Diddy and his attorneys have accused the federal government of committing misconduct in their handling of his sex trafficking and racketeering case.
The mogul’s lawyers filed a motion on Tuesday (October 9) requesting an evidentiary hearing into what they allege are “strategic” and “unlawful” leaks of evidence by the government to the media, as well as “false and prejudicial statements” made in the press by federal agents.
Puffy’s legal team made a number of brazen allegations in the motion, including that the leaks were “planned and executed” by the Department of Homeland Security, which carried out the raids on his homes earlier this year.
The most “egregious” example of these leaks, his attorneys argued, is the widely publicized video of Diddy assaulting Cassie in a hotel corridor in 2016.
“The videotape was leaked to CNN for one reason alone: to mortally wound the reputation and the prospect of Sean Combs successfully defending himself against these allegations,” the motion reads.
Diddy’s lawyers want a hearing to determine if Homeland Security were behind these leaks and if the U.S. Attorney’s Office was involved.
As previewed earlier, lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs have filed a motion requesting an evidentiary hearing into what they describe as leaks of grand jury evidence by federal authorities, including the 2016 video of Diddy assaulting Cassie in a hotel hallway. pic.twitter.com/kR5lOd1DNj
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) October 9, 2024
The Cassie assault footage could potentially not be allowed to be used as evidence in the trial, as could other material, if it is proved that the source of the leak was a government official.
The motion also argues for the court to “forbid government attorneys and agents involved in the case from leaking any further information to the media.”
It additionally calls for all charges to be dropped against Diddy if the alleged misconduct is found to be true.
While no date for the trial has yet been announced, the Bad Boy boss’ legal team stated in a separate filing on Tuesday that they “intend to request a trial date in April or May 2025.”
The 54-year-old remains behind bars at the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after twice being denied bail.
However, he recently launched another bid to be released from jail before trial, disputing the judge’s previous concerns regarding witness tampering and obstruction of justice.
