Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs are demanding that the government release the names of his alleged sexual abuse victims, arguing that he cannot fairly defend himself without knowing their identities.
In a motion filed late Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, the star's lawyers asked a judge to compel prosecutors to file a so-called bill of particulars, revealing exactly who accused him of abuse.
Citing a “torrent” of unnamed civil charges that range from “spurious to completely absurd,” Combs' attorneys say they can't adequately defend without knowing which of those allegations form the basis of the criminal charges.
“The government is forcing him, unfairly, to play a guessing game – made even more difficult by the onslaught of baseless claims that desperate plaintiffs are filing against him (mostly anonymously) in civil lawsuits designed to recover from Mr. .Combs and others,” attorney Combs Marc Agnifilo he writes in the deposition.
Defense attorneys say the wording of the sex-trafficking and extortion indictment is so vague that “it could be construed to treat Mr. Combs' entire sexual history over the past sixteen years as part of the alleged criminal conspiracy.”
“Without clarity from the government, Mr. Combs has no way of knowing what allegations the government is relying on for purposes of the indictment,” Agnifilo writes.
Combs, also known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, was once one of the most powerful men in the music industry. But last month, he was indicted by federal prosecutors on extortion and sex-trafficking charges for an extensive criminal enterprise intended to satisfy his need for “sexual gratification.”
The decades-long scheme allegedly involved not only elaborate sex parties called “horror parties” and other sexual abuse, but also forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery. If convicted of all charges in the trial — currently set to begin May 5 — Combs could face up to life in prison.
With the trial still months away, Combs' lawyers have already begun fighting back. In a move last week, they accused the government of leaking evidence to the press, including the infamous video of Combs assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Prosecutors have argued that these “baseless” claims are a strategic move aimed at preventing prosecutors from showing the video to jurors.
In Tuesday's filing, Combs' attorneys argued that the continued anonymity of the alleged victims would severely hamper their practical ability to prepare for trial.
“Mr. Combs … expects discovery to contain overwhelming evidence of consensual sexual activity — making it even more difficult for Mr. Combs to ascertain which of his past sexual partners now, years later, claim they felt coerced,” the lawyers wrote. of.
If history is any guide, Combs' lawyers face an uphill battle to convince the judge to unmask his alleged victims.
In the similar racketeering case against R. Kelly, prosecutors privately released the names of several alleged victims to Kelly's legal team, but argued that others should remain secret, citing concerns that the singer or those around him might seek to intimidate them.
The judge ultimately agreed, saying that federal courts “routinely deny requests to identify victims in racketeering cases, especially when the government demonstrates a risk to the safety of witnesses [or] the possibility of witness intimidation”. At Kelly's final trial in 2021, several victims testified under pseudonyms.
