Photo Credit:Mark Von Holden/Invision/AP, File
Sean "Diddy" Combs' legal team has accused federal authorities of violating his constitutional rights by allegedly raiding his jail cell and seizing attorney-client privileged materials. These claims, detailed in multiple court filings, have prompted demands for an immediate evidentiary hearing.
Marc Agnifilo, Diddy’s attorney, alleges that prosecutors and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are now in possession of handwritten notes containing sensitive defense strategies and information about potential witnesses for Diddy’s trial, scheduled for early 2025. He argues that the materials were “created in preparation for trial,” and their seizure constitutes "outrageous government conduct amounting to a substantive due process violation."
Court documents reveal that the notes were confiscated during a pre-planned nationwide sweep of Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities, including the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Diddy is detained. Prosecutors have acknowledged possessing these materials, stating they were obtained by BOP investigators. However, details about the content of the notes remain redacted in official filings.
Diddy’s defense team claims the notes were improperly handed over to trial prosecutors, potentially influencing legal filings aimed at opposing Diddy’s bail request. Agnifilo has expressed grave concern over the matter, emphasizing that the seizure violates Diddy's Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights. He has requested the court to examine the incident urgently to determine: Who authorized the raid on Diddy’s cell, who selected which materials to confiscate, how these materials were transferred to prosecutors and why Diddy was not informed of the seizure.
"This is a matter of grave concern that must be addressed immediately,” Agnifilo stated in his filing. “The U.S. Attorney, and it seems the trial prosecutors, are currently in possession of privileged materials.”
Prosecutors, however, have raised separate concerns about Diddy’s conduct while in detention. They allege that he has continued to interfere with witnesses, citing phone records suggesting contact with individuals under grand jury investigation. A legal document opposing Diddy’s bail claims, “Since the defendant has been detained, he has continued to evade law enforcement monitoring and corruptly influence witness testimony.”
