Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ is trying to ‘blackmail’ witnesses from jail, prosecutors say

Federal prosecutors are once again urging a judge not to grant Sean “Diddy” Combs bail, alleging the mogul has tried to tamper with witnesses and influence potential jurors behind bars.

Prosecutors filed a motion late Friday in response to a motion filed by Combs requesting another bail hearing after he was previously denied pretrial release by two different judges.

In the latest filing, prosecutors allege that Combs has made “relentless efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse, who could provide powerful testimony against him.”

The Bad Boy Records founder is accused of using other inmates’ phone passwords, known as PAC numbers, to contact multiple people — including his sons — from prison and making “three-way calls to contact other individuals.”

Prosecutors also allege Combs used a third-party communications service called ContactMeASAP to contact “unauthorized” individuals.

Several of the prosecutors’ allegations in the case have been removed. Prosecutors cited the case of an October call between Combs and one of his adult sons as an example of his alleged efforts to contact witnesses, but the details of that call appear to have been redacted. But prosecutors argue that the solicitation “gives the clear inference that the defendant’s goal is to blackmail victims and witnesses either into silence or into providing testimony helpful to his defense.”

Combs also tried to shape the public’s perception of the case behind bars, prosecutors allege. They cite a video posted on Instagram by Combs’ son, Justin, in which the mogul’s children sing happy birthday over the phone to their incarcerated father, who turned 55 on Nov. 4.

Prosecutors say that from prison, Combs “oversaw the analytics” and “audience engagement — and explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure the video had the desired effect on potential jurors in this case.”

The mogul is charged with sex trafficking, extortion and transportation to engage in prostitution, according to a federal indictment.

Combs was initially denied bail when a judge cited concerns that he could tamper with witnesses.

The indictment against Combs alleges he used his influence to orchestrate “freak offs,” which prosecutors say were highly orchestrated sex acts involving male sex workers and women who were either coerced or coerced into participating.

Combs has pleaded not guilty but has been jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while he awaits trial.

In a Nov. 8 filing, Combs’ lawyers tried once again to have him released, albeit on very strict conditions.

The bail motion claims the prosecution’s case is “thin” and cites a March 2016 video referenced in the initial indictment against the Bad Boy Records founder in which he appears to assault a woman at a Los Angeles hotel Angeles.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter to get the latest crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details on exciting unsolved cases.

“The video is not evidence of a forced ‘freak off,’ but rather a minute-long glimpse into a complex but decades-long consensual relationship between Mr. Combs and Victim 1,” the defense argues.

Combs’ lawyers proposed house arrest with 24/7 security monitoring and “almost total restrictions” on Combs’ ability to contact anyone other than his defense team.

Combs’ trial is currently scheduled for May 2025.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.