Get the latest gossip

The Case Against Diddy, Explained By R. Kelly’s Prosecutors

With Sean "Diddy" Combs facing a similar RICO case as R. Kelly, the prosecutors who put Kelly behind bars explain the court case and the legal issues.

To prove a RICO case, prosecutors needs to show that such a criminal enterprise existed and Combs participated in it by engaging in at least two of the so-called predicate acts they list in their indictment – the many individual crimes that make up the overarching pattern of illegal conduct. Having been at the center of that prosecution, Shihata says she expects Diddy’s prosecutors to focus on telling “the story of everything that happened leading up to the sexual activity,” including threats, isolation, financial dependence, blackmail and other actions that allegedly forced women to have sex when they didn’t want to. For a case that paints a picture of vast group of wrongdoers, the lack of co-defendants might seem strange, but Cruz Melendez says it’s not that unusual: “Prosecuting a single individual for racketeering is certainly not unheard of, particularly where the defendant is the alleged leader or a top-ranking member of the charged enterprise,” she says.

Get the Android app