NEW YORK – Federal prosecutors and lawyers Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs They are trying to “hijack” the music mogul’s criminal trial from them by asking a judge to force him to release evidence early, including the identities of his accusers.

In documents filed late Wednesday, prosecutors urged the judge to deny the requests, saying in particular that the effort to reveal the identities of prospective witnesses was “manifestly inappropriate.”

They said it was inappropriate for defense attorneys to ask for the release of details about the identities of the victims and other evidence that would highlight the government’s case.

Defense attorneys also sought a gag order to prevent the accusers’ attorneys from making public comments, claiming government leaks to the media threatened the rapper’s chances of a fair trial.

Prosecutors said the demands “are a thinly veiled attempt to limit the Government’s evidence at this early stage of the case and hijack the criminal investigation so the defendant can respond to civil lawsuits.” “This request should be rejected outright, especially given the risk it poses to witness safety.”

Prosecutors added: “As the defendant knows full well, there is no legal authority to attempt to take over this criminal investigation to defend against a civil lawsuit.”

Combs, 54, has been held in federal prison in Brooklyn since then. His arrest on September 16He is awaiting the hearing, which is scheduled to begin on May 5.

One of the reasons a judge rejected the bail package offered by his lawyers was that he posed a danger of obstructing justice and tampering with witnesses.

He did not accept the accusations against him. oppression and abuse of women with the help of partners and employees for years.

Prosecutors said Combs had engaged in a racketeering conspiracy known as “Freak Offs” since at least 2008, using his power and prestige in the entertainment industry to coerce women into participating in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.

They said he used videos of the attacks as collateral to threaten victims and also physically assaulted women and others by hitting, punching, dragging and kicking.

Prosecutors say defense claims government leaked Combs video attacks ex-girlfriend Cassie Statements made to CNN in the hallway of a hotel in Los Angeles on March 5, 2016 were not true.

They said his defense attorneys “made a clear attempt to conceal damning evidence against him – the video of him violently beating a victim.”

In May, Combs released a video statement in which he said he took “full responsibility” for his actions in the video against R&B singer Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura. She filed a lawsuit against him last November, alleging years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. The case was concluded the next day.

“I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” Combs said in the video.

The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they were sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Ventura did.

Combs also faces civil lawsuits filed by numerous men and women who claim they were sexually assaulted by Combs over the past quarter-century after he was drugged.

Combs’ lawyers requested that the accusers and their attorneys be ordered not to make public statements, saying they had made “numerous inflammatory extrajudicial statements in the press intended to assassinate Mr. Combs’ character.”

More than a dozen cases filed in Manhattan federal court were assigned to different judges, leading to differing early rulings on whether the claims had been sufficiently made.

In one example, a judge ruled Wednesday that a Tennessee woman who claimed Combs raped her in 2004 when she was 19 must proceed with the case anonymously or not at all. Defendants have the right to investigate those who sue them, the judge wrote, and the public has the right to know who uses the courts.

Combs’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.