Sean “Diddy” Combs’ team has alleged that federal agents raided his jail cell, seizing “a bunch of privileged materials.”
According to TMZ, Combs’ attorney claims that investigators took notes intended for his legal team as part of his preparation for an upcoming trial. The raid is said to have occurred while Combs remains in custody in New York City.
In a letter filed Monday, Combs’ legal team accused prosecutors of collecting “privileged material, including the defendant’s own written notes” during a raid at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
These materials were reportedly referenced in documents filed in Manhattan federal court on Friday, as prosecutors sought to keep Combs in custody ahead of his May 5 trial.
Combs’ lawyers argued that the raid violated his Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights. They described the targeted seizure of trial-related materials as an egregious violation of due process and demanded that prosecutors explain who authorized the search, which involved seizing personal items and documents.
Judge Arun Subramanian instructed prosecutors to respond to the lawyers by 5 p.m. ET Monday and scheduled a hearing for Tuesday afternoon.
Combs, who has been in pre-trial detention since September, is facing charges of leading a racketeering conspiracy involving sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice, among others. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is seeking release on house arrest with a $50 million bail package.
