American lawyers have responded in court to claims of Sean “Diddy” combs‘lawyers who government agents leaked informationincluding combs footage physically assault his ex-girlfriend Cassie Venturato the media.

In a Wednesday night filing in Manhattan federal court obtained by USA TODAY on Thursday, prosecutors said Combs’ defense attorneys failed to provide adequate evidence that any information was leaked from the federal grand jury investigating him, and They added that Combs and his team know that the video arrived. from another part.

The video referenced was hotel surveillance footage from 2016. CNN published in May, which shows Combs kicking, punching and dragging Cassie near hotel elevators.

“The defendant baselessly accuses ‘(Department of Homeland Security)’ agents, who have no authority to issue a grand jury indictment, of secretly obtaining the Intercontinental Video without the knowledge of prosecutors,” the filing reads.

Additionally, the government claims it had “failed to obtain any video of the assault” and investigators had no footage of the hotel attack until CNN published the clip.

Prosecutors also called his demand for accusers’ names a “thinly veiled” effort to hijack the government’s case and help it publicly defend itself against the more than two dozen men and women filing civil lawsuits over his alleged sexual misconduct. .

“This inappropriate request should be denied in its entirety, particularly here, where there are serious and ongoing concerns about the safety, manipulation and intimidation of victims and witnesses,” prosecutors wrote.

However, Combs’ effort to unmask his accusers got a boost on wednesdaywhen U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil in Manhattan said a woman suing Combs over an alleged 2004 rape cannot remain anonymous. Vyskocil cited Combs’ interest in investigating the woman’s credibility and the public interest in an open judicial process.

Diddy’s lawyers allege that government agents are hindering his right to a fair trial.

Combs’ team believes that since March the government has been “strategically leaking confidential grand jury material and information, including the 2016 Intercontinental videotape, to prejudice the public and potential jurors against Mr. Combs.”

In Wednesday’s filing, prosecutors said the defense made “unsubstantiated” claims that government agents were the source of the material reported by the media. The attorneys wrote, “It strains credulity to suggest that law enforcement officials independently obtained the Intercontinental Video with a grand jury subpoena they had no authority to issue.”

In filings on October 9, the defense asked the judge for relief “related to what the defense believes was a series of illegal government leaks, which have led to damaging and highly prejudicial pretrial publicity that can only taint the jury and deprive Mr. Peines of his right to a fair trial“.

His attorneys, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, said there should be a hearing to investigate the alleged government misconduct and for government agencies involved in the case to disclose communications and records related to alleged “leaks” to the media.

Combs’ team’s request for an evidentiary hearing to investigate alleged government misconduct is still pending.

They also asked the judge to issue an order prohibiting federal employees from disclosing evidence to the media, as well as the “suppression of any evidence leaked by government employees.”

However, on October 25, Justice Arun Subramanian denied having imposed a gag order. Instead, he wrote, both sides are expected to respect existing laws that prohibit lawyers, investigators and government agents from disclosing grand jury proceedings and disclosing non-public information that could interfere with a fair trial.

What are the claims against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs?

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York say that “in or around November 2023” they began working with the Homeland Security Investigations Human Trafficking Team and “began investigating Combs and others.” for violations of federal criminal law.”

That same month, Cassie made accusations of rape, abuse and sex trafficking in a civil lawsuit against the music mogul. Combs and Cassie resolved his civil lawsuit one day later. Combs’ attorneys revealed in their filing that she “received a substantial eight-figure settlement.”

The hip-hop superstar was arrested in a Manhattan hotel on September 16 and processed in charges of sex trafficking, extortion and transportation to engage in prostitution the next day. Investigators say the 54-year-old man elaborately planned use his finances and status in the entertainment industry to “satisfy his sexual desires” in a “recurring and widely known” pattern of abuse.

He has been imprisoned in Special Housing Unit at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Centerr since then and has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to all federal criminal charges and denying wrongdoing alleged in growing civil lawsuits against him last year.

All of Combs’ attempts so far to secure his release from jail until his trial on May 5 have been rejected. His attorneys are seeking an appeals court ruling that overturns a September 18 decision to deny his request. be released from jail under conditions including $50 million bail.

Contributing: Jonathan Stempel/Reuters

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at : 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Línea Directa.RAINN.org and in Spanish LLUVIA.org/es.

This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: Prosecutors slam Team Diddy’s ‘baseless’ claim about Cassie video leak