Sean 'DD' Combs asked the judge to reveal the identities of the accused

Sean “Diddy” Combs wants prosecutors in his sex-trafficking case to release the names of his accusers, Manhattan federal court documents show.

Combs, 54, needs to know the identities of his accusers in order to prepare for the May 5 trial, his legal team argued in a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian on Tuesday.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is in jail awaiting trial.

“This case is unique, in part because of Mr. Combs's celebrity status, wealth” and extensive media coverage of the lawsuit and other legal proceedings against him, they argued.

“This has had a wide ripple effect, triggering a stream of allegations by anonymous complainants, which range from false to completely absurd.”

They noted that six people filed civil complaints against Combs on Monday, all of them anonymously. The attorney handling those cases claimed at a recent news conference that he represented 120 defendants and that a toll-free number for his firm received thousands of calls in a day, Combs' team also noted.

“These charges come on the heels of more than a dozen previously filed and currently pending lawsuits, several of which have already been defamed but only after irreparably damaging Mr. Combs' character and reputation,” Bad Boy Records' attorneys said. “These swirling allegations have created a hysterical media circus that, if unchecked, will irreparably deprive Mr. Combs of a fair trial, if they have not already.”

Combs' lawyers said they have asked prosecutors to identify all alleged victims due to the number of indictments, and anonymity. But the prosecution “opposes releasing the names of the alleged victims at this stage”, Combs' team said.

Combs faces charges of racketeering conspiracy; Forced, fraudulent or forced sex trafficking; and transportation involving prostitution. The complaint alleges that Combs' violence spanned decades and that the mega-star “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his behavior.”

Combs, with the help of staff and associates, allegedly used his vast business empire to form a “criminal enterprise” with verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse against women, and he “manipulated women to participate in highly organized performances of sexual abuse. Along with male commercial sex workers.” activity.”

Combs allegedly controlled the women through drugs and influenced their careers as well as their finances. Federal prosecutors alleged that much of this abuse manifested itself in so-called “freak-offs,” which they described as “elaborate and manufactured sexual performances that Combs orchestrated, directed, masturbated, and often electronically recorded.”

Sometimes, these alleged “freak-offs” last for days. After they finished, Combs and his accusers “generally received IV fluids to recover from physical exertion and drug use,” prosecutors said.

The complaint apparently refers to Cassandra “Casey” Ventura's claim against Combs in a November 16, 2023 civil suit; He appears to be “Victim-1” in the document. Ventura, who said Combs sexually assaulted and abused her during their relationship, settled the suit a day later.

Combs' team points to prosecutors' language to identify the accused. They said it was so extensive “it could be interpreted as considering Mr Combs' entire sexual history over the past 16 years as part of the alleged criminal conspiracy”.

“Without clarification from the government, Mr. Combs has no way of knowing which allegations the government is relying on for purposes of indictment. Other than Victim-1, Mr. Combs has no way of determining who the other unidentified accused persons are,” they wrote.

“Both the number of potential alleged victims and the length of time alleged in the allegations weigh in favor of disclosure,” they added.

“Furthermore, Mr. Combs is entitled to know the extent to which Mr. Combs has been forced to defend against criminal charges that the government does not intend to prove at trial,” they said. Without knowing the identity, “the government is unfairly forcing him to play a guessing game – made more challenging by an onslaught of baseless allegations that desperate plaintiffs are filing (mostly anonymous) civil lawsuits against him. Designed to procure a payment from Mr. Combs and others”.

Because there is so much evidence, and its disposition is expected to take a long time, Combs will likely not be able to identify the unnamed accusers.

“Mr. Combs also expects the discovery to contain abundant evidence of consensual sexual activity – making it more difficult for Mr. Combs to confirm which of his previous sexual partners now claim, years later, that they felt coerced,” his lawyers argued.

The Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment. Combs' legal team, when asked for comment, referred questions to the filing.