Sean “Diddy” Combs’ on Wednesday accused the feds of leaking the explosive 2016 footage that showed the disgraced hip hop mogul brutally beating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway.
Combs’ legal camp claimed in a new filing that Department of Homeland Security agents undermined the Bad Boy Records founder for seven months leading up to his bombshell indictment on sex trafficking and racketeering charges – and is calling on a judge to take action.
The footage of Combs – who had a towel wrapped around his waist — attacking Ventura inside the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles was obtained by CNN in May, sparking uproar against the music star.
Defense lawyers Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos alleged the government was the only entity that could have been the source of 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 federal detention, 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.
Federal authorities also allegedly provided news outlets with false and prejudicial statements, and illegally disseminated grand jury information, including the 2016 videotape, his lawyers contended.
Combs’ lawyers also complained in the new filing that DHS agents “engaged in a particularly brutal and public search of Mr. Combs 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 “I’ll Be Missing You” singer.
Agnifilo and Geragos wants 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.
Depending on what an evidentiary hearing turns up, the lawyers called on the court to potentially suppress evidence, including the 2016 tape, or even dismiss the case, according to the legal briefing.
The approach by Combs’ lawyers on Wednesday followed a similar action New York City Mayor Eric Adams took, in which he accused the feds of also leaking grand jury material in his criminal case.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
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