For lawyers Sean “Diddy” Combs He complained of a “flood of inappropriate pre-trial publicity” and asked the judge overseeing his criminal case to order potential witnesses to remain silent.
Combs’ attorneys, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, said in a letter to the judge that statements by certain individuals “undermine Mr. Combs’ right to a fair trial and the integrity of the grand jury proceeding.”
The letter included grand jury testimony from a music producer who said he owned a videotape of the hip-hop mogul sexually assaulting celebrities.
Combs is incarcerated on charges of racketeering, forced sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution.
“These stories have spread rapidly through the media and created the impression that such videos exist, which is false, and that the government is actually being credited with its sensational claims, which is very damaging,” the letter says.
Sean Combs arrives at the 2018 Met Gala on May 7, 2018 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
The defense is seeking a court order to interdict potential witnesses and their attorneys.
The prosecutor has refused to oppose this order, partly because the plaintiffs in the civil case against Combs are outside the jurisdiction of the criminal court.
But as the defense attorneys pointed out, “it makes little sense to say that the civil lawsuits seeking to capitalize on the criminal charges against Mr. Orrazi are not involved in the criminal process anyway.”
The comb declared him innocent three-count federal indictmentand his legal team has denied any sexual assault civil charges.
