Prosecutors Reject Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Leak Claim, Demanding Names of Accusers

Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors have dismissed Sean “Diddy” Combs’ accusations that government agents leaked evidence to undermine his defense against sex-trafficking charges and said the music mogul did not deserve to be named by his accusers.

In a statement filed Wednesday night in federal court in Manhattan, prosecutors said Combs was “grasping at straws,” claiming he was the victim of leaked information, including a 2016 hotel surveillance video of him physically assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura, known as Cassie.

Prosecutors said Combs could not show that any information was leaked to the grand jury investigating his case, adding that Combs knew the “high credibility” video came from another source.

They also called his demand to name accusers a “thinly veiled” attempt to hijack the government’s case and help him publicly defend himself against more than two dozen men and women who are filing civil lawsuits over his alleged sex crimes.

“This improper request must be denied in its entirety, especially where there are serious and ongoing concerns about victim and witness safety, tampering and intimidation,” prosecutors said.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation for the purpose of engaging in prostitution and has denied wrongdoing in the civil cases.

Prosecutors said he will receive a significant amount of evidence, including a witness list, as the May 5, 2025, criminal trial approaches.

An attorney for Combs declined to comment Thursday.

Combs’ legal team argued that the Bad Boy record label founder shouldn’t be “guessing” to defend himself against “baseless” claims in civil suits by accusers, many of whom use pseudonyms seeking big paydays.

In a statement filed Wednesday, prosecutors also said Combs’ request for an order barring witnesses and attorneys is moot.

They cited an Oct. 25 ruling by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian that requires both sides to comply with local court rules.

Combs’ efforts to expose his accusers received a boost Wednesday when U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Wyskotzil in Manhattan ruled that the woman who sued Combs for alleged rape in 2004 could not remain anonymous.

Vyskotsil cited Combs’ interest in investigating the credibility of the woman and the public interest in an open trial.

Other judges may apply her reasoning, which applied the federal rule governing civil cases.

Combs was arrested Sept. 16 and is appealing his more than six-week sentence at the troubled Brooklyn Detention Center, where two inmates have been fatally stabbed this year. He turns 55 on Monday.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Lisa Shoemaker)