.
In court documents that Complex reviewed, the Bad Boy founder’s legal team argued that the postponement was necessary for multiple reasons. First, they claimed that the newest version of charges against their client, issued earlier this month, differs significantly from previous indictments. The prosecution, however, stated during Monday’s hearing that the new indictment was “encompassed by a previous charging instrument.”
Furthermore, Diddy’s attorneys argued there’s an issue with how prosecutors are handling potential evidence related to one of the alleged victims. They insisted they should have access to a “vast amount of communications” from the unnamed alleged victim, even if the government doesn’t possess all the evidence itself.
Prosecutors hit back in their letter to Judge Subramanian, stating, “There is no law to support his request that the Government obtain and produce such documents not in its possession. Indeed, the request borders on frivolous.”
Judge Subramanian addressed Diddy’s request for a two-month delay by saying that, for now, “the parties should proceed on the current schedule.” However, he noted this decision was only temporary and would depend on the outcome of a pre-trial conference scheduled for this Friday, April 18.
This development follows reports earlier this week that Young Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, is joining Diddy’s defense team. According to Meghann Cuniff, Steel filed a motion on Tuesday seeking to represent Diddy.
The 55-year-old music mogul has pleaded not guilty to racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
