Sean “Diddy” Combs broke prison rules by contacting potential witnesses in his upcoming sex-trafficking trial, prosecutors say.

The music mogul is accused of making “relentless efforts” to “corruptly influence witness testimony”, using other inmates’ phone accounts and using three-way calls to speak to people not on his approved contact 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.

The 55-year-old rapper, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges and vehemently denied any wrongdoing, appeared in court on Tuesday as a judge weighed the new evidence, some of which was found in a notebook from his prison cell.

At Tuesday’s hearing, a judge ordered prosecutors to destroy copies of the materials seized from Mr. Combs’ jail cell while the judge assessed whether they could be used in court.

Judge Arun Subramanian, who is overseeing the case, ruled that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York cannot use the footage or any portion of it during Combs’ upcoming bail hearing on Friday. The judge said he would review the materials and assess whether they can be used in the trial.

Mr. Combs’ defense team argued that government prosecutors illegally seized his personal notes during a search of his cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has been held since his arrest on Sept. 16 in lobby of a Manhattan hotel. They argued that some of the material is detailed information that is protected by the attorney-client privilege, which protects information discussed between a client and an attorney.

The government detailed that a “filter” team reviewed all the material before it was given to prosecutors. “The information in question is not protected,” prosecutor Mary Slavik said at the hearing. They argued that the information could be considered obstruction of justice and override the typical protections of the attorney-client privilege.

The musician, who is best known for 1990s hits such as I’ll Be Missing You and Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems, has been refused bail since his arrest, with several judges citing the risk of him altering the witnesses. He is currently in custody in Manhattan.

His lawyers made a renewed bid for bail last week, proposing a $50m (£39.6m) package that would see Mr Combs under round-the-clock surveillance by security staff, in while under house arrest.

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

She also said his training was hampered by prison conditions, including frequent lockdowns and officers taking away the pens he uses to take notes.

Detention strips Mr. Combs of “any real opportunity” to stand trial, violating his rights under the U.S. Constitution, Shapiro said.

In response, prosecutors argued that the bail application should be refused, arguing that Mr Combs “presents serious risks of endangerment and obstruction of these proceedings”.

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

Among 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.

Prosecutors argued her statement was drafted with Mr Combs during “multiple texts” and “multiple phone calls” from prison.

They also argued that there was a “strong inference” that Mr Combs “paid the second witness after she posted her statement”.

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

The video, which was reported by several media outlets, showed the family wishing Mr. Combs a happy birthday during a phone call to the prison.

“The defendant then monitored the review — that is, audience engagement — and explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video had the desired effect on potential jurors in this case,” prosecutors said.

Mr. Combs was also accused of using the phone accounts of at least eight other inmates to make calls, which is against prison regulations; and to “direct others” to orchestrate payment for this access.

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

“Strange Ability”

In asking the judge to deny Mr. Combs’ bail request, prosecutors wrote that “no set of conditions” could remove the potential risks to the trial.

“The defendant has demonstrated an uncanny ability to get others to do his bidding — employees, family members and (prison) inmates alike,” they argued.

“There is no reason to believe that private security personnel would be immune.”

Prosecutors also dismissed criticism of conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, citing an interview from the star’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo, who said “food is probably the hardest part” of Mr. Combs’ adjustment to life behind bars.

The BBC has contacted its legal team for a response.

Mr Combs’ legal problems began last November when his former partner Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a civil suit alleging incidents of rape and physical assault between 2007 and 2018.

Although the case was quickly settled out of court, it led to a series of similar charges and an investigation by the US government.

The star’s properties were raided by federal agents in March, and he was arrested in New York in September.

Mr. Combs was charged with three counts of sex trafficking and racketeering in a federal indictment that described alleged days-long drug-fueled sex performances called “Freak Offs.”

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

The star has vehemently denied all the allegations against him and the claims in the civil lawsuits, arguing that the sexual encounters at the center of his criminal record were all consensual.

2 lawsuits filed against the lawyer

In a separate development on Monday, two separate lawsuits were filed against one of the lawyers known for leading more than 120 lawsuits against Mr. Combs.

A lawsuit, filed by an unnamed “high-profile individual” against Texas lawyer Tony Buzbee, alleged that Mr. Buzbee tried to extort him by threatening to make public “completely fabricated and malicious allegations of sexual assault.”

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

The lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee alleges that the Houston lawyer follows a “clear game plan” for extorting celebrities that involves fabricating allegations and demanding letters of payment.

The suit 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 effort” to prevent him from naming the person.

“It is clear that the frivolous lawsuit brought against my company is an aggressive attempt to intimidate or silence me and ultimately my clients,” he said in a statement sent to the BBC.

“No amount of money was included in the demand letters,” he wrote. “No threats were made. The letters of demand sent are no different from those routinely sent by lawyers across the country in all types of cases”.

A second lawsuit was filed Monday by an unnamed woman in New York, alleging abusive behavior toward women.

The subpoena states that Mr. Buzbee abused his power of attorney and violated the unnamed woman while representing her as a client.

“Plaintiff brings these causes of action to address Defendant’s misconduct, which began with the assault of Plaintiff and escalated while representing her in the divorce proceedings, where he prioritized concealing his actions over protecting his legal interests,” it reads. show in the application.

In a statement to the BBC, the lawyer who brought the suit, Jeremy Bohrer, called Mr Buzbee a hypocrite.

“There’s nothing worse than a black hat masquerading as a white hat.”

Mr. Buzbee has yet to respond to the second lawsuit. BBC News has contacted for comment.