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Heart Breaking News: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ lawyers seek names of his alleged victims from prosecutors… See More
Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs want to know details of the evidence the government has against him as they mount a defense for the music mogul’s 2025 trial.
In a Tuesday court filing obtained by USA TODAY, Combs’ legal team addressed U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in a letter requesting a ruling that would require prosecutors “to identify its alleged victims” who helped them build a case against Combs. The 54-year-old is accused of using his status in the industry to engage in a “recurrent and widely known” pattern of abuse involving sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York “opposes disclosure of alleged victims’ names at this stage,” Combs’ lawyers claim.
In a letter dated Oct. 7 that was included as an exhibit, his defense asked prosecutors for the identities of the music mogul’s alleged victims, writing, “In order for Mr. Combs to defend against the charges against him effectively, it is imperative that he know the identity of the alleged victims. … Accordingly, we demand that the government provide the names of all individuals it considers to be victims of Mr. Combs’ alleged criminal conduct.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
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Combs has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to all federal criminal charges amid mounting civil lawsuits over the past year accusing him of sexual assault, abuse, battery and sex trafficking, among other allegations.
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Diddy’s lawyers accuse prosecution of ‘forcing him … to play a guessing game’
In their Oct. 7 letter, Combs’ team requests any information gathered by investigators that might work against the government’s case, including possible witness statements about participation in his so-called “freak offs” being consensual and consumption of drugs and alcohol being voluntary.
They also ask for any failures at finding corroborating evidence to back witnesses’ allegations. Per Brady v. Maryland, a landmark 1963 ruling, the prosecution in a case is required to share Brady material, which is evidence that is favorable to the person accused of a crime.
“Without clarity from the government, Mr. Combs has no way of knowing which allegations the government is relying on for purposes of the Indictment,” his lawyers wrote to Judge Subramanian on Tuesday. “Absent a bill of particulars, the government is forcing him, unfairly, to play a guessing … game — one made all the more challenging by the onslaught of baseless allegations that desperate plaintiffs are lodging at him (for the most part anonymously) in civil suits designed to exact a payoff from Mr. Combs and others.”
A bill of particulars details claims against a defendant.