Diddy lawyers claim seizure of writings from cell is ‘outrageous government behavior’

NEW YORK (AP) — Lawyers for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused prosecutors on Monday of engaging in “outrageous government conduct” by using materials seized from his jail cell to try to keep him incarcerated before a trial in May.

They said information gathered in a raid on Combs’ cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn was cited in papers the government filed in Manhattan federal court on Friday in an effort to keep the music mogul locked up before his May 5 trial.

“This is a matter of grave concern which, with great respect, must be dealt with immediately,” the lawyers told Judge Arun Subramanian, who has already scheduled a bail hearing for Friday for Combs. They requested an “immediate hearing” so prosecutors can explain who authorized the search of Combs’ cell, where personal belongings and papers were seized.

Later Monday, prosecutors responded to the allegations with a letter to the judge saying the inspection of Combs’ cell was part of a prison-wide, security-related sweep unrelated to Combs or his prosecution.

They said the search was planned before Combs was arrested and was properly carried out with an investigator going into Combs’ cell and deciding not to examine a manila envelope marked “legal” that was in the cell.

They added that any potentially privileged material was first seen by a “filter team” of government lawyers not working on the case. The team was tasked with weeding out any confidential communications protected by attorney-client privilege so that trial prosecutors could not see them.

Combs, 55, has been held since his September arrest on that charge he coerced and abused women for years using a network of business partners and employees. An indictment accuses him of silencing victims through extortion and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently seeking to be released to house arrest through a $50 million bail package.

Prosecutors said Friday that Combs has tried to evade the investigation into his jailhouse communications while orchestrating social media campaigns aimed at tainting the jury pool and trying to publicly leak materials he believes are helpful to his case. They said he has also contacted witnesses through third parties.

In their letter Monday, attorneys for Combs noted that prosecutors acknowledged in their bail arguments last week that they possess “possibly privileged materials, such as notes recovered from the defendant’s cell.”

Combs’ lawyers called it “outrageous government conduct amounting to a substantial violation of due process.”

They accused prosecutors of viewing their client’s “privileged memos to his attorneys regarding defense witnesses and defense strategies.”