Diddy is calling witnesses from jail, prosecutors say

Sean “Diddy” Combs broke prison rules by contacting potential witnesses in his upcoming sex-trafficking case, prosecutors have claimed.

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

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

Mr. Combs, 55, is currently in custody in Manhattan. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him and has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

Best known for 1990s hits such as I’ll Be Missing You and Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems, the musician has been refused bail since his arrest, with several judges citing a risk of him tampering with witnesses.

His lawyers made a renewed bid for bail last week, proposing a $50m (£39.6m) package which would ensure Mr Combs is monitored around the clock by security staff while he is under house arrest.

Attorney Alexandra Shapiro argued that it was impossible for the musician to prepare for the trial behind bars because of the “incredibly voluminous” amount of material to go through, especially without a laptop.

She also said his preparation has been hampered by prison conditions, including frequent lockdowns and officers taking away the pens he uses to take notes.

Deprivation of liberty deprives Mr. Combs of “any real opportunity” to stand trial, violating his rights under the United States Constitution, Shapiro said.

In response, prosecutors argued that the bail application should be refused, arguing that Mr Combs “poses serious risks of endangerment and obstruction of these proceedings”.

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

Among those efforts, they cited an Instagram statement posted by a woman known only as “Witness Two” countering allegations by singer Dawn Richard in a civil lawsuit against Mr. Combs.

Prosecutors claimed her statement was prepared with Mr Combs during “multiple texts” and “multiple calls” from prison.

They further argued that there was a “strong inference” that Mr Combs “paid witness two after she published her statement”.

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

The video, which was reported by several media outlets, showed that the family wants Mr. Combs happy birthday during a prison phone call.

“The defendant then monitored the analytics — ie, audience engagement — and explicitly discussed with his family how he could ensure that the video had the desired effect on potential jurors in this case,” prosecutors said.

Mr. Combs was also accused of using at least eight other inmates’ phone accounts to make calls, in violation of prison regulations; and to “direct others” to orchestrate payment for that access.

Prosecutors characterized Mr Combs as embarking on a “relentless” plan to “contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse, who could give powerful testimony against him”.

Prosecutors urged the judge to deny Mr Combs’ request for bail, writing that “no set of conditions” could eliminate the potential risks 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 argued.

“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, referring to an interview from the star’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo, who said “food is probably the hardest part” of Mr Combs’ adjustment to life behind bars.

The musician’s lawyers have not yet responded to the lawsuit. The BBC has contacted his legal team for a response.

Combs’ legal troubles began last November when his ex-partner Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a civil lawsuit alleging rape and physical abuse between 2007 and 2018.

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

The star’s properties were raided by federal agents in March and he was arrested in New York in September.

Mr. Combs was charged with three counts of sex trafficking and extortion in a federal indictment that described allegations of drug-fueled, day-long sexual acts dubbed “Freak Offs.”

The musician is also facing more than two dozen civil lawsuits by men and women accusing him of sexual assault, rape and sexual exploitation.

The star has vehemently denied all the charges against him and the allegations in the civil cases, claiming the sexual encounters at the heart of his criminal case were all consensual.

In a separate development on Monday, a lawsuit was filed against one of the lawyers known to be spearheading more than 120 lawsuits against Mr. Combs.

The lawsuit, filed by an unnamed “high-profile individual” against Texas attorney Tony Buzbee, alleged that Mr. Buzbee tried to extort him by threatening to publish “completely fabricated and malicious allegations of sexual abuse.”

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

The lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee alleges that the Houston lawyer follows a “clear playbook” to extort celebrities involving fabricated claims and demanding letters demanding payment.

The lawsuit alleges that if the demands are not met, he will turn to the media to apply public pressure.

Mr. Buzbee, who denies wrongdoing, described the filing as a “last ditch effort” to prevent him from naming the person.

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

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

Additional reporting by Samantha Granville