According to prosecutors, Diddy called witnesses from prison

Prosecutors say Sean “Diddy” Combs is violating prison rules by contacting potential witnesses in his upcoming sex trafficking trial.

The music mogul is accused of making “relentless efforts” to “corruptly influence witness testimony” by using other inmates’ phone accounts and making three-way calls to people who are not on his approved contact list.

Prosecutors said a review of recorded conversations also showed that Mr. Combs instructed the family to contact potential witnesses in his case, they said in a court filing.

The 55-year-old rapper, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges and vehemently denied any wrongdoing, appeared in court Tuesday as a judge considered new evidence, some of which was found in a notebook in his cell.

At Tuesday’s hearing, the judge ordered prosecutors to destroy copies of materials seized from Mr. Combs’ cell while the judge considered whether they were suitable for use in court.

Judge Arun Subramanian, who is overseeing the case, ruled that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York cannot use the materials or any portions of them at Combs’ upcoming bail hearing Friday. The judge said he would examine the materials and consider whether they could be used at trial.

Combs’ defense attorney argued that government prosecutors unlawfully seized his personal notes during a search of his cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has been held since his Sept. 16 arrest in a Manhattan hotel lobby. They argued that some of the materials contained detailed information covered by attorney-client privilege, which protects information discussed between a client and a lawyer.

The government detailed that a “filtering” team reviewed all materials before they were turned over to prosecutors. “The information in question is not protected,” prosecutor Mary Slavik said at the hearing. They argued that the information could be considered an obstruction of justice and violated the typical protection of attorney-client privilege.

The musician, who is best known for ’90s hits such as I’ll Be Missing You and Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems, has been denied bail since his arrest, with multiple judges citing the risk that he could tamper with witnesses . He is currently in custody in Manhattan.

Last week, his lawyers reapplied for bail, proposing a $50 million (£39.6 million) package that would see Mr Combs under 24-hour security surveillance under house arrest.

Alexandra Shapiro’s lawyer argued that the musician could not prepare for the trial behind bars due to the “extremely extensive” amount of material to review, especially without a laptop.

She also said his preparations were hampered by prison conditions, including frequent lockups and officers taking away the pens he uses to take notes.

Shapiro said the detention deprives Mr. Combs of “any real opportunity” to prepare for trial, in violation of his rights under the U.S. Constitution.

In response, prosecutors moved to dismiss the bail application, maintaining that Mr. Combs “poses a significant risk of danger and obstruction of justice.”

In court documents, they accused the star of orchestrating social media posts to “influence a potential jury” during his trial.

Among those efforts, they cited an Instagram statement posted by a woman known only as “witness two” in which she refuted allegations made by singer Dawn Richard in a civil suit against Mr. Combs.

Prosecutors alleged that her statement was made jointly with Mr. Combs over “multiple text messages” and “multiple phone calls” from prison.

They further alleged that there was a “strong inference” that Mr. Combs “paid Witness Two after she published her statement.”

A video posted on November 5 by the star’s seven children was also cited as evidence of a “public relations strategy to influence this case.”

The recording, reported by multiple media outlets, shows the family wishing Mr. Combs a happy birthday during a prison phone call.

“The defendant then monitored the statistics, i.e., audience engagement, and explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video in this case would have the desired impact on potential jury members,” prosecutors said.

Mr. Combs was also accused of using the phone accounts of at least eight other inmates to make phone calls, contrary to prison rules; and “directing others” to arrange payment for this access.

Prosecutors characterized Mr. Combs as pursuing a “ruthless” program of “contacting potential witnesses, including victims of his violence, who could provide strong testimony against him.”

“Amazing Ability”

Urging the judge to deny Mr. Combs’ bail application, prosecutors wrote that “no conditions” could eliminate the potential risk to the trial.

“The defendant has demonstrated an uncanny ability to get others to do his bidding – employees, family members and (prison) inmates alike,” they alleged.

“There is no reason to believe that private security personnel would be immune.”

Prosecutors also rejected criticism of conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, citing an interview from the star’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, who said that “eating is probably the hardest part” of Combs adjusting to life behind bars.

The BBC has contacted his legal team for a response.

Mr. Combs’ legal troubles began last November when his former partner Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a civil lawsuit alleging incidents of rape and physical assault between 2007 and 2018.

Although the case was quickly settled out of court, it led to a flurry of similar accusations and an investigation by the U.S. government.

In March, federal agents raided the star’s property, and in September he was arrested in New York.

Combs was charged with three counts of sex trafficking and racketeering in a federal indictment that detailed allegations of day-long drug-fueled sex performances known as “freaks.”

The musician is currently facing over twenty civil cases brought by men and women accusing him of sexual assault, rape and sexual abuse.

The star vehemently denies all allegations against him and claims in civil lawsuits, arguing that the sexual contacts that formed the basis of his criminal case were consensual.

2 lawsuits were filed against the lawyer

In a separate development on Monday, two separate lawsuits were filed against one of the lawyers known for handling more than 120 lawsuits against Mr. Combs.

In one lawsuit, filed by an anonymous “celebrity” against Texas attorney Tony Buzbee, Buzbee tried to extort him for money by threatening to go public with “completely fabricated and malicious allegations of sexual assault.”

In court documents obtained by the BBC, the plaintiff identified himself as a former colleague of Diddy and admitted attending events with the crisis-ridden music mogul.

The lawsuit against Buzbee alleges that the Houston lawyer follows a “clear playbook” in extorting celebrities by fabricating allegations and demanding payment.

The lawsuit alleges that if demands are not met, he turns to the media to exert public pressure.

Buzbee, who denies wrongdoing, described the report as a “last attempt” to stop him from naming the person.

“It is clear that the frivolous lawsuit filed against my company constitutes an aggressive attempt to intimidate or silence me and, ultimately, my clients,” he said in a statement to the BBC.

“No amount of money was mentioned in the demands,” he wrote. “No threats were made. The demand letters sent are no different than those routinely sent by lawyers across the country in all types of cases.”

On Monday, an anonymous woman filed a second lawsuit in New York, accusing him of abusing women.

The summons alleged that Mr. Buzbee abused his powers as an attorney and raped a third unnamed woman while representing her as a client.

“Plaintiff brings this action to remedy Defendant’s misconduct, which began with his assault on Plaintiff and escalated during his representation of her in divorce proceedings, where he prioritized concealing his actions over protecting her legal interests,” the lawsuit reads.

In a statement to the BBC, the lawyer who brought the lawsuit, Jeremy Bohrer, called Buzbee a hypocrite.

“There’s nothing worse than a black hat pretending to be white.”

Mr. Buzbee has not yet responded to the second lawsuit. BBC News has asked for comment.