Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been given access to a laptop to help with his defense, court documents reveal – although there’s a catch.
He is currently behind bars on a litany of charges including sex trafficking, but the rapper will not have access to the internet, officials said.
Judge Arun Subramanian announced the grant Thursday in a self-issued order in the Southern District of New York.
Combs, 55, will stand trial there next year, on May 5. The demand for a laptop is just the latest from the disgraced producer team, who have already asked the high-profile to be allowed to appear unchained for all future court hearings. .
That request was rejected, in contrast to the recent plea for the in-cell laptop. Another request for release ahead of his trial was denied in November.
Subramanian’s decision marked a small victory for Combs, allowing him to use the court-approved computer about seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
During that time, he may only use the device to review each side’s discovery — the formal process of exchanging information between parties about the witnesses and evidence they plan to present at trial.
“The purpose of the Discovery Laptop is to review discoveries, not to take or store notes,” Judge Subramanian wrote.
Sean “Diddy” Combs was given access to a laptop to help with his defense, court documents show
The rapper is currently behind bars on a range of charges, including sex trafficking, and will not have access to the internet, officials said – highlighting the provision
“According to the court, the laptop is pre-loaded with discovery materials, but provides no functionality other than reviewing those materials.
“If (the) suspect wanted road user access to the Discovery Laptop, his counsel would have to discuss the matter with the government.
“If there are further disputes, the Court will consider modifications to this order,” concluded Subramanian, who will now oversee the high-profile case two years into his term in the Southern District.
The new development sparked online anger among people, specifically targeting the judge. One person wrote: ‘Boo, that judge is tripping, he doesn’t need his damn laptop.’
Another added: ‘WHY on earth GIVE Diddy a laptop in jail.’
Just last week, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo wrote a letter to the lawyer claiming that his client had not received the same treatment as his inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, where he is being held ahead of his trial.
It read: “We write on behalf of Mr. Combs requesting that the Court direct the MDC to provide Mr. Combs with the laptop prepared for him by the government.”
It further asked to be fed ‘Allow him to use that laptop on his unit, consistent with how other prisoners on his unit may use their laptops
This involved claiming the laptop that the government had already supplied to the MDC to assist in his team’s handling of the case.
“In the nine days since then, Mr. Combs has still not received the laptop, despite numerous requests from counsel,” the letter said, before claiming the government and MDC had already given Combs two options when it came to computer access.
Judge Arun Subramanian announced the grant Thursday in a self-issued order in the Southern District of New York
Combs, 54, will stand trial there next year, on May 5. He is seen here in a sketch from a November hearing where his team tried unsuccessfully to have him released pending trial.
Just last week, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo wrote a letter to the lawyer claiming that his client had not received the same treatment as his inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he is currently being held.
The first, the letter alleged, was using the laptop in his unit’s videoconferencing room when a team was available to monitor it.
The other called for the laptop to only be used in a legal visiting room, between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Based on Subramanian’s response Thursday, it appears the judge has chosen to combine the two, while handing out some additional compensation.
This allows Combs to use the computer in both the visiting room and the video conference room, starting from the hours offered in the second provision.
“Any (additional) proposal must take into account the Court’s protective order, the nature of the material on the Discovery Laptop and the fact that (Combs) is not isolated in his unit,” Subramanian concluded.
The judge took up his Senate-approved post in March last year, after being appointed by Joe Biden. The evidence exchanged during discovery remains secret.
After another request for pretrial release was denied, Combs will remain at MDC until May 5.
Comb’s attorneys have previously accused prosecutors of using his detention “to spy on him and penetrate his confidential communications with his counsel.”
The rapper is accused of arranging “Freak Offs,” described as “elaborate and produced sex performances,” while other lawsuits have accused him of rape.
After another request for pretrial release that was denied in November, Combs will remain at MDC until May 5
Comb’s lawyers have previously accused prosecutors of using his detention “to spy on him and penetrate his confidential communications with his counsel.”
The prison was investigated by the FBI in late October after a spate of violent incidents, including one in which two inmates were stabbed to death and another stabbed in the spine with a makeshift ice pick.
A subsequent statement attempted to explain the operation, saying it is “designed to achieve our shared goal of maintaining a safe environment for both our employees and the incarcerated individuals housed in (the facility).”
The agency added that there is no active threat because the prison continues to house other high-profile criminals such as R. Kelly and Sam Bankman-Fried. Previous tenants also included Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
As for Combs, a federal racketeering charge could result in him being sentenced to life in prison in the spring.
A count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion also carries a life sentence, while a count of transportation for the purpose of prostitution carries an additional maximum of 10 years. In separate lawsuits, the rapper was accused of being a rapist.
The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Civil Rights Unit, along with U.S. Attorneys Meredith Foster, Emily A. Johnson, Christy Slavik, Madison Reddick Smyser and Mitzi Steiner.