Diddy accused of using jailmates’ phones to try to blackmail witnesses in sex trafficking case
The music mogul made ‘relentless efforts’ to ‘corruptly influence witness testimony,’ court documents claimed
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Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused by prosecutors of using jailmates’ phones from inside prison to blackmail potential witnesses ahead of his high-profile sex-trafficking trial.
The music mogul allegedly called up family members, urging them to reach out to potential victims and create “narratives” and made "relentless efforts" to "corruptly influence witness testimony,” court documents claimed. Prosecutors made the allegations as part of a motion filed on Friday in which they urged a Manhattan judge to reject Combs’ latest $50 million bail proposal.
“The defendant has shown repeatedly — even while in custody — that he will flagrantly and repeatedly flout rules in order to improperly impact the outcome of his case. The defendant has shown, in other words, that he cannot be trusted to abide by rules or conditions,” prosecutors wrote in a submission that contained redactions.
Prosecutors said Combs, 55, began breaking rules almost as soon as he was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after his September arrest, and that it could be inferred from his behavior that he had attempted to blackmail victims and witnesses.
Such attempts were made using other inmates’ telephone accounts, and using “three-way calls” to speak to people who are not on his approved contacts list, according to the documents.
Prosecutors also claimed that Combs had encouraged those he contacted to create marketing strategies and social media campaigns – including one timed around his birthday – to sway public opinion, ahead of the trial. He has encouraged his children to post a video to their social media accounts showing them gathered to celebrate his birthday, they said.
Afterward, he monitored the analytics, including audience engagement, from the jail and “explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video had his desired effect on potential jury members in this case," the filing added.
The government also alleged Combs during other calls made clear his intention to anonymously publish information that he thought would help his defense against the charges.
“The defendant’s efforts to obstruct the integrity of this proceeding also includes relentless efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse who could provide powerful testimony against him,” prosecutors wrote.
Lawyers for Combs did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Associated Press.
The mogul, who founded Bad Boy Records, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with the aid of a network of associates and employees, while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.
Two judges have concluded he is a danger to the community and a risk to flee. His lawyers recently made a third request for bail after the rejection of two previous attempts, including a $50 million bail proposal.
In the request, they cited changed circumstances, including new evidence, which they said made it sensible to release Combs so he can better prepare for his May 5 trial.
But prosecutors said defense lawyers created their latest bail proposal using evidence prosecutors turned over to them and the new material was already known to defense lawyers when they made previous bail applications.
In their submission to a judge, prosecutors said Combs’ behavior in jail shows he must remain incarcerated.
The Associated Press contributed to this report