Advocates for Sean “Diddy” Combs complained of “a deluge of inappropriate pretrial publicity” and asked the judge overseeing his criminal case to order potential witnesses to remain silent.

Combs’ attorneys, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, said in a letter to the judge that statements by certain individuals “undermine Mr. Combs’ right to a fair trial and the integrity of the grand jury proceedings.”

The letter followed grand jury testimony by a music producer who claimed to have a videotape of the hip-hop mogul engaging in celebrity sexual assaults.

Combs is currently incarcerated on charges of racketeering, forced sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

“These stories quickly spread through the media and created the impression that such videos exist, which is false, and that the government actually credits their sensational claims, which is deeply damaging,” the letter said.

The defense is seeking a court order to seize potential witnesses and their lawyers.

Prosecutors opposed such an injunction, in part because the plaintiffs in the civil lawsuits against Combs are outside the criminal court’s jurisdiction.

But defense attorneys said, “It makes no sense that civil litigants who wish to pursue criminal charges against Mr. Combs can nevertheless claim that they are not involved in the criminal process.”

Combs pleaded not guilty to a three-count federal indictmentand his legal team denied that he sexually assaulted any of his civil prosecutors.