Surpassing:Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears

Sean "Diddy" Combsis getting hooked up with a computer as he awaits trial on Surpassingsex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution charges.

The rapper—who remains locked up at Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center after being denied bail multiple times—has been issued a laptop on which he can review documents pertaining to his criminal case, according to a court order obtained by E! News.

"The MDC is ordered to give Defendant access to the Discovery Laptop seven days per week from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM," a decree signed by JudgeArun SubramanianDec. 12 read. "This can be in his unit's visiting room or in his unit's VTC room."

However, the judge set out that the purpose of the laptop is "not to take or store notes."

"It is the Court's understanding that the laptop has been pre-loaded with discovery materials," Subramanian continued, "but does not allow any functionality beyond reviewing those materials."

If Combs "wishes for broader access" on his laptop, Subramanian said the 55-year-old and his legal team will need to discuss it with the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and "consider any reasonable proposals in good faith."

"If there are further disputes, the Court will consider adjustments to this order," Subramanian—who was assigned to the case in October—added, noting that any proposals "should be mindful" of the materials stored on the laptop and that Combs is "not isolated in his unit."

The court order comes after the prosecution in Combs' criminal case accused him of attempting to "blackmail victims and witnesses either into silence or providing testimony helpful to his defense" from behind bars.

In a Nov. 15 motion obtained by E! News, prosecutors alleged Combs had been using telephone access codes belonging to other inmates to make calls to individuals who are not on his approved contact list.

They also accused Combs of launching an alleged social media campaign around his birthday "with the intention of influencing the potential jury in this criminal proceeding."

Combs' attorney Alexandra Shapirohas since responded to the witness tampering allegations, saying that the rap mogul is "drowning in a sea of negative publicity" and that his social media posts fall under his First Amendment rights. 

Furthermore, Combs continues to deny any wrongdoing in regards to his criminal charges, to which he's pleaded not guilty.

His trial is scheduled to start in May 2025.

For the biggest bombshells in his federal case so far, keep reading.

After Sean "Diddy" Combspleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges on Sept. 17, his legal team proposed a $50 million bond package that includedequity in his Miami home and his mother's house, as well as limited his travel to within certain parts of Florida, New York and New Jersey.

The defense also offered, per a letter obtained by E! News, to "walk the Court through a series of actions taken by Mr. Combs over the past six months that prove that he is not a risk of flight or a danger to anyone in the community."

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky rejected the package and ordered that Combs be remanded without bail. He remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

"He is not a perfect person," Combs' attorney Marc Agnifilotold the court, per NBC New York. "There has been drug use. He has been in toxic relationships."

Therefore, he added, his client was getting "treatment and therapy for things that he needs treatment and therapy for."

Overall, though, Combs' "spirits are good," the lawyer told reporters after court Sept. 17. "He's confident."

More than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and personal lubricant were seized during the March 2024 raids on Combs' L.A. and Miami homes, according to the 14-page indictment unsealed Sept. 17.

Per the indictment, the oil and lube were stockpiled for use in so-called "freak-offs," the term Combs used for gatherings in which he allegedly orchestrated sexual encounters between women he coerced and threatened into doing his bidding and male sex workers.

"I don't know where the number 1,000 came," his attorney Agnifilo said in the TMZ documentary The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment, which premiered Sept. 27. Pondering out loud why anyone would need so much, the lawyer added, "He has a big house, he buys in bulk. I think they have Costcos in every place where he has a home."

Costco, meanwhile, wanted no part of it, telling TMZ in a statement that "none" of its U.S. stores carry baby oil.

In May 2024, CNN published a clip of hotel surveillance video from 2016 that appeared to show Combs attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie, born Cassandra Ventura. (The assault matched up with an alleged incident detailed in the lawsuit she filed against Combs on Nov. 16, 2023; both parties announced a settlement the next day.)

"I was f--ked up. I hit rock bottom," Combs said in a video posted to Instagram in response to the footage. "But I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video." He had gone to therapy and rehab since, he added, and was "committed to be a better man each and every day."

During a Sept. 18 hearing on Combs' second request for bail, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnsonsaid, per NBC News, that Combs allegedly sent a text in the days following the assault that read, "Call me, the cops are here." Another read, "I have six kids. Call, I’m surrounded."

Johnson did not say Cassie's name in court. She said that Combs' victim replied via text, "Sick you think it’s OK to do what you've done."

Bail was once again denied, this time by U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr.

On Oct. 3, the Combs case was reassigned to Judge Arun Subramanian because Carter was unable to accommodate a trial date.

During an Oct. 10 status hearing, Subramanian set a trial date of May 5, 2025.

Prosecutor Johnson told the judge she expected the trial to last roughly three weeks, but said there was still the possibility that a superseding indictment could lead to more charges against Combs.

Agnifilo said in court they'd need about a week to put on their case.

Meanwhile, the attorney said in the TMZ doc that Combs was looking forward to testifying in his own defense.

“I don’t know that I could keep him off the stand," Agnifilo said. "I think he is very eager to tell his story."

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