Embattled American Hiphop mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs has accused the US government of leaking the 2016 video footage that showed him assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway.
He said the action of the lawmakers was to damage his reputation.
Combs’ lawyers claimed in a new filing that Department of Homeland Security agents undermined the Bad Boy Records founder for seven months leading up to his indictment on s3x trafficking and racketeering charges asking a federal judge to take action.
The footage of Combs, with a towel wrapped around his waist attacking Ventura inside the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles was obtained by CNN in May, resulting in public outrage against the music star.
His Defense lawyers, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos allege that the government was the only entity that could have revealed the damning disclosure.
“The videotape was leaked to CNN for one reason alone: to mortally wound the reputation and the prospect of Sean Combs successfully defending himself against these allegations,” they wrote.
Ventura sued Combs last November before the pair settled a day later.
Combs is facing accusations he used his record label as a “criminal enterprise” for more than a decade while abusing women and bullying witnesses to cover up alleged crimes.
He’s pleaded not guilty to all charges. Combs is currently in prison, but his lawyers are also fighting to get him out of jail leading up to his high-profile trial.
Combs’ legal team cautioned it was blaming DHS for the alleged leaks and was not pointing the finger at the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office.
His lawyers also allege Federal authorities also allegedly provided news outlets with false and prejudicial statements, and illegally disseminated grand jury information, including the 2016 videotape.
Combs’ lawyers also complained in the new filing that DHS agents “engaged in a particularly brutal and public search of Mr. Combs’s homes” that included slapping handcuffs on two of his sons in front of the press.
The raid on Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami received widespread media attention in March and turned up troves of evidence against the embattled singer.
Agnifilo and Geragos want the federal court to set an evidentiary hearing over the alleged misconduct and ensure that government attorneys and agents won’t divulge further information to the press.
The lawyers also called on the court to potentially suppress evidence, including the 2016 tape, or even dismiss the case, according to the legal briefing.
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