Attorneys for jailed music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs demanded an immediate hearing Monday after federal agents seized confidential attorney-client materials during a raid of his cell at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, escalating tensions in the high-profile racketeering and sex trafficking case.
Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo filed court documents challenging the seizure of handwritten notes detailing defense strategies and witness preparations for Combs’ May 2025 trial. The documents were turned over to prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, prompting allegations of constitutional rights violations.
“This represents outrageous government conduct amounting to a substantive due process violation,” Agnifilo argued, demanding answers about who authorized the search and the decision to share privileged materials with prosecutors.
Combs, 55, has been held without bail since his September 16 arrest at Manhattan’s Park Hyatt hotel. A judge rejected multiple release attempts, including a proposed $50 million house arrest package, citing “clear and convincing” evidence that the rapper poses a community danger.
Prosecutors allege Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” The case stems from accusations of organizing drug-fueled “freak offs” — multi-day orgies allegedly involving kidnapping, drugging, and sexual exploitation of victims.
The investigation expanded following March FBI raids on Combs’ Miami and Beverly Hills mansions, where agents reportedly discovered over 1,000 bottles of lubricant and baby oil, illegal drugs, and modified AR-15 rifles. Prosecutors claim Combs recorded degrading acts during these events for blackmail purposes and threatened employees who refused to participate.
Recent court filings allege Combs has attempted to influence witnesses from prison, making “relentless efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse.” Prosecutors say he used other inmates’ phone codes to make unauthorized calls and employed social media to shape public perception, citing a November 4 Instagram birthday video posted by his son Justin.
The case against Combs gained momentum after his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed a November 2023 lawsuit alleging years of abuse, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. Though Ventura’s suit was quickly settled for an undisclosed amount, it sparked more than two dozen similar allegations.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. His legal team’s challenge to the cell raid marks the latest development in a case that has shaken the music industry and revealed allegations of systematic abuse within his business empire, The Combs Enterprise.
