Prosecutors Accuse Sean 'Diddy' Combs of Violating Jail Rules and Using His Kids to Influence Potential Jurors
In the prosecution's Nov. 15 opposition to Combs' latest motion for bail, the mogul is accused of attempting to influence a "potential jury" with a family birthday video
Prosecutors are claiming that Sean “Diddy” Combs has made an effort to "evade law enforcement monitoring" and "corruptly influence witness testimony" while incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
In new court documents, which were filed on Friday, Nov. 15 and obtained by PEOPLE, the 55-year-old music mogul is being accused of using other inmates' phone access, using a "non-authorized third-party messaging service" to communicate with multiple people and enlisting his children for a "social media campaign" around his birthday, allegedly in an effort to influence a potential jury.
The new allegations come as part of the prosecution's opposition to Combs' latest motion for bail filed on Nov. 8, and after he was denied bail by two different federal judges following his September indictment on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
A lawyer for Combs did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Saturday, Nov. 16.
In the new court documents, prosecutors argue that Combs "offers nothing new and material justifying a third bail hearing" and "has continued to engage in a relentless course of obstructive conduct designed to subvert the integrity" of the proceedings.
"...While attempting to evade law enforcement monitoring, the defendant has, among other things, orchestrated social media campaigns that are, in his own words, aimed at tainting the jury pool; made efforts to publicly leak materials he views as helpful to his case; and contacted witnesses through third parties," the document alleges. "For these reasons, the Court should deny the defendant a new bail hearing."
In the opposition, prosecutors allege that Combs has "repeatedly communicated with others" in ways that are "designed to evade" law enforcement monitoring, by using other inmates' phone access codes — or PAC numbers — to make calls, using "three-way calls to contact other individuals," and messaging "unauthorized" contacts via an "unauthorized third-party communication system" called ContactMeASAP.
Combs has also directed others to "pay the inmates, including through payment processing apps and BOP commissary account deposits" after using others inmates' PAC numbers, the document alleges.
As for three-way calls, Combs is alleged to have instructed those he's on the phone with to add "other individuals" to the line, a process that is "not authorized by BOP [the Bureau of Prisons] as it helps conceal the identities of the contacted individuals."
Per the prosecution, Combs is also accused of using two accounts on the messaging service ContactMeASAP — the first of which appeared to be assigned to his son and another belonging to another inmate — to text "dozens of individuals, including attorneys and individuals who are not on the defendant’s contact list."
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Combs allegedly strived to "continue his efforts to obstruct and subvert this criminal proceeding," per the filing, which notes that on "multiple calls, often using the PAC numbers of other inmates," he has been "explicit about his intention to use public statements to alter public perception."
"... The defendant enlisted family members to plan and execute a social media campaign around the defendant’s birthday, with the intention of influencing the potential jury in this criminal proceeding," the document claims. "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."
Combs then "monitored the analytics" of the social media footage and "explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video had his desired effect on potential jury members in this case," the prosecution alleges. He's also accused of making an effort to "anonymously leak video favorable to his defense."
On Nov. 4, Combs' 30-year-old son Justin uploaded a Reel to Instagram, featuring himself and his six siblings (one of whom, Chance, joined via FaceTime) calling Combs in prison to wish him a happy birthday. In the clip, Combs thanked his children for being supportive.
The Nov. 15 opposition also claims that Combs is a "danger to others," "has incentive to flee" and that his new proposed bail package was "insufficient." It accuses him of "relentless efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse who could provide powerful testimony against him."
In Combs' Nov. 8 motion for bail, the music producer's lawyers claimed that the prosecution’s case is “thin," citing a March 2016 video referenced in the initial indictment against Combs, which appeared to show him violently assault a woman in a Los Angeles hotel.
“The video is not evidence of a coerced 'freak off,' but rather a minutes-long glimpse into a complex but decade-long consensual relationship between Mr. Combs and Victim 1,” Combs’ attorneys said in the filing.
Combs' indictment has centered around alleged “freak offs,” described as sex performances organized by Combs where women are allegedly coerced or forced into acts with male sex workers, sometimes for multiple days.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Two judges have previously declined to release him from custody, citing potential witness tampering. The mogul's attorneys previously proposed $50 million bail package. Combs' trial is scheduled for May 2025.
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.