Judge rules Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs can have laptop in his cell
Earlier this month, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, sent a letter to a federal judge, insisting that the musician’s treatment in the facility has been unfair and unnecessarily harsh. More specifically, Agnifilo highlighted how, compared to other inmates, Combs has no access to a laptop.
The letter sent by Agnifilo reads, “We write on behalf of Mr Combs to request that the Court direct the MDC to provide Mr Combs with the laptop prepared for him by the government and allow him to use that laptop on his unit, consistent with the way other inmates on his unit are permitted to use their laptops.”
In his correspondence with Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs’ defence lawyer expressed that he feels the courts are not holding up their side of the deal and detailed how a laptop would help Combs’ defence in the lead-up to his May 5th trial.
In his letter, Combs’ representative suggested that Combs should be able to use a laptop either in the “unit’s video-teleconference room during select times when legal staff is available and when that room is not otherwise being used during other inmates’ legal calls; or …he will only be provided with the laptop in the legal visiting room between the hours of 8-3:30pm.”
That said, although Judge Arun Subramanian denied the Bad Boy founder bail, on December 12th, Subramanian ruled that Combs will be allowed to have a laptop in his jail cell. However, the producer’s computer will have pre-loaded with discovery materials and will only be able to use it in his jail cell in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre.
That said, his laptop will not be functional beyond viewing the materials and cannot be used to take or store notes. According to PEOPLE magazine, the Bad Boy Records founder must be given access to the laptop “seven days per week from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm.” If he wants access to the computer out-of-hours, Combs’ team will have to discuss its usage with the government.
Combs was indicted in September in Manhattan on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. The charges centre around his alleged “freak offs,” which the prosecution claims are highly orchestrated sex performances between male sex workers and women who were either forced or coerced into participating. He denies all wrongdoing and has pled not guilty.
The government has accused Combs of having organised the “freak offs” and using his various businesses and employees to facilitate them. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Combs’ trial is currently scheduled for May 2025. On December 12th, Combs was hit with three new lawsuits in the New York Supreme Court, with three anonymous males accusing the mogul of sexual assault.