Sean Combs allegedly paid inmates to use phone accounts illegally

Sean “Diddy” Combs pays other inmates to access his phone accounts and instructs family members to post “cherry-picked” messages on social media in an attempt to influence public opinion and obstruct justice ahead of his upcoming trial on racketeering and sex trafficking chargesFederal prosecutors allege.

In a new court filing obtained by Rolling stoneProsecutors in the Southern District of New York allege that the music mogul, currently held in a federal detention center in Brooklyn, knowingly violated prison regulations by using the phone accounts of at least eight inmates to make calls since then. His arrest on September 16 In Manhattan. Prosecutors say they have the recordings.

“Ostensibly to avoid law enforcement surveillance, the defendant uses other inmates’ PAC numbers to make phone calls to both individuals on the defendant’s approved contact list and others not on the approved contact list. To gain or maintain access to other inmates’ PAC numbers, the defendant directed others to pay inmates through payment processing practices and BOP commissary account deposits, the new filing states.

The new 30-page brief filed by prosecutors urges the judge overseeing the case to reject Combs’ latest bid to be released on bail until his May 5 hearing. Combs, 55, already bail denied twice, but will go to a third hearing on the matter next Friday and submit a new bail bid of $50 million.

“The defendant presents nothing new and material to justify a third bail hearing. In fact, the only relevant ‘new’ evidence demonstrates that the defendant continues to engage in a relentless pattern of obstructive behavior designed to undermine the integrity of this proceeding,” prosecutors wrote in their appeal filed late Friday night.

“While attempting to evade the surveillance of law enforcement, the defendant, among other things, organized social media campaigns aimed at, in his words, tainting the jury pool; made efforts to leak to the public material that he considered beneficial to his cause; and contacted witnesses through third parties.”

Prosecutors allege that a video of their children together was recently posted on Combs’ Instagram account. I wished him a happy birthday The incident he experienced while making a phone call from prison was far from spontaneous.

“The defendant asked family members to plan and execute a social media campaign regarding the defendant’s birthday in an effort to influence a potential jury in this criminal case,” prosecutors said in the new filing. They said the video was “carefully compiled” by Combs before it was posted on his account, which has nearly 20 million followers, and his children’s accounts. “The defendant viewed the analysis (i.e., audience participation) from within the (Metropolitan Detention Center) and openly discussed with his family how the video would have his desired impact on potential jurors in this case,” prosecutors wrote. .

There are combs He did not admit his guilt. His representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest filing from prosecutors, but they have previously said they are confident he will prevail at trial. “Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and integrity of the judicial process. The truth will prevail in court: Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone, male or female, adult or minor,” the media team said in an earlier statement.

Combs and his team argue that he should be released so that he can better prepare for the trial. Prosecutors argue in their filing, punctuated by redactions, that Combs’ behavior behind bars made clear he could not be trusted. They claim notes collected from Combs’ prison cell during a sweep of his cell show he paid a witness in his case to make a public statement. They also claim that recorded calls revealed that Combs instructed others, including people not on his approved contact list, to “call third parties.”

“The defendant has repeatedly demonstrated that, even while in custody, he recklessly and repeatedly violated the rules in an attempt to improperly influence the outcome of his case,” the new filing states. The statement is included. “In other words, the defendant has demonstrated that he cannot be trusted to comply with the rules or conditions.”

Combs faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison if convicted as charged in the criminal case.