NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs Prosecutors said in a court filing asking a judge to deny a recent bail request that they contacted potential witnesses from prison to influence potential jurors in an upcoming sex trafficking trial. , claimed that he was trying to influence public opinion.
The government's charges were made in a motion filed late Friday in Manhattan federal court challenging the music mogul's latest $50 million bail offer. A bail hearing is scheduled for next week.
Prosecutors reviewed records of Combs' prison phone calls and found that he asked family members to contact potential victims and witnesses and told “stories” to influence jurors. He wrote that it became clear that he was encouraging people to create their own. He has also encouraged marketing strategies that sway public opinion, he said.
“Even while in custody, the defendant has repeatedly demonstrated a flagrant disregard for the rules in order to unduly influence the outcome of the case. In other words, the defendant has demonstrated a flagrant disregard for the rules and conditions. have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted,” prosecutors wrote in a redacted filing.
Prosecutors wrote that Combs' actions suggest he was trying to intimidate victims and witnesses into silence or testifying in his own defense.
Combs' attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
Prosecutors said Combs, 55, began breaking rules as soon as he was taken into custody. Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after being arrested in September.
He has pleaded not guilty to the following charges: he forced and abused women For years, with the help of its employees and networks of employees, it has silenced its victims through threats and violence, including kidnappings, arson, and physical beatings.
Two judges concluded he was a danger to the community and a flight risk.
His lawyers recently filed a third bail request after two previous attempts, including a $50 million bail offer, were rejected.
In their request, they cited changes in circumstances, including new evidence, and said it was prudent to release Combs to allow him to better prepare for his May 5 trial.
However, the prosecution argued that the defense attorney had created the latest bail proposal using some of the evidence submitted by the prosecutor, and that the new material was already known to the defense attorney when he made the previous bail application.
Prosecutors said in a filing with the judge that Combs' actions in prison indicate he must remain locked up.
For example, Combs asked his family to help him plan and execute a social media campaign around his birthday “for the purpose of influencing potential jurors in this criminal case,” the complaint said.
The children were encouraged to post videos on their social media accounts of themselves getting together to celebrate their birthdays.
He then oversaw the analysis, which included viewer participation, from prison and “expressly discussed with the family how to ensure the video had the desired impact on potential jurors in this case,” they said.
The government also claimed that Combs, during other calls, made clear his intention to anonymously release information he believed would be helpful in his defense to the charges.
“Defendant's efforts to undermine the fairness of this proceeding include persistent efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of abuse, who may provide compelling testimony against him. ” the prosecutor wrote.
