CNN –
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers have accused federal prosecutors of “outrageous” conduct to obtain the former music mogul’s personal notes from his prison cell.
Combs’ lawyers said in a letter to the judge in his case that the notes include attorney-client material about defense witnesses and strategy. They described the search as a violation of his constitutional rights.
“The targeted seizure of a pretrial detainee’s work product and privileged materials — created in preparation for trial — is egregious government conduct that amounts to a fundamental violation of due process,” Combs’ lawyers wrote.
They asked Judge Arun Subramanian to hold an evidentiary hearing.
Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center since his arrest in September. He has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation for prostitution and has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
His lawyers said they first learned that prosecutors obtained his notes from the court file late Friday night.
In the filing, prosecutors revealed that the notes were obtained during a pre-planned nationwide inspection of Bureau of Prisons facilities. They suggested, based in part on notes, that Combs was trying to influence witnesses before his trial.
“The strong inference that can be drawn from the defendant’s communications with Witness 2 and his personal observations is that the defendant paid Witness 2 after she published her statement,” prosecutors wrote in the filing.
Prosecutors said the notes were reviewed by a screening team of individuals not involved in the case for any privileged material before they were turned over.
Combs’ attorneys said they want to know who authorized the search of Combs’ area, who gave the papers to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and what materials were taken.
Combs is scheduled to appear in court on Friday while his lawyers try for the third time to get him released on bail.
