The federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is scheduled to begin May 5, with federal prosecutors and prosecutors over whether details of the sex trafficking case against the embattled hip-hop mogul are being disclosed. A New York City judge declared Thursday as defense attorneys clashed in court. It leaked.
Combs’ attorney, Mark Agnifilo, asked U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan to issue a gag order, accusing federal agents of leaking grand jury information and making adverse comments to the media. .
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson argued that the defense was simply trying to eliminate “damning evidence” disguised as media statements.
Among the leak allegations raised by the defense: a 2016 video showing Mr. Combs punching his then-girlfriend, singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, was aired on CNN in May and cost him a Grammy Award. urged Combs, founder of the award-winning Bad Boy Records. After the video was released, he apologized and expressed remorse.
“None of the leaks came from the prosecution team,” Johnson said.
Subramanian said he would postpone sentencing on the gag order and consider an order prohibiting public sharing of information that would undermine a fair trial.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government could take three weeks to bring charges against Combs, 54, who last month pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, extortion and trafficking. However, the length of the trial could change if a potentially superseded indictment is filed, she told Subramanian.
Agnifilo, Combs’ attorney, said the defense’s case could take about a week. Combs, wearing a beige shirt and pants, appeared anxious at times in the packed courtroom and turned to his supporters in the audience, including his mother, Janice Small Combs, and her children.
Mr. Combs has remained jailed in Brooklyn since his arrest on September 16, after two separate judges denied him bail twice. A separate bail appeal is pending in New York’s 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, but Subramanian ordered Combs to remain in custody because that application was not before him.
The massive criminal case by Manhattan federal prosecutors is the most serious yet facing Mr. Combs in a winding legal saga that spans decades and includes new lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and misconduct. The federal indictment alleges Combs orchestrated and recorded forced sex acts at gatherings known as “freak-offs.”
Combs could face life in prison if convicted.
Combs’ attorney, Erica Wolfe, said in a statement that Combs “categorically denies any allegation that he sexually abused anyone, including minors, as false and defamatory.”
Many of the lawsuits were filed in New York City, where sexual abuse charges can be filed even after the statute of limitations has passed under the Gender-Based Violence Victim Protection Act. Mr. Combs settled a lawsuit last year in which Mr. Ventura accused him of rape and abuse. The attorney said Combs “categorically denies” the allegations related to the incident.
Agnifilo similarly denies the criminal charges.
“He is going to fight this with all his heart, his full strength and the full trust of his lawyers,” Agnifilo told reporters last month. “And I expect a long battle with a good outcome for Mr. Combs.”
In a joint letter from Combs’ lawyers and prosecutors to the judge this week, his legal team said they “continue to advocate for his right to a speedy trial and, consistent with the court’s regulations, will seek a “We intend to request a trial date in September or May.” Court trial schedule. ”
But prosecutors told Subramanian they had a “large amount” of evidence, including “terabytes of electronic material,” that they were beginning to turn over to the defense.
Items already turned over include a search warrant in the case, Combs’ cellphone seized in March, and a report on his iCloud account.
Johnson said Thursday that prosecutors intend to complete discovery for trial by the end of the year. She added that 96 devices related to the incident were seized from Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami, and from Combs himself at the Miami airport.
Johnson said some of the devices were found broken and it could take longer to extract data from them.
A discovery conference hearing was scheduled for Dec. 18.
At the end of Thursday’s hearing, Combs waved to family members, blew kisses and made prayer gestures before being led away.
Amid speculation about other celebrities who may be implicated in Combs’ accusations, another defense attorney, Anthony Rico, later told reporters that his client was “doing fine.” Ta.
“His family came to support him today,” Rico said. “We really want to put an end to all the clowning we see on the internet. This is a serious case with serious consequences, and we are all responding accordingly.”
