Prosecutors in the US have accused Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs of continuing efforts to obstruct the federal racketeering and sex trafficking case being brought against him despite being locked up in a federal jail.
Court papers allege music mogul Diddy has been trying to evade government monitoring of phone calls from behind bars by seeking to arrange three-way phone calls and to buy the use of other inmates’ phone privileges.
Claims are that he allegedly attempted to blackmail victims and potential witnesses and “corruptly influence” public opinion from behind bars as he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges, according to court documents filed Friday.
“The defendant has demonstrated an uncanny ability to get others to do his bidding, employees, family members, and M.D.C. inmates alike,” prosecutors wrote.
“The defendant has shown repeatedly — even while in custody — that he will flagrantly and repeatedly flout rules in order to improperly impact the outcome of his case. The defendant has shown, in other words, that he cannot be trusted to abide by rules or conditions,” prosecutors stated in the partially redacted papers.”
Details of the recipients and substance of the phone calls were redacted in the court documents.
The calls generated using other inmates’ privileges were not identified as being directed at witnesses, but prosecutors said they were evidence of Combs’s disregard for the jail’s regulations and were part of what they described as obstruction efforts.
The Government’s account comes a week before another hearing to decide whether the 55-year-old rapper should be granted release on bail.
Since September, Diddy has been behind bars at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, inside a special housing unit where high-profile inmates are often assigned.
He has pleaded not guilty and vehemently denied all criminal charges levied against him, arguing that the drug-fuelled sexual encounters called freak offs at the heart of his case were all consensual.
His lawyers have said that if granted bail, their client would be put under extremely restricted conditions with no access to a phone or internet, and would abide by limitations on whom he contacts.
The proposed bail package includes a $50 million bond and a team of private security personnel to monitor Mr. Combs at all hours to assure the court that he would not engage in obstruction efforts.
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