Diddy called witnesses from prison

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been breaking prison rules by contacting potential witnesses in his upcoming sex trafficking trial, prosecutors have alleged.

The music mogul is accused of making “relentless efforts” to “corruptly influence witness testimony”, by using other inmates’ telephone accounts. And using three-way calls to speak to people who are not on his approved contacts list.

Prosecutors said a review of recorded calls also found that Mr Combs instructed his family to contact potential witnesses in his case, they said in a court filing.

Mr Combs, 55, is currently in custody in Manhattan. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him and strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

Best known for 1990s hits such as I’ll Be Missing You and Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems. The musician has been denied bail since his arrest, with multiple judges citing a risk that he might tamper with witnesses.

Lawyer Alexandra Shapiro argued it was impossible for the musician to prepare for trial from behind bars. Because of the “incredibly voluminous” amount of material to review, especially without a laptop computer.

Detention is stripping Mr Combs of “any real opportunity” to be ready for trial, violating his rights under the US Constitution, Shapiro said.

In response, prosecutors argued that the request for bail should be denied, alleging that Mr Combs “poses serious risks of danger and obstruction of these proceedings”.

In court documents, they accused the star of orchestrating social media posts in order to “influence a potential jury pool” at his trial.

Amongst those efforts, they cited an Instagram statement posted by a woman known only as “witness two”.  Countering allegations made by singer Dawn Richard in a civil lawsuit against Mr Combs.

They further alleged there was a “strong inference” that Mr Combs “paid witness two, after she posted her statement”.

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A video posted by the star’s seven children on 5 November was also cited as evidence of a “public relations strategy to influence this case”.

Prosecutors characterised Mr Combs as running a “relentless” scheme to “contact potential witnesses. Including victims of his abuse who could provide powerful testimony against him”.

The musician is simultaneously facing more than two dozen civil cases by men and women accusing him of sexual assault, rape and sexual exploitation.

The star has vehemently denied all of the charges against him. The claims in the civil suits, arguing that the sexual encounters at the heart of his criminal case were all consensual.

New lawsuit filed against lawyer

In a separate development on Monday, a lawsuit was filed against one of the lawyers known for spearheading more than 120 lawsuits against Mr Combs.

The lawsuit, filed by an unnamed “high-profile individual” against Texas attorney Tony Buzbee, alleged. That Mr Buzbee attempted to extort him by threatening to make public “entirely fabricated and malicious allegations of sexual assault”.

In court documents obtained by the BBC, the plaintiff identified himself as a former associate of Diddy. And acknowledged attending events with the embattled music mogul.

The lawsuit against Mr Buzbee claims the Houston attorney follows a “clear playbook” for extorting celebrities involving fabricating allegations and demanding letters seeking payment.

The lawsuit alleges that if the demands are not met, he turns to the media to apply public pressure.

Mr Buzbee, who denies wrongdoing, described the filing as a “last-ditch attempt” to stop him from naming the individual.