Sean “Diddy” Combs won a small victory in court after a judge slapped down federal agents suspected of leaking information in his sex trafficking case.
Diddy’s lawyers had asked for a gag order on the feds after The Post detailed the embattled musician’s depraved alleged “Freak Offs” and quoted a federal law enforcement source involved in the probe who called the orgies “sick s–t.”
In response, Manhattan federal judge Arun Subramanian issued an order late Friday warning federal prosecutors and other law enforcement officials working on the case to follow existing laws barring them from releasing any grand jury information or other non-public information that could impact a fair trial.
A judge has issued a gag order to federal prosecutors and agents in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking case. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg
Judge Arun Subramanian wrote that the order is to ensure that nothing interferes with Combs having a fair trial. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg
“Those remarks, if made by an agent involved in the investigation or prosecution of this case, are plainly improper,” Subramanian wrote.
“To be clear, this order isn’t based on a finding that there has been any wrongdoing thus far, as the court has made no findings at this juncture relating to [Diddy’s] allegations that information related to the case has been leaked,” Subramanian added.
“The point of this order is to help ensure that nothing happens from now on that would interfere with a fair trial.”
“The Court will take appropriate action for any violation of the rules,” he added.
The gag order request from Combs’ lawyers comes after The Post quoted a law enforcement official in a report about his alleged “Freak Offs.” Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
Earlier this month, Diddy’s lawyers requested a hearing in the case over allegations that the Department of Homeland Security agents leaked damning 2016 footage showing Diddy beating his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway.
The hearing, which is still pending, sought to bar the feds from improperly sharing any additional information from the criminal case with the press.
Combs is facing racketeering and sex trafficking charges over allegations that he ran his record label Bad Boys Records like a “criminal enterprise” for more than a decade.
The rapper, who is currently locked up in federal detention in Brooklyn, has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Diddy’s legal team and an SDNY spokesperson declined to comment.