Diddy's Lawyers Claim Prosecutors Used 'Altered' Video of Alleged 2016 Assault in Effort to Keep Him Jailed

As Sean “Diddy” Combs continues to seek release on bail ahead of his criminal trial, his lawyers have accused prosecutors of using a deceptively edited video of an alleged 2016 assault in a Los Angeles hotel.

The defense claims that the prosecution “submitted an altered video that omitted key scenes and presented events materially out of order.”

The video in question appears to be surveillance video originally reported on by CNN, which appears to show Combs assaulting his ex, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. The video was first referenced in the September indictment against the music mogul and has subsequently been cited by the defense in two recent court filings reviewed by PEOPLE. 

Though Cassie is not named in any of the court filings, the footage is cited as being recorded in March 2016 at a Los Angeles hotel, which is when the incident with the singer is reported to have taken place.

Combs is facing federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. The indictment centers around “freak offs,” which prosecutors allege are sex performances organized by Combs, in which women were forced or coerced into participating with male sex workers. He has denied all the charges against him.

“The video is not evidence of a coerced ‘freak off’ and sex trafficking, but rather a sad glimpse into a decade-long consensual relationship between Combs,” and the victim, defense attorneys wrote.

Citing analysis from a defense expert, Combs’ attorneys claim that the video submitted by the government omitted “footage corroborating the defense account” and that it changed the sequence of events.

The defense says Combs has argued that in the 2016 incident, he was trying to recover his cell phone and clothes.

Combs is due in court for a third bail hearing on Friday, Nov. 22. He has been incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest in December.

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Two federal judges have already denied the music mogul bail, citing concerns that he could potentially tamper with witnesses.

In a response to Combs’ third request for bail, prosecutors have claimed the Bad Boy Records founder has tried to tamper with witnesses from behind bars, citing jail calls he made using the prison access codes of other inmates and conversations with different individuals, including his sons.

Combs’ attorneys have proposed a $50 million bail package with strict release conditions. His trial is currently scheduled for May 2025.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.