Sean “Diddy” Combs tried to influence public opinion by contacting potential witnesses from prison to influence potential jurors in an upcoming sex trafficking trial, prosecutors have told a judge. made the argument in a court filing asking that his recent bail request be denied.
The government's charges were made late Friday in a motion filed 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.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September and began violating rules about the same time he was booked into Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, prosecutors said.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he used his employees and employee networks to coerce and abuse women over a period of years, while silencing his victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnappings, arson, and physical beatings. are.
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 prepared the latest bail proposal using evidence submitted by the prosecutor, and that the defense attorney had already known the content of the latest bail proposal.
Prosecutors said in their filing 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.” That's what it means.
Combs said she encouraged her children 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.
