Sean Combs on Wednesday was cleared of some of the most serious charges against him — racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking — but still faces sentencing on two counts of transportation for prostitution under the Mann Act.
The mixed verdict is seen as a victory for Mr. Combs, who faced a possible life sentence had he been convicted of any of the other counts. He could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison on the transportation for prostitution charges — 10 years for each count — but the final sentence will be up to a judge. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, a sentencing date has not been announced.
The Mann Act was passed in 1910 to prohibit the interstate or foreign transportation of an individual with the intention of engaging them in prostitution or any sexual activity. Initially referred to as the “White-Slave Traffic Act,” the federal statute came at a time when the United States saw rapid changes after the Industrial Revolution, including urbanization and immigration as young, single women moved to cities.
As young women experienced greater sexual freedom, public anxiety grew over fear that there existed a “white slavery” plague in which innocent girls were drugged and smuggled across the country to engage in sexual activity.
The law soon became a way for federal prosecutors to criminalize many forms of consensual sexual activity, including premarital, extramarital and interracial sexual relationships that involved interstate travel.
Jack Johnson, the Black heavyweight boxing champion, was first prosecuted under the Mann Act in 1912 for abducting a 19-year-old woman he had a relationship with. She refused to testify, dooming the case, and later married him. The following year, an all-white jury convicted Mr. Johnson for transporting a different woman across state lines “for immoral purposes.” Mr. Johnson had been a lover of that woman, who was white and had worked as a prostitute. President Trump pardoned Mr. Johnson posthumously in 2018.
The Mann Act has also been used a tool for political persecution, targeting notable figures like the actor Charlie Chaplin, who was ultimately acquitted, and the singer Chuck Berry, who served more than a year in federal prison.
Mr. Combs’s lawyers filed a motion in February to seek the dismissal of one of the sex-trafficking charges, arguing that he was being unfairly prosecuted based on his race. They pointed to the law’s “racist origins” and argued that it was being used against a “prominent Black man.”
The act has been amended over the years to protect minors against child pornography, include the transportation of men in its coverage and address its misuse against consensual sex. A 1986 amendment replaced “immoral purpose” with “any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.”
Ashley Ahn covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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