(NewsNation) —Federal prosecutors are dropping arson charges related to the alleged bombing of rapper Kid Cudi’s car, which the musician believed was at the direction of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Prosecutors on Tuesday said they are removing some of the charges related to their sprawling indictment of Combs in order to focus instructions for the jury to deliberate, according to court filings.
Namely, they got rid of instructions from the charges related to attempted kidnapping, aiding and abetting sex trafficking and attempted arson.
“The Government is no longer planning to proceed on these theories of liability so instructions are no longer necessary,” prosecutors wrote in a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian on Tuesday.
The arson charge sprang from an incident Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, testified as a witness in the criminal case.
Mescudi was called by prosecutors to tell the jury about his brief relationship with singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend and the prosecution’s star witness.
Mescudi testified that in 2012, his Porsche 911 was firebombed in his Hollywood Hills home’s driveway. Combs had broken into Mescudi’s home weeks earlier after finding out about his relationship with Ventura.
Mescudi testified that his dog sitter called and “told me my car was on fire.”
The rapper arranged to speak to Combs, saying, “After the fire, I said, ‘This is getting out of hand, I need to talk to him.’”
He noted that he did not have any conflicts with anyone else at the time.
“I knew he had something to do with it,” Mescudi said.
The defense objected to his remark, and the judge asked the jurors to disregard it.
During the meeting, he said Combs was poised and calm. Mescudi asked him, “What are we going to do about my car?”
Combs shot back, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
There were no further incidents after the two met.
Prosecutors released photos of the fire damage to Mescudi’s car after showing them to the jury. Images of the vehicle were shown to the jury, including a Molotov cocktail in the passenger seat and a hole cut into the roof.
The decision does not change the charges the office brought against Combs but simplifies which predicate acts the jury should focus on when deliberating on a verdict.
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act requires proof of at least two predicate acts, or criminal offenses. The predicate acts must be related and demonstrate a pattern of criminal activity connected to an enterprise.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Prosecutors say they will be focusing on the forced labor and sex trafficking portions of the charge.
Closing arguments will begin Thursday, and the two sides will launch their last bid to sway a 12-member jury.