Judge Rules Against Use of Evidence From Diddy’s Prison Cell

Judge Grants Diddy Legal Victory Against Prosecutor’s Misconduct Allegations.

A federal judge has announced that he will not consider any evidence from a search of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ jail cell during his upcoming bail hearing; This marks a victory for the music mogul.

Judge Arun Subramanian also ordered the prosecution to destroy copies of the 19-page notes collected during the search.

Sean Combs, 55, appeared in court on Tuesday, November 19, visibly unshackled and appeared more relaxed than at previous hearings. He entered the courtroom wearing khaki overalls and hugged his lawyers.

A hearing was scheduled after prosecutors alleged in a filing Monday night that Combs’ attorney-client privilege was violated when items were taken from his cell during a Bureau of Prisons search. Sean Combs’ attorney called it “outrageous government behavior” and a “violation of due process.”

Additionally, the defense argued that the seized items included notes Combs wrote to his lawyers about defense strategies.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said: “When we visit him in prison we have lists, everything in those notebooks are things we discuss. The trial strategy of who we should talk to to undermine a witness is ‘Credibility. We discuss everything with Mr. Combs.”

Prosecutors argued that the majority of items seized during the operation, which was thought to have been pre-arranged at the facility before Combs’ arrest, were not related to the case and were not specifically targeted at any inmate, thus lacking legal privilege.

During the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik explained that the notes taken from Combs’ cell dealt primarily with personal matters such as birthdays and “inspirational quotes.”

Slavik also emphasized that “the investigation is still very active.”

In response to the defense’s request that led to the trial, prosecutors announced that the notes found in the cell were first reviewed by a “Filter Team” before being turned over to the prosecution team handling Combs’ case.

Additionally, in a separate motion, Combs’ attorneys requested that he be allowed to appear in court without any restrictions for all upcoming hearings.

They suggested that seeing him in shackles could have led to “jury bias,” especially given the extensive media coverage surrounding the case. Subramanian approved the request before Tuesday’s hearing.

Combs faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation for the purpose of prostitution after authorities allege he staged complex sex acts known as “freaks” and forced women to have sex with male sex workers.

The Bad Boy Records founder has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest in September. He was denied bail twice by two different judges who expressed concerns about the possibility of witness tampering.

The third bail hearing will be held on Friday, November 22.