diddy indictment Archives - New Hip Hop News

Diddy’s Prosecutors Explain Why His Lawyers Are Wrong About His Bail Package

November 22, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Diddy and his legal team have admitted to breaking some rules in their trial preparations and quest for bail, but they still stand by the latter as an absolute necessity. For those unaware, a hearing on his new bail motion (one of many) will take place today (Friday, November 22) in New York federal court. Ahead of this hearing, prosecutors issued a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian explaining why they think Sean Combs does not deserve bail and why the defense’s arguments in favor of bond are faulty. Specifically, they targeted defense attorneys’ claims that he should get bail because other powerful people with similar charges have gotten bail.

Diddy’s defense team’s arguments relate to the 2024 sex trafficking case of Michael Jeffries, who secured a $10 million bond with electronic home monitoring and other conditions. However, prosecutors argue that this case is different for a few different reasons. The first is that Jeffries only faced charges of violence and obstruction in relation to sex trafficking, whereas Combs faces similar charges in other areas plus an additional racketeering charge and the use of firearms.

Diddy’s Prosecutors Argue Against His Bail

https://twitter.com/meghanncuniff/status/1859982555359137876?s=12&t=6N2L99mKx7LzXYhb_3_zwQ

The second reason that prosecutors offered as to why the defense’s arguments for Diddy’s bail are flawed is that Jeffries’ alleged conduct ended by 2015 at the very least. On the other hand, federal authorities allege that Combs’ alleged behavior persisted all the way through 2024, and that this allegedly present activity changes his circumstances. Finally, prosecutors argued that since the Bad Boy mogul is much younger with a criminal history, and since Jeffries is 80 years old with no criminal history, their cases can’t compare as closely as the defense team believes.

All in all, it will be interesting to see what the judge concludes concerning Diddy’s bail motion, and whether this latest attempt is any different from those prior. Defense lawyers also bashed the prosecution, though, so this isn’t just a one-sided allegation of bad behavior. Combs’ lawyers alleged that prosecutors altered the footage of him assaulting Cassie in a hotel and used misleading evidence to taint the narrative. A judge will have to find a balance between these dangerous and damning accusations from one side to another.

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Diddy Fires Back At Prosecution’s Claims Of Another Alleged Sex Trafficking Victim

November 9, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Diddy and his legal team continue to engage in a heated battle with prosecutors as his trial for alleged sex trafficking continues to form itself. According to court documents from Friday (November 8) reportedly obtained by TMZ, his attorneys claimed to have a lot of federal discovery material from the government over the past six weeks or so. Specifically, they seek to combat the prosecution’s claim that there could be a second alleged sex trafficking victim in this case. The original indictment against Sean Combs centered around one anonymous victim, for which they hit him with charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Furthermore, in this new court filing, Diddy’s legal team alleges that this is “nonsense,” and that this purported second alleged sex trafficking victim (a female) is “not a victim at all.” According to the defense, prosecutors haven’t yet interviewed this alleged victim, whom the Bad Boy mogul’s lawyers claim was never a target of any behavior on his behalf. In addition, the defense also alleged that he never tried to interfere in the prosecution’s investigation into this alleged victim through contact, something that they claim federal authorities know well.

Diddy Performs During REVOLT Party

Diddy Allegations Sex Trafficking Second Victim Response Hip Hop News — Feb 1, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Recording artist/rapper Sean Combs aka Diddy performs during the Revolt Party at the Time Warner Cable Studios. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images

Finally, Diddy’s legal team hit prosecutors with the scathing accusation that they led the court in a false direction and did not disclose the factual truths behind the case during his first bail hearing following his September 16 arrest in New York City. In addition to these allegations and claims, the defense also submitted yet another bail motion, comparing Puff’s case to that of other powerful individuals charged with similar alleged crimes that were able to secure bond for far less.

Meanwhile, these legal docs also address the alleged sex trafficking victim that centers the original indictment against Diddy. Defense attorneys said they were in a relationship for 11 years, but that complaints only surfaced in 2023, five years after they broke up. They additionally alleged extortive action on behalf of this alleged victim by demanding $30 million. Given the complexities of this case and its sprawling nature, only official court actions could direct us toward more concrete considerations.

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Diddy’s Lawyers Allege That Homeland Security Has “Illicit” Deal With Media Outlets

October 25, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team is still fighting to hold prosecutors accountable for what they allege is corrupt practices with the press. Their latest argument, according to journalist Meghann Cuniff, comes in the form of a new letter emphasizing their belief of the importance of a gag order in this criminal case. For those unaware, this is a measure to block confidential trial information from disseminating publicly, and the defense wants this to remedy what they alleged is a government leak to certain media outlets. As for this new letter, they point to a New York Post article. For it, the publication reportedly spoke to an alleged “federal law enforcement source who is involved in the [government’s] investigation.”

In the article itself, the alleged government source claims that the alleged videos and photos of Diddy’s alleged criminal behavior that the New York Post described to the source are “consistent with the videos [they] have.” The alleged agent also claimed that their responsibility is to determine the illegality of the parties supposedly depicted in these rumored videos. In addition, the alleged source said that they wouldn’t investigate this matter concerning the parties if there weren’t crimes allegedly taking place.

Diddy’s Legal Team Continues To Accuse The Government Of False Leaks

“There are no videos of people having sex at parties, nor has the Government alleged this as part of the Indictment.”

Here’s a PDF of the filing: https://t.co/mN3mA5wAwK

Diddy’s lawyers included a PDF of the Post article as an exhibit.https://t.co/ZjhV7NQ5Zd

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) October 25, 2024

“The federal agent’s statements clearly constitute ‘opinion[s]’ by a ‘government agent’ that have a ‘substantial likelihood… [of] interfer[ing] with a fair trial or otherwise prejudic[ing] the due due administration of justice.’ L. Crim. R. 23.1(a),” Diddy’s legal team wrote. “Indeed, the statements are ‘opinion[s] as to the accused’s guilt or innocence or as to the merits of the case or the evidence in the case,’ which as ‘presumptively’ prejudicial. L. Crim R. 23.1(d)(7). The statements also reflect that the agent has access to possible grand jury material in the form of videos and other potential evidence.”

Also, Diddy’s attorneys alleged that the discussion of the alleged videos is completely false. “There are no videos of people having sex at parties, nor has the Government alleged this as part of the Indictment.” They claim that the Department of Homeland Security formed an allegedly “illicit partnership with different press outlets… to ruin this man’s ability to get a fair trial.” The government previously denied these allegations, and the Bad Boy mogul continues to maintain his alleged innocence.

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Diddy Gets Promising Bail Update After Court Allows Him To Seek A New Hearing

October 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

It looks like Diddy still has another chance to secure bail in his federal case alleging sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. According to journalist Meghann Cuniff, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals approved a motion for him from Thursday (October 24) to temporarily place his bail appeal on hold. This is so Sean Combs can look for a new bail hearing in United States District Court, and the judge-approved order reportedly supersedes the prosecution’s objections. As such, there is still another window through which he might find bond, although it’s been a very difficult process so far that doesn’t indicate it will get any easier.

Elsewhere, Diddy and his legal team sought to place a gag order in court, in order to remedy what they allege are leaks from the government to the press. “The defense believes that Exhibit A accomplishes the intended purposes of the requested relief,” their motion reportedly reads. “To ensure that leaks, as well as damaging and false information which are undermining Mr. Combs’ right to a fair trial stop, while including reciprocal restraints on the defense. […] Unfortunately, however, we are unable to submit Exhibit A as a joint proposal, because after extensive back and forth since the October 10 conference, the parties were unable to reach agreement on the order. We did narrow the disputes, however, and understand that most, but not all, of the language in Exhibit A is acceptable to the government.”

Diddy Will Seek A New Bail Hearing

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals is allowing Sean “Diddy” Combs to put his bail appeal on hold while he seeks a new bail hearing in U.S. District Court.

Order filed today. This is over the objection of prosecutors. pic.twitter.com/BSTSeG2REc

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) October 24, 2024

While the world continues to debate about – and react to – the Diddy case, his family publicly supported him through a new statement. His children expressed how “devastating” this process has been, pointing to the many accusations and assumptions against the Combs family that they characterize as “absurdity.” Overall, they want their father to come home and believe that he will be proven to be innocent when it comes to his alleged crimes.

Others, though, are not so quick to throw their support behind Diddy despite past links. For example, Jadakiss recently praised his parties, but also made it clear that said admiration is for the parties he went to, which he says didn’t reflect the alleged crimes at hand. To put it bluntly, he was looking back at simpler times when the alleged darkness that we’ve heard about wasn’t prevalent in discussion. We’ll see what happens with this bail move…

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Diddy Continues To Target Federal Agents For Allegedly Leaking Crucial Info To The Press

October 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Diddy and his legal team continue to accuse the federal government of allegedly leaking crucial information to the press. According to these allegations, these leaks include trial materials, the Cassie assault video, and “confidential, damaging and false” claims and statements. The defense attempted to account for these alleged leaks once again, as Sean Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo filed a motion requesting a judge to enact a gag order “as partial relief” for these supposed leaks, per court documents reportedly obtained by AllHipHop. Homeland Security and other federal authorities have already denied any leaks whatsoever. Other allegations against Combs continue to mount, all of which he and his team have also denied.

“The defense believes that Exhibit A accomplishes the intended purposes of the requested relief,” Diddy’s team’s motion reportedly reads. “To ensure that leaks, as well as damaging and false information which are undermining Mr. Combs’ right to a fair trial stop, while including reciprocal restraints on the defense. […] Unfortunately, however, we are unable to submit Exhibit A as a joint proposal, because after extensive back and forth since the October 10 conference, the parties were unable to reach agreement on the order. We did narrow the disputes, however, and understand that most, but not all, of the language in Exhibit A is acceptable to the government.”

Diddy At The 2022 Oscars

Diddy Trial Gag Order Government Leaks Allegations Court Hip Hop News — HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 27: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs speaks onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Marc Agnifilo and Diddy’s legal team also alleged that Homeland Security agents “have continued their leaks” and relays of allegedly false info to press after an October 10 status conference that raised this supposed issue. As such, they believe that a gag order is crucial. In addition, the court documents reportedly alleged several examples of “sources” that spoke to CNN about the investigation as an insider scoop.

Finally, Agnifilo characterized the defense and prosecution’s disagreement over this matter as the latter “resisting language” which would cover all agents possibly exposed to grand jury information and other confidential elements about the investigation and prosecution. We’ll see whether or not the court grants this order, which could limit how information about the Diddy trial is shared. But the gag order’s hypothetical effect, if granted, still isn’t completely clear in practice.

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Diddy Faces More Obstacles In His Bid For Bail Thanks To Scathing Filing From Prosecutors

October 18, 2024 by newhiphopnews

While Diddy was denied bond three times so far in his federal case for alleged sex trafficking charges and more, he still has a shot. Specifically, it’s with a three-judge panel at the appeals court that will hear his arguments in his defense on November 4. Still, prosecutors want to make this as unlikely as possible. They recently filed an opposing motion on Wednesday (October 16) asking the appeals court to uphold Judge Andrew Carter’s decision to deny Sean Combs bail. In addition, they claimed that “clear and convincing evidence” proves why Combs is allegedly a danger to possible witnesses.

“In arguing that evidence of obstruction was ‘thin’ and that the Government ‘provided no basis to believe’ that Combs tampered with witnesses, Combs primarily quibbles with the strength of the Government’s evidence that Combs made inappropriate contact with Government witnesses,” prosecutors expressed concerning Diddy. “But Combs ignores altogether the serious and substantial allegations of obstruction, bribery and witness tampering charged in the Indictment as part Combs’ pattern of racketeering activity that amply supported Judge Carter’s determination. […] Combs’ longstanding and sophisticated methods of obstructing justice and silencing witnesses more than established his dangerousness.”

Diddy At Invest Fest 2023

Diddy Trial Bail Prosecutors Against Filing Witness Tampering Hip Hop News — ATLANTA, GEORGIA – AUGUST 26: Sean “Diddy” Combs attends Day 1 of 2023 Invest Fest at Georgia World Congress Center on August 26, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Also, prosecutors alleged that Diddy used “methodical and sophisticated means to silence and intimidate witnesses,” per the supposed results of their investigation and Judge Carter’s ruling. They claimed that he uses “loyal intermediaries” to see the intimidation through via violence, blackmail, and his financial power, pointing to this as the reason why they believe he should not secure bail. They also brought up a specific alleged example of the Bad Boy mogul texting an alleged victim. Other alleged instances of this came up in other motions and lawsuits.

Meanwhile, another legal dispute concerns whether or not Diddy laced baby oil with drugs, an unverified allegation that emerged in civil lawsuits but hasn’t been confirmed or proven by federal authorities or any other party. When federal officials raided his homes, they made no note of laced baby oil upon discovering 1,000 bottles of it. On November 4, it seems like we will know for sure whether the appeals court agrees with this latest filing from the prosecution.

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Stephen A Smith Gets Dragged For His Outrageous Theory About Diddy Trial

October 12, 2024 by newhiphopnews

While he’s mostly known for his sports commentary, Stephen A Smith just ruffled a lot of feathers with his thoughts on the Diddy trial. Specifically, Smith addressed the court’s use of evidence and the court of public opinion. “Of course, his mother Janice Combs showed up, walking into the federal courthouse as well,” he remarked on his self-titled show. “So his family’s there in full support of him. I was just taken aback by them making noise about the [Cassie] video being leaked. ‘Cause I was like, ‘How the hell is that gon’ help them?’ But in the end, when you really think about it, it does kind of help him in the court of public opinion.

“‘Cause whenever a Black man is being prosecuted,” Stephen A. Smith continued concerning Diddy. “And we think that the government has done something salacious or unethical in their pursuit of him, we gon’ side with him. At least, to a degree in terms of pointing out the kind of links they will go through to take him down. We’re also hearing that they’re coming with additional charges down the pipe, this is just the start, it ain’t the finish line. But by doing this, their belief is that that’s going to help them in the court of public opinion. I don’t know if they’re wrong, they might be right about that.” Check out the comments section of the Instagram post below to see people’s critical reactions

Stephen A. Smith Speaks On The Diddy Trial: See Comments For Reactions

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A post shared by The Neighborhood Talk (@theneighborhoodtalk)

“But they especially win if they get that tape removed and it’s not allowed to be seen by the 12 jurors that’s going to be assigned to decide whether or not he’s going to jail for 20, 25 years, to 40 years, the rest of his life, or whether he’s going to be made to be a free man,” Stephen A. Smith said about Diddy. “He still ain’t been let out on bail. If I remember correctly, a judge was removed from the case, and a different judge came about. Still ain’t removed from jail. They still haven’t granted him bail.

“But this revealing of the tape and the accusations that it was leaked by the government to assist the prosecution – well, they are the prosecution, the government,” Stephen A. Smith concluded his thoughts on the Diddy situation. “It does make sense, it might not be that bad of a strategy. And if you can get that tape removed… Hmm. They don’t have to see what he did to his ex-girl. Hmm… It’s interesting. I’m just saying, I’m just saying.”

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Diddy To Remain In Jail, More Charges Still On The Table

October 10, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Diddy and his legal team attended Manhattan federal court on Thursday (October 10) for their latest hearing, and it was a big one. Not only did the defense accept the judge’s offer for a May 2025 trial start date, but prosecutors also suggested that they could add more charges to the Bad Boy mogul’s original indictment given their still-ongoing investigation. Both teams agreed to refrain from speaking to the press moving forward, although the judge did not impose a gag order. Also, the prosecution denied defense attorney Marc Agnifilo’s claims that they leaked grand jury information to the press and are engaging in an unfair “takedown of a successful Black man.”

Back to the possible additional charges, though, this lines up with previous reports that a grand jury spoke to a sex worker allegedly linked to Diddy. However, perhaps the biggest update in the case is that the judge did not receive his third bail appeal, so they did not rule on it this time around. This means that Sean Combs will remain behind bars, and it’s unclear when the court will be able to rule on this bond attempt.

Diddy At The 2023 VMAs

Diddy Trial More Charges Bail Court Hearing Hip Hop News — US producer-musician Sean “Diddy” Combs gestures in the press room during the MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on September 12, 2023. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite all these developments, we imagine that the accusations against the prosecution that they allegedly leaked grand jury information might remain a contentious point in court. The Diddy case has so many civil allegations and federal accusations tied to it that the discourse against both sides is quite vocal. However, it’s impossible to make a full judgement call until we have a verdict from a court of law. As such, folks are still taking stock of pre-trial court developments more than anything else, especially when it comes to the specific charges against him.

Meanwhile, Diddy reportedly received an emotional prison visit recently from his twin daughters and his mother, so his family remains connected to him. With this latest hearing, we don’t know if the court will follow up on these matters and progress the trial forward sooner than we expect. But at least we have some new dates on the calendar to specifically look out for and be attentive to for new updates.

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Diddy’s Judge Offers Him Court Date For 2025 RICO Trial

October 10, 2024 by newhiphopnews

We now have an idea of when Diddy’s federal trial for alleged sex trafficking could begin thanks to a Thursday (October 10) hearing. He went to Manhattan federal court to attempt to secure bail for a third time, and according to the Inner City Press, his judge offered him and his team a start date for his trial of May 5, 2025. Also, the judge clarified that he could move it to April, but Sean Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo accepted the May start date. However, it’s unclear whether or not this set the start date in stone or if the court still has to officially confirm this date.

Nevertheless, prosecutors reportedly suggested to the judge that their case will last three weeks. In addition, the judge also set a discovery hearing for December 18, for which Diddy’s attorney requested a gag order over allegations that “agents have been leaking grand jury information and making other prejudicial statements.” Not only that, but federal prosecutors also hinted at future charges being added to the original indictment, since their investigation is still ongoing. Amid all this, we still don’t know the verdict on Puffy’s third bail attempt.

Judge’s Trial Start Date Offer For Diddy

Judge: May 5, the trial will start. Or I’ll give you April if you want.
Agnifilo: We’ll take May 5 – there is a lot of discovery.
Judge: How long will the government’s case be?
AUSA Emily Johnson: Three weeks, but…

— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) October 10, 2024

This follows Diddy’s team’s recent accusations that federal authorities leaked the footage of him assaulting Cassie in a hotel room. They also called for an alleged misconduct investigation into the federal case, but it’s still unclear whether or not they hindered his chance at a fair trial. At press time, federal authorities have not issued a public statement on the matter, although we can presume they likely discussed this during today’s (Thursday, October 10) hearing. This joins other allegations around the case, including more lawsuits of alleged misconduct against the Bad Boy mogul.

Meanwhile, Diddy’s ex bodyguard Gene Deal recently claimed that Biggie Smalls’ mother Voletta Wallace cosigned his allegations after a supposed conversation that they had. Plenty of other celebrities and accusers have drawn alleged connections between Combs and other famous figures, and pretty much all of them are just allegations. Fortunately, it seems like the court of law is moving forward with his trial and will be able to reach solid conclusions in due time. As allegations continue, it seems like only this trial could separate fact from fiction.

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Diddy Case: Court Seals Discovery Material Of Alleged Sex Trafficking From The Public

October 5, 2024 by newhiphopnews

The federal case against Diddy for alleged sex trafficking and racketeering just got an important update when it comes to its pre-trial. Moreover, journalist Meghann Cuniff reports that the prosecutors and the defense agreed to seal discovery material in court from the general public, issuing a protective order stating that they cannot post pieces of evidence or counter-evidence online. However, Cuniff clarified that this only applies to pre-trial discovery items that the prosecutors offer to the defense, not to evidence actually presented in a public courtroom. As such, it seems like a protective order is typical for a high-profile case like this before a trial actually gets underway.

“[The court will not disclose] Disclosure Material [from] the defendant or defense counsel, including any successor counsel (“the defense”) other than as set forth herein,” the Diddy filing reads. “And [Disclosure Material] shall be used by the defense solely for purposes of defending against the charges in the above-captioned case, including but not limited to preparation for trial and any sentencing, appeal, or collateral attack, which was commenced within a year of the exhaustion of the defendant’s appellate rights, involving the charges in the above-captioned case. The defense shall not post any Disclosure Material that is not publicly available on the docket in the above-captioned case on any Internet site or network site, including any social media site such as Facebook or Twitter, to which persons other than the parties hereto have access, and shall not disclose any Disclosure Material to the media.”

Diddy Case Will Not Publicize Discovery Material In Pre-Trial

“Please note that the Government has redacted a limited portion of the publicly-filed Proposed Protective Order. The redacted portion describes with particularity discovery material that implicates a victim’s privacy interests.” pic.twitter.com/eOtsIt7xtZ

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) October 4, 2024

A protective order in a high-profile case like this is common and no it does not mean that evidence actually presented in a public courtroom won’t be able to be seen by the public. This applies to the pre-trial discovery prosecutors release to the defense.

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) October 4, 2024

In addition, Meghan Cuniff also reported that “the Government has redacted a limited portion of the publicly-filed Proposed Protective Order. The redacted portion describes with particularity discovery material that implicates a victim’s privacy interests,” a filing reads. Not only that, but the new judge in this case, Arun Subramanian, told prosecutors and Diddy’s team to file a letter together that indicates “the issues that the parties [want to address] at the hearing” ahead of next Thursday’s (October 10) status conference.

Meanwhile, Diddy’s list of allegations continues to grow as more accusers and alleged victims come forward with their stories.

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