Rap star and music industry mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs faces spending decades in federal prison over allegations that he engaged in racketeering and sex trafficking.
While Combs’ lawyers recently asked that a gag order be imposed on prosecutors, the judge presiding over his case slammed that request down.
Judge issues order applying to all parties
According to Page Six, Judge Arun Subramanian refused to impose an order exclusively targeting Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers.
However, he did issue a more general order which prohibits all parties to the case from leaking grand jury evidence which could reduce the likelihood of a fair trial.
“To be clear, this order isn’t based on a finding that there has been any wrongdoing thus far, as the Court has made no findings at this juncture relating to defendant’s allegations that information related to the case has been leaked,” he wrote on Friday.
“The point of this order is to help ensure that nothing happens from now on that would interfere with a fair trial,” he continued before adding, “The Court will take appropriate action for any violation of the rules.”
Attorneys point to video showing Combs beating ex-girlfriend
Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos are two of Combs’ attorneys, and the Los Angeles Times reported earlier this month that they accused prosecutors of illegally leaking evidence from grand jury proceedings.
The defense team put that claim forward in a court filing which cited a damning video clip that was first broadcast in May by CNN.
A 2016 surveillance video obtained by CNN shows Sean “Diddy” Combs violently grab, shove, drag and kick his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura during an altercation in a hotel in California. https://t.co/JrnJhWOaQt pic.twitter.com/xeRBtoGBDV
— CNN (@CNN) May 17, 2024
The footage was recorded by a security camera at a California hotel in 2016 and it showed Combs punching and dragging his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
The video later went viral on social media and was included by Ventura in a lawsuit which accused Combs of rape, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. The lawsuit was subsequently settled out of court.
U.S. Attorney: No “factual basis” to the defense’s allegations
Agnifilo and Geragos’ filing asserted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “engaged in a seven-month campaign … strategically leaking confidential grand jury material and information, including the 2016 Intercontinental videotape, in order to prejudice the public and potential jurors against Mr. Combs.”
CNN reported that for his part, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams insisted there was no “factual basis” to the defense’s allegations.
What’s more, Williams also put out a statement on September 17 laying out the charges against Combs and asking anyone with additional information to come forward.
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Author: Adam Peters
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