Sean “Diddy” Combs scored a major legal win on Tuesday after a judge revealed that he would not consider evidence obtained through raiding of the rapper’s jail cell.
The music mogul’s legal team had raised alarm bells after the raiding incident, noting that privileged materials, including the rapper’s legal notes, were seized.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is expected to return to court on Friday, November 22, for a third bail hearing.
Judge Rules In Favor Of Diddy After Feds Raided His Jail Cell
In a victory for Diddy, federal judge Arun Subramanian ruled that he would not take into account information gathered during a search of the rapper’s jail cell at his next bail hearing.
According to People Magazine, Subramanian also ordered the prosecution to destroy its copies of the 19 pages of notes obtained after the pre-planned Bureau of Prison sweep.
The emergency hearing was called after prosecutors claimed in a Monday night filing that Combs’ attorney-client privilege had been breached.
The rapper’s lawyers, led by attorney Marc Agnifilo, also demanded a hearing immediately regarding the search and seizure of materials from Diddy’s cell.
They requested to know “who authorized a search of Diddy’s cell, who determined what materials to take, who decided to give these materials to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who decided to give the materials to the trial prosecutors, who decided not to tell Diddy about the seizure, and what exactly was taken.”
The Rapper’s Legal Team Called The Cell Raid ‘Due Process Violation’
Diddy appeared in court for the emergency hearing on Tuesday without shackles. The rapper who was dressed in khaki, reportedly hugged his attorneys on meeting them.
After the prosecution’s claim that Diddy breached attorney-client privilege, his attorney retorted in a counterclaim, calling the sweep an “outrageous government conduct” and a “due process violation.
They added that the seizures contained notes Diddy had written to them concerning defense strategies.
“When we visit him in jail, we have lists,” Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo said, per People. “Everything in these pads are things we discuss. Trial strategy, who we should speak to to undermine a witness’s credibility. We discuss everything with Mr. Combs.”
Diddy’s Lawyers Asked For Him To Remain Unshackled
The notes seized from Diddy appear to contain nothing implicatory as Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik said they were mostly related to personal matters, including birthdays and “inspirational quotes.”
Slavik also emphasized during the hearing that the “investigation is very much ongoing.” Meanwhile, Diddy’s lawyers filed a separate defense filing requesting that the “Finna Get Loose” rapper appear in court unshackled “for all future court appearances.”
According to People, they argued that his continuous appearance in shackles could potentially create “juror bias,” given the amount of press coverage the proceedings have received.
Subramanian also granted the request prior to Tuesday’s hearing.
Prosecutors Claim The Rapper Is ‘Blackmailing’ Witnesses
Prosecutors recently accused the Bad Boy Records founder of leading a campaign to “blackmail” witnesses and influence potential jurors from his prison cell, urging the judge not to grant him bail.
The claims come after Diddy filed for another bail hearing having been denied pre-trial release twice before.
Prosecutors claim he has made “relentless efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse who could provide powerful testimony against him,” per People.
He’s accused of using phone access codes of other inmates to contact several people from jail and has made “three-way calls to contact other individuals.”
Prosecutors maintained that the call “provides the clear inference that the defendant’s goal is to blackmail victims and witnesses either into silence or providing testimony helpful to his defense.”
Diddy Was Accused Of Using A ‘Public Relations’ Strategy To Alter ‘Public Perception’
Diddy has been locked behind bars at the Brooklyn MDC and faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Ever since he was arrested in September, he has faced a barrage of accusations and allegations from several quarters, including Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who’s representing 120 individuals who he allegedly abused.
Prosecutors have now accused him of starting a “public relations” strategy that would “use public statements to alter public perception.”
According to Page Six, they claimed that Diddy’s recent birthday celebration, which saw his kids take to their respective social media to celebrate him, was one of such “public relations” strategies.
“At the defendant’s carefully curated direction, the defendant’s children posted a video to their respective social media accounts showing the defendant’s children gathered to celebrate the defendant’s birthday,” prosecutors noted.
They said Diddy “monitored the analytics” and “audience engagement — and explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video had his desired effect on potential jury members in this case,” per People.
Prosecutors argue that with “this kind of interference with a fair trial, the defendant’s own words make clear that his intent is to improperly influence the jury pool in this criminal proceeding.”
