sean combs
A federal judge ordered prosecutors Tuesday not to use papers taken from the jail cell of Sean “Diddy” Combs until he rules on defense claims that they are trial preparation materials protected by attorney-client privilege.
Judge Arun Subramanian made his ruling at a Manhattan federal court hearing after lawyers fiercely disputed the circumstances and relevance of the seizure of 19 pages that were photographed by an investigator inside the cell of the music mogul.
Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is accused of coercing and abusing women for years with the aid of a network of associates and employees.
The seizure came during what the government has described as a multi-day sweep of all cells at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, intended to remove any weapons or contraband as an anti-violence measure.
Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said he may ask the judge to dismiss the indictment or force a recusal of prosecutors if the judge rules that the materials were obtained and used improperly.
Combs, who hugged his lawyers when he first entered the courtroom, carried a stack of papers as he was led away at the end of the hearing.
Agnifilo said he was unaware that the papers in Combs’ cell had been photographed by an investigator with the Bureau of Prisons and turned over to prosecutors until he saw them cited in written arguments opposing his $50 million bail proposal. A bail hearing is set for Friday.
He said two references to the papers were made as prosecutors argued that Combs has continued to commit crimes since his September arrest.
Prosecutors said Combs orchestrated social media campaigns aimed at tainting the jury pool, tried to publicly leak materials he thought would be helpful to his case and contacted potential witnesses through third parties.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Slavik said the seized materials were scrutinized by independent government lawyers who are walled off from the prosecution to determine if they were protected by attorney-client privilege.
They were not discussed with defense lawyers because some of them were deemed to pertain to a covert and continuing investigation of Combs, she said.
Slavik also said prosecutors had no contact with jail officials beforehand and gave no instructions regarding any search of Combs’ cell.
Some of the photographed pages contained a to-do list and inspirational quotes along with comments about birthdays, according to Slavik, while two excerpts pertained to Combs paying and finding damaging material about potential witnesses.
Agnifilo said, however, that even things that seem unrelated to the case are protected by attorney-client privilege. For instance, he said, attorneys have discussed with Combs prospective witnesses they might call.
“Every single thing” in the seized papers is subject to attorney-client privilege because Combs discussed them with lawyers, Agnifilo said.
“The government now knows potential defense witnesses for a May 5 trial,” he added. “This has been a complete government failure.”
The judge asked each side to submit written arguments in the coming weeks.
This story was originally published by The Associated Press.
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Source: ANGELA WEISS / Getty
Diddy’s pursuit of bail continues to be an uphill battle. Prosecutors claim he has been abusing his phone privileges to finesse the system and more.
PEOPLE reports that the mogul’s latest push for a restricted release faces more objection. On Friday (Nov. 15), prosecutors submitted new documents detailing their reasoning on why the Bad Boy Entertainment founder should not be granted a new bail hearing.
This time, they point to some of his behavior while behind bars and claim he has been bending the rules in his favor. They say the “Victory” rapper has been utilizing a “non-authorized third-party messaging service” to communicate with his staff, family, and others.
The app in question is ContactMeASAP, and the filing asserts he has been using it to contact “unauthorized” contacts. He is also accused of using other inmates’ phone access codes to make “three-way calls to contact other individuals.”
Will A Recent Social Media Media Post Doom Diddy?
Prosecutors also point to his recent conversation with his children on his birthday.
“The defendant enlisted family members to plan and execute a social media campaign around the defendant’s birthday, with the intention of influencing the potential jury in this criminal proceeding,” the paperwork reads. “At the defendant’s carefully curated direction, the defendant’s children posted a video to their respective social media accounts showing the defendant’s children gathered to celebrate the defendant’s birthday.” The feds would also go on to suspect Diddy had “monitored the analytics” of the post and “explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video had his desired effect on potential jury members in this case.”
The footage in question shows Justin Combs, Quincy Combs, Christian Combs, Jessie, D’Lila Combs, and Chance Combs, who joined via FaceTime and spoke to Diddy over the phone. His children wished him a happy birthday and had a small cake on the table in his honor. Diddy has plead not guilty to the charges.
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Source: John Nacion / Getty
The allegations against Diddy continue to grow by the day. Four different men are now accusing him of sexual assault.
As reported by TMZ, there are more individuals who say they suffered at the hands of the entertainment mogul. The first John Doe says he used to work at the Ecko Clothing in 2008. During a visit to Macy’s flagship location in Manhattan he bumped into Diddy and three of his body guards in the stockroom. The “Missing You” rapper allegedly had him pistol-whipped; while on the ground, he says Diddy then told him “Suck my d***, Ecko,” and proceeded to orally rape him.
Another man says he was contracted to work Diddy’s 2006 White Party. The plaintiff believes he consumed a laced beverage while at the event. Later on, he says Diddy forced him into a van and sodomized him. This plaintiff claims that the assault left him with semen leaking out of his anus. Another unidentified male shares a similar story but with his incident happening in 2011. This man says he drank a beverage and soon after become disoriented. He says he then woke up in a bedroom with different men sodomizing him but “distinctly recalls” Diddy above him during the crime.
The last man says he attended a White Party in 1998 when he was only 16 years old. He alleges he took a photograph with Diddy, but the entrepreneur took an interest in the young man and asked to speak to him privately. This plaintiff maintains Diddy expressed that the youngster had the right look for a career in music and then asked him to drop his pants so he can inspect his private area. The man gave in to the peer pressure and says Diddy went on to fondle his genitals.
Representing the four aforementioned plaintiffs is Tony Buzbee, the Texas-based lawyer who recently claimed to be representing a total of 120 victims of Diddy. Diddy’s lawyer has denied these allegations in an exclusive statement to USA Today. “The press conference and 1-800 number that preceded today’s barrage of filings were clear attempts to garner publicity. “In court, the truth will prevail: That Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone — adult or minor, man or woman.”
Diddy maintains his innocence. His federal trial is set to commence May 2025.
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Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty / Bow Wow / Diddy
Bow Wow has found a way to get dragged because of Diddy.
The rapper, born Shad Moss, is now being dragged after appearing on Rocsi Diaz’s podcast, More To The Story. During their conversation, the miniature rapper claimed that he misses Diddy parties.
Bow Wow’s head*ss comments come as the embattled music mogul, whom he called the “gatekeeper to the game,” is currently behind bars after he was arrested and indicted on sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting for prostitution charges for his alleged “freak off” parties.
The “Let Me Hold You” rapper lamented about Diddy’s absence from the industry party scene to host Rocsi Diaz.
“Like, BET Award weekend, like the past two, it didn’t feel right,” Bow Wow said, speaking about the BET Awards in June and BET Hip Hop Awards that went down last week in Las Vegas.
He continued, “There was no motion, there was no parties. There was nowhere to go.”
Diaz interrupted Bow Wow and pointed out the difference between the Diddy parties and his alleged freak-offs, which he denies happened.
“For the record, I left before 1 [a.m.]! I never stayed,” she told Bow Wow after he brought up industry parties they both attended.
She continued, “I’ve only been to two parties, and I’ve never seen a freak-off!”
Ignoring the off-ramp, the 37-year-old continued saying there is a “hole” now that Combs’ influence in the music industry is no longer present.
“I said, ‘Jermaine, there’s no parties,’” Bow Wow said while recalling a phone conversation he had with his mentor, Jermaine Dupri.
“You feel it. It’s like a hole. He was everything hip hop! So for that to die out, you just would have never thought,” he added.
Bruh.
Social Media Tells Bow Wow To Read The Room
Since the clip has gone viral, X users are dragging Bow Wow for his foolery.
“His stupid forever teenager ass need to read the fucking room,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Another user wrote, “Diddy has a long history of violence. Against men & women. This should not be suprising to anyone! This “we aint know. We just wanted to party” has to stop.”
Where’s the lie?
You can see more reactions to Bow Wow’s missing Diddy parties in the gallery below.
2. Very interesting
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Source: Jean Catuffe / Getty / Elon Musk
Elon Musk might want to learn to shut his mouth when discussing particular subjects.
Spotted on Page Six per The Daily Mail’s reporting, Phony Stark, aka Elon Musk, reportedly used to brag about his friendship with Sean Diddy Combs, according to a new book.
These developments come after the Tesla chief asked who knew about the disgraced music mogul allegedly sexually abusing a 9-year-old after more allegations arrived.
“I don’t know if you know this, but Puff is an investor in Twitter,” Musk proudly boasted to current Revolt CEO Detavio Samuels, reporters Ryan Mac and Kate Conger write in their new book, “Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter.” The Daily Mail reports.
“You know, he’s a good friend of mine. We text a lot,” he allegedly added.
The New York Post’s gossip section also points out photographic evidence of Musk and Diddy attending a Dave Chappelle Netflix Is A Joke comedy special in 2022.
In a repost of a Daily Mail headline reporting, “Diddy accused of abusing nine-year-old d boy and spiking drinks with horse tranquilizer with shocking claims,” Musk wrote in the caption, “How many people in music & entertainment knew about this?”
Who Else Knew?
Since Diddy’s downfall, many people wondered if any of the mogul’s famous friends knew about his shenanigans. Many of those same celebrities have quickly disassociated themselves from The Diddler after people found all the photos featuring the Bad Boy general and his celeb friends.
Then, of course, you got people like Jaguar Wright out here on a mission to link JAY-Z to Diddy’s alleged crimes.
Again, Musk needs to ensure he has all his ducks in a row before he gets on the “crazy if true” train since he’s allegedly boasting about being homies with Diddy.
Just saying.
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Source: Shareif Ziyadat / Getty / Diddy
One of Diddy’s accusers is going to need some new legal representation.
Spotted on TMZ, former boom boom flick star Adria English, who accused Diddy of sex trafficking her for one of his legendary white parties, is down an attorney.
According to documents obtained by the celebrity gossip site, Ariel Mitchell-Kidd, English’s attorney, wants off the case because she says her client is making it difficult for her to do her job.
Per TMZ:
Mitchell-Kidd also says there’s been a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship. She claims there are irreconcilable differences between them, and says Adria’s “tone and lack of respect and [her] continued behavior and self-destructive activities” have made it impossible for Mitchell-Kidd to continue representing her.
TMZ initially broke the story of English filing her lawsuit against the disgraced mogul in July, accusing him of sex trafficking and sexual assault.
A week after filing the suit, Mitchell-Kidd joined TMZ Live, revealing an indictment was coming with the Feds arresting Diddy in September, throwing him behind bars where he is currently awaiting trial after he was denied bail twice.
Diddy Is Using This Moment To Make His Case
A spokesperson for the rapper did reach out to TMZ to comment on the recent developments:
“Less than three months after filing her lawsuit against Sean Combs, Adria English has been dropped by both of her attorneys after making completely fabricated statements. In papers filed with the court today, her former attorneys cited Ms. English’s ‘questionable antics’ and ‘undermining behavior.’ As we’ve said from the start, anyone can file a lawsuit without proof — and this case is a clear example of that. English escalated things by filing false police reports and making baseless claims, using high-profile events as a backdrop to harm innocent people. No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won’t change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone.”
Even though Mitchell-Kidd is done With English, she said she is leaving early enough that her former client still has enough time to hire a new lawyer, so The Diddler is not out of hot water yet.
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Source: Christopher Polk / Getty / Sean “Diddy” Combs
The hits keep coming for The Diddler, aka Sean “Diddy” Combs, and we are not talking about records.
Spotted on Variety, the disgraced music mogul now has 120 additional lawsuits to worry about that will be filed in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami in the “coming weeks.”
On Tuesday, October 1, a press conference was held in Houston, at which a group of lawyers led by Tony Buzbee revealed the substantial number of lawsuits that are still pending.
“The biggest secret in the entertainment industry, that really wasn’t a secret at all, has finally been revealed to the world,” Buzbee said, per the Washington Post. “The wall of silence has now been broken.”
Indeed, it has.
The alleged victims of Diddy are both male and female, with ages ranging from nine to 38 at the time of the alleged incidents. According to CNN, twenty-five victims were minors, with some of them having already spoken with the FBI.
The new claims line up with the previous allegations of drug use and seeking medical attention following the alleged “freak offs.”
Per Variety:
The assaults span 30 years dating back to the early 1990s and up until this year, with half of the victims filing police reports or seeking medical attention at the time of alleged assault. The majority of the victims state that they were drugged, and that horse tranquilizer was found in several drug tests. Attorneys claim that they received more than 3,000 responses after issuing a call to victims to come forward, which they vetted and whittled down to 120 credible cases.
The lawsuits will name numerous co-defendants, including associates, family members, record labels and event venues. The victims claim that they were all threatened to stay silent, much like many of the accusers who filed lawsuits against Combs over the past year.
Diddy Says He Can’t Respond To Every “Meritless” Allegation
In a statement through his attorney, Erica Wolff, sent to Variety, Diddy, who is still locked up, called the new allegations “meritless.”
“As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” Wolff said. “That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors. He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”
Users on X, formerly Twitter, are sounding off about the latest developments in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ downfall.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
4. It’s only gonna get crazier
6. Possibly
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Sean “Diddy” Combs is currently housed in a Brooklyn detention center and has already been denied bail twice despite making several concessions. It is being reported that Diddy is putting together a new legal team in an attempt to land a third bail hearing.
In a report from TMZ, Sean “Diddy” Combs has hired two additional attorneys, Anthony Ricco and Alexandra Shapiro, which the outlet learned via sources close to the business mogul. The outlet adds that Ricco is a notable trial lawyer and Shapiro, who is not related to Robert Shapiro, has chops as an appellate lawyer and is a standout in that arena.
Combs has pleaded not guilty in the matter and according to his attorney Marc Agnifilo, he intends to take the stand after recently turning down a plea deal.
As it stands, Combs’ legal team has made its best efforts to land their client’s bail and offered a number of considerations including not allowing women to visit Combs’ Miami residence and keeping clear visitor logs. The bail package was worth $50 million according to reports.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter turned down the bail requests, citing the federal prosecutor’s stance that Diddy is “a danger.”
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Photo: Getty
Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs have formally launched an appeal of a judge’s ruling denying him bail, marking their latest effort to get him released from jail as he awaits trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
In a notice filed in Manhattan federal court on Monday (Sept. 30), the rapper’s lawyers said they would ask the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit to overturn Judge Andrew L. Carter’s ruling earlier this month, which kept Combs behind bars on the grounds that he might pose a danger if released.
Monday’s filing did not contain detailed arguments, which will be filed later at the appeals court.
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Combs, also known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, was once one of the most powerful men in the music industry. But earlier this month he was indicted by federal prosecutors over accusations of sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery. If convicted on all the charges, he potentially faces a sentence of life in prison.
Prosecutors allege that Combs ran a sprawling criminal operation, aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.” The charges detailed “freak offs” in which Combs and others would allegedly ply victims with drugs and then coerce them into having sex with male sex workers, as well as alleged acts of violence and intimidation to keep victims silent.
“For decades, Sean Combs … abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” prosecutors wrote in the indictment. “To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources and the influence of his multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled.”
A day after the indictment was unsealed, Carter denied the rapper bail. Though Combs’ legal team had offered to pay a $50 million bond and submit to strict monitoring, the judge was swayed by arguments from prosecutors that he might still flee or might obstruct the government’s case by pressuring witnesses.
The ruling has left Combs at the Metropolitan Detention Center — a federal correctional facility in Brooklyn that has long been criticized for danger and dysfunction. In court filings, Agnifilo has called the MDC “horrific” and “not fit for pre-trial detention.” In a press conference after the bail hearing, he called the jail “inhumane housing conditions.”
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Joe Budden was once affiliated with Sean “Diddy” Combs via their business dealings, but the retired rapper turned broadcaster says that is where it ended. During an episode of his eponymously named podcast, Joe Budden shut down chatter that he was seen onscreen in the so-called “freak off” footage.
During episode 760 of The Joe Budden Podcast, Budden and his co-hosts went into a deep dive regarding the allegations Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing. The conversation was first lighthearted and replete with some mild humor as is custom for the podcast but Budden shifted it a touch around the 20:00-minute mark when he explained that he wasn’t in any “freak off” footage and that his father called him to inquire further.
After debunking his involvement in any of the reported activities at the alleged sex-fueled parties, Budden spoke to the perception that the public-facing relationships had sparked among the casual observers around the 56:00-minute mark. In Budden’s view, he believes that his connection to Combs was strictly about business primarily as the “Pump It Up” star once hosted a talk show series on the REVOLT network.
The podcast episode took place when Budden recently returned from a vacation, which some fans found to be convenient timing on his part. Ice, another co-host, tried to move the conversation forward by stating that the cast had already dissected the matter and that the information wasn’t exactly new but they decided to give the matter some dedicated time all the same.
To his credit and despite their rumored connection, Joe Budden has been direct in his critique of Combs and has remained as objective as possible regarding his takes.
Check out the podcast episode in question below.
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Photo: Getty