Prosecutors say Diddy called witnesses from jail

Prosecutors allege Sean “Diddy” Combs broke prison rules by contacting potential witnesses in his upcoming sex trafficking case.

The music mogul is accused of making “relentless efforts” to “corruptly influence witness testimony” by using other inmates’ phone accounts and making three-way calls to people not on his approved contact list.

Prosecutors said a review of the recorded calls also revealed that Mr. Combs had instructed his family to contact potential witnesses in the case.

The 55-year-old rapper, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges and vehemently denies any wrongdoing, appeared in court Tuesday as the judge weighed new evidence, some of which was found in a notebook in his jail cell.

At Tuesday’s hearing, the judge ordered prosecutors to destroy copies of materials seized from Mr. Combs’ jail cell; because the judge was weighing whether they could be used in court.

Judge Arun Subramanian, who presided over the case, ruled that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York could not use the material or any excerpts from it at Combs’ bail hearing Friday. The judge said he would review the materials and decide whether they could be used at trial.

Mr. Combs’ defense team has alleged that government prosecutors illegally seized his personal notes during a search of his jail cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has been detained since his arrest in the lobby of a Manhattan hotel on September 16. They argued that some of the materials were detailed information protected under attorney-client privilege, which protects information discussed between the client and the attorney.

The government said all materials were reviewed by a “filter” team before being given to prosecutors. At the hearing, prosecutor Mary Slavik said, “The information in question is not protected.” he said. They argued that the information could be considered obstruction of justice and could override typical protections of attorney-client privilege.

The musician, best known for 1990s hits such as I’ll Be Missing You and Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems, has been denied bail since his arrest; Several judges cited the risk of tampering with witnesses. He is currently detained in Manhattan.

His lawyers last week made a renewed bid for bail, proposing a $50 million (£39.6 million) package that would see Mr Combs monitored around the clock by security staff while under house arrest.

Lawyer Alexandra Shapiro argued that it was impossible for the musician to prepare for the trial behind bars due to the “incredibly voluminous” amount of material to review, especially without a laptop.

He also said his preparation was hampered by conditions in prison, including frequent quarantine and officers taking away pens he used to take notes.

Shapiro said the detention deprived Mr. Combs of “any genuine opportunity” to be present for trial and violated his rights under the U.S. Constitution.

In response, prosecutors argued that Mr. Combs should be denied bail, arguing that he “poses serious risks of obstruction of these proceedings and serious endangerment.”

In court documents, they accused the star of orchestrating social media posts in an attempt to “influence the potential jury pool” at his trial.

Those efforts included a statement posted on Instagram by a woman known only as a “second witness” who disputed allegations made by singer Dawn Richard in a civil lawsuit against Mr. Combs.

Prosecutors claimed her statement was prepared during “multiple texts” and “multiple calls” from prison with Mr. Combs.

They also claimed there was a “strong inference” that Mr. Combs “paid off two witnesses after publishing his statement.”

A video posted by the star’s seven children on November 5 was also cited as evidence of “a public relations strategy to influence this case.”

In the video, which was reported by many media outlets, the family is seen wishing Mr. Combs a happy birthday during a phone call from the prison.

“The defendant then watched the analysis (i.e., audience participation) and openly discussed with his family how the video would have his desired impact on potential jurors in this case,” prosecutors wrote. he said.

Mr. Combs was also accused of using the phone accounts of at least eight inmates to make calls, contrary to prison regulations; and “directing others” to arrange payment for that access.

Prosecutors said Mr Combs carried out a “ruthless” scheme to “contact potential witnesses, including abuse victims, who could provide strong testimony against him”.

‘Uncanny talent’

Urging the judge to deny Mr. Combs’ bail request, prosecutors wrote that “no conditions” could eliminate potential risks to the trial.

“The defendant demonstrated an uncanny ability to get others (employees, family members, and (prison) inmates) to do his bidding,” they alleged.

“There is no reason to believe that private security personnel will be untouchable.”

Prosecutors also rejected criticism of conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. quoting from an interview “Food is probably the most challenging part” of Mr. Combs adjusting to life behind bars, said the star’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo.

The BBC has contacted the legal team for a response.

Mr. Combs’ legal troubles began last November when his former partner, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, filed a civil lawsuit alleging rape and physical assault between 2007 and 2018.

Although the case was quickly settled out of court, it led to a succession of similar accusations and an investigation by the US Government.

The star’s properties were raided by federal agents in March, and he was arrested in New York in September.

Mr. Combs was charged with three counts of sex trafficking and racketeering in a federal indictment that described the alleged drug-induced, days-long sexual performances as “Freak Events.”

The musician simultaneously faces more than two dozen civil lawsuits filed by men and women who accuse him of sexual assault, rape and sexual abuse.

Yıldız vehemently denied all the accusations against her and the allegations in the civil cases, and maintained that the sexual relations at the center of the criminal case were completely consensual.

2 lawsuits were filed against the lawyer

In a separate development on Monday, two separate lawsuits were filed against one of the lawyers known to have spearheaded more than 120 lawsuits against Mr. Combs.

A lawsuit filed against Texas lawyer Tony Buzbee by an unnamed “high-profile individual” alleges that Mr. Buzbee tried to blackmail him by threatening to go public with “completely fabricated and malicious sexual assault allegations.”

In court documents obtained by the BBC, the plaintiff identified himself as a former associate of Diddy and admitted to attending events with the embattled music mogul.

The lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee alleges that the Houston lawyer engaged in a “clear tactic” of blackmailing celebrities with fabricated allegations and letters demanding payment.

The lawsuit claims that if the demands are not met, he will resort to the media to put public pressure.

Mr Buzbee, who has denied any wrongdoing, described the application as a “last resort” to prevent the man from giving his name.

“It is clear that the frivolous lawsuit against my firm is an aggressive attempt to intimidate or silence me and ultimately my clients,” he said in a statement sent to the BBC.

“The demand letters did not include any amount of money,” he wrote. “No threats were made. The demand letters sent are no different from the demand letters that lawyers across the country routinely send in all types of cases.”

A second legal lawsuit was filed Monday in New York by an unnamed woman alleging abusive behavior toward women.

The summons states that Mr. Buzbee abused his authority as a lawyer and violated the rights of three unnamed women while representing them as clients.

“Plaintiff asserts these causes of action to address Defendant’s misconduct, which began when he assaulted Plaintiff and escalated during his representation of Plaintiff in the divorce case, where he prioritized concealing his actions over protecting Plaintiff’s legal interests,” the claim states.

Jeremy Bohrer, the lawyer who brought the case, told the BBC that Mr Buzbee was a hypocrite.

“There’s nothing worse than a black hat masquerading as a white hat.”

Mr. Buzbee has not yet responded to the second lawsuit. BBC News has been contacted for comment.