Sean Combs’ new bail application should be denied because the music mogul faces “serious risks and impediments” to his criminal sex-trafficking case, federal prosecutors argued in a court filing overnight.
The prosecutor directed Combs’ activities from behind bars, where, allegedly, “the defendant has orchestrated, among other things, social media campaigns, which, in his words, aim to pollute the jury pool; he has made efforts to publicly leak materials he considers helpful to his case and in contact with witnesses was placed through third parties”.
The file referred to Combs’ cell notes found during a search of the prison. The content of the note has been redacted, but prosecutors said there is a “strong inference” that Combs paid off an unnamed witness who posted a statement on Instagram.
The government’s filing accused Combs of using the phone accounts of at least eight other inmates at MDC-Brooklyn to “apparently evade law enforcement monitoring” and make phone calls to people not on his contact list.
In this Oct. 20, 2023, file photo, Sean “Diddy” Combs attends an event in Washington, DC.
Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images, FILE
“In order to gain or maintain access to other inmates’ (phone access code) numbers, the defendant directs payments to other inmates, including through payment processing applications and BOP commissary account deposits,” the filing states.
Defense lawyers said the new evidence “undermines”. The government’s case against Combs but as the prosecutor said, “the accused does not offer anything new and material to justify a third bail hearing” and “repeats the same arguments” rejected by two other judges.
The “almost total reductions” offered by Combs as part of an enhanced bail package are “not sufficient” to prevent his upcoming trial from being tainted, prosecutors said.
“The defendant is a violent and serial offender who uses his vast wealth and position in the entertainment industry to conceal his illegal conduct and prevent his abuse from being revealed to victims and witnesses,” prosecutors said.
The judge has scheduled the trial for Friday evening. Combs has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, sex trafficking and prostitution charges that accuse him of using violence, threats and coercion to force women into sexual acts with male prostitutes, sometimes lasting days and often recorded. The comb allegedly called the activity “freak offs”.
In arguing for the release, Orrazia argued for his video attacking his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura it really revealed “a loving, sometimes toxic, long-term relationship between two adults who decided to break up with each other.”
