Breaking News: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of ‘improperly’ influencing sex trafficking case… Read More

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of ‘improperly’ influencing sex trafficking case
Posted 15m ago15 minutes ago
A headshot of Diddy wearing a white suit, standing in front of a grey background
The music mogul has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years.(AP: Jordan Strauss/Invision)
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has tried to reach out to prospective witnesses and influence public opinion in a bid to affect potential jurors for his upcoming sex trafficking trial, prosecutors claimed in a court filing urging a judge to reject his latest bail request.

The government accusations were made late on Friday, local time in a Manhattan federal court filing that opposes the music mogul’s third and latest $US50 million ($AU77 million) bail proposal. A bail hearing is scheduled for next week.

In the request, they cited changed circumstances, including new evidence, which they said made it sensible to release Mr Combs so he can better prepare for his May 5 trial.

But prosecutors said the defence lawyers created their latest bail proposal using some evidence prosecutors turned over to them and the new material was already known to defence lawyers when they made previous bail applications.

In their submission to a judge, prosecutors said Mr Combs’ behaviour in jail shows he must remain locked up.

The music mogul 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.

Prosecutors wrote that a review of recorded jail calls made by Mr Combs shows he has asked family members to reach out to victims and potential witnesses and has urged them to create “narratives” to influence the jury pool.

They said Mr Combs began breaking rules almost as soon as he was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after his September arrest.

These included encouraging marketing strategies to sway public opinion.

Prosecutors said Mr Combs had enlisted family members to plan and carry out a social media campaign around his birthday “with the intention of influencing the potential jury in this criminal proceeding”.

He 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”, they said.

The prosecutors also alleged Mr Combs during other calls made clear his intention to anonymously publish information that he thought would help his defence 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,” they wrote.

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.”

They argued that it could be inferred from his behaviour that Mr Combs wants to blackmail victims and witnesses into silence or into providing testimony helpful to his defence.