Attorneys for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs allege government leaked evidence to the media, impeding ‘fair trial’
By Kara Scannell, CNN
New York (CNN) — Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs filed a motion late Wednesday accusing the government of leaking a video of the hip-hop mogul beating his former girlfriend and other evidence to the media, asking a judge to potentially bar the footage from a trial.
The motion filed in the Southern District of New York references the 2016 hotel surveillance video published exclusively by CNN that shows Combs dragging and kicking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Combs’ lawyers accused the government of leaking the video to CNN. They did not provide evidence for their claims.
CNN declined to comment.
In a letter to the judge Wednesday night Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, wrote that “the Government was not in possession of the video before its publication by CNN” and that there is no “factual basis” for Combs’ assertion that authorities leaked the video to CNN or in violation of grand jury secrecy rules.
The musician and producer is currently in federal custody as he awaits trial on counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
Combs is also facing multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of a range of sexual misconduct and other illegal activity.
The motion filed by Combs’ attorneys also alleges that authorities alerted the media about the searches in March of his homes in Los Angeles and Miami.
The motion claims the leaks “taint the jury pool and deprive Mr. Combs of his right to a fair trial.”
Combs’ attorneys asked the judge to impose a gag order prohibiting the government from providing information about evidence in the case to the media. His attorneys claim the alleged leaks make it hard for Combs to get a fair trial.
They contend the leaks came from agents of the Department of Homeland Security, whose Homeland Security Investigations division conducted the search, and not from prosecutors on the case.
Spokespersons for HSI New York and the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
Combs’ attorneys said prosecutors informed them that they did not obtain the hotel surveillance video through the grand jury process and that DHS agents were not in possession of the video until after CNN aired it.
Combs initially denied allegations of abusing Ventura, which were included in a November 2023 lawsuit she filed before the video was made public.
Following the release of the video, Combs apologized.
CNN’s Lisa Respers France contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire
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