Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs filed a motion Wednesday night accusing the government of leaking evidence, including a video of the hip-hop mogul allegedly assaulting his former girlfriend, to the media. The legal team is asking a judge to potentially exclude the footage from being used in a trial.
The motion, submitted to the Southern District of New York, refers to a 2016 hotel surveillance video published by CNN, which shows Combs allegedly dragging and kicking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Combs’ lawyers claim that the government leaked the video to CNN, though they did not provide evidence to support this allegation.
Combs, who has pleaded not guilty, is currently in federal custody facing charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals for prostitution. He is also involved in multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct and other criminal activities.
In the motion, Combs’ attorneys argue that authorities also leaked information to the media about searches conducted in March at his homes in Los Angeles and Miami. They claim these leaks are undermining Combs’ right to a fair trial by potentially influencing the jury pool.
The defense has asked the judge to issue a gag order preventing the government from sharing details of the case with the media. They assert that the leaks came from Homeland Security agents, who conducted the searches, rather than the prosecutors involved in the case.
Spokespersons for Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
Combs initially denied Ventura’s abuse allegations, which surfaced in a November 2023 lawsuit before the video was made public. His attorneys say prosecutors informed them that they did not obtain the footage through the grand jury process, and Homeland Security agents only accessed the video after CNN’s report.
