Federal prosecutors have “serious and ongoing concerns” about the safety of victims and witnesses in connection with their cases. Sean “Diddy” CombsThe hip-hop mogul turned entertainment billionaire is accusing him of sex crimes and asking a judge to deny a defense request to identify them.

They also refuse Claims from Combs’ defense The team claimed the government was behind the leak of brutal video showing the star attacking his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel.

Lawyers for the 54-year-old Bad Boy Records founder have requested an evidentiary hearing on leaks in the case, arguing that the damning video for which Combs apologized was improperly released by federal investigators in the grand jury leak.

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The Justice Department denied even having a copy of the video before CNN obtained and published it in May, saying Combs’ filings were an attempt to suppress “damning” video evidence from his trial.

“The defendant baselessly accuses ‘DHS’ agents, who had no authority to conduct the grand jury process, of secretly obtaining the Intercontinental Video without the knowledge of the investigating prosecutors and then leaking it to CNN,” prosecutors said. he wrote. “No evidentiary hearing is needed to dismiss these allegations as unbelievable.”

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According to federal investigators, after learning about the video, they wanted to find it but discovered it had “disappeared from the hotel’s server.”

They allegedly found Combs’ attempt to bribe hotel security.

Interestingly, according to prosecutors, on the same day the video was made public, Combs’ defense wrote them a letter to express “concern that someone (not any of you or the lead case agents) had provided this footage to CNN.”

Read Department of Justice filing:

The government said it only became aware of the video after it was leaked and was investigating how it came to be, raising the idea that Combs’ own employees might have made it public.

“The defendant refuses to acknowledge that multiple individuals other than Government officials, including some of his own employees, may have had access to Intercontinental Video,” prosecutors wrote.

The government also opposes a defense request to impose a gag order that would restrict victims from speaking openly about the case.

Homeland Security Investigations agents raided his mansions in Miami and Los Angeles in March. His arrest took place in mid-September. The Justice Department also asked the judge to deny Combs’ request for a gag order.

Watch Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs 2016 Cassie attack video:

Combs faces federal sex trafficking, prostitution and racketeering charges.

Federal prosecutors argued that he “did not have the legal remedies he sought” and asked the court to deny his lawyers’ requests.

Separately, he faces more than a dozen civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse and other wrongdoing, and dozens of accusers are expected to file lawsuits of their own.

He is also charged in another case in Louisiana: Rob a design firm This got him stage gigs, and the plaintiff’s legal team said more business-related litigation was likely in this case.

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Because of the crossover between civil and criminal cases, federal prosecutors told the judge that Combs’ request that Jane Doe’s accusers be publicly released could put them at risk if granted.

“There are serious and ongoing concerns about victim and witness safety, tampering, and intimidation,” prosecutors wrote.

Combs’ criminal trial is scheduled for May 5.

The feds began their investigation in November 2023, around the same time Ventura filed a lawsuit against Combs, alleging physical and sexual abuse.

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Combs has vehemently denied Ventura’s allegations and those of all other accusers. Later video leaked – shows the nearly naked billionaire brutally attacking her in the hallway of the Los Angeles Intercontinental Hotel.

The video appeared to confirm at least one allegation in Ventura’s lawsuit: that Combs punched him in the face at the hotel in 2016.

“Mr. Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face. a black eye” his lawyers claimed.

He was drunk, according to the lawsuit, and when he passed out, she tried to sneak out. But he allegedly woke up and continued yelling at her, following her into the hallway and throwing her to the ground.

He apologized in a tearful video and said he would seek help. He is now being held without bail in a federal prison in Brooklyn.

Combs and Ventura walked out of court a day after suing him, but their legal battles snowballed from then on.

A number of new accusers have emerged in the past year, and Texas attorney Tony Buzbee said in October that he represented more than 100 people seeking to sue the rapper.

He is accused of distributing current date rape drugs and victimizing adults and children at parties; It is claimed that some of the unnamed “famous” accomplices were also present at the parties.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to: rainn.org.

Original article source: Diddy investigators express ‘serious concerns’ for victims’ safety in courtroom showdown