Hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is flexing his power and influence to prevent the public from learning about his alleged connection to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new report.
Combs' lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, filed a motion on Monday to block the release of the names of 16 "John Does" who were allegedly involved in Epstein's sex-trafficking ring, according to the New York Post. Brafman argued that revealing the identities of the men, who were redacted from court documents in a defamation lawsuit filed by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, would violate their privacy rights and cause them irreparable harm.
Brafman is a prominent criminal defense attorney who has represented Combs in the past, as well as other celebrities such as Harvey Weinstein, Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Jay-Z. He is also one of the lawyers who negotiated a controversial plea deal for Epstein in 2008, which allowed him to avoid federal prosecution and serve only 13 months in a Florida jail.
Giuffre, who claims she was sexually abused by Epstein and his associates, including Prince Andrew, when she was a teenager, has been fighting to unseal the names of the "John Does" for years. She alleges that Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking last month, operated a global network of powerful men who exploited underage girls.
Giuffre's lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, said in a court filing that the public has a right to know the names of the men who allegedly participated in Epstein's crimes. She said that the men's privacy interests are outweighed by the public interest in exposing the extent of the sex-trafficking conspiracy and holding the perpetrators accountable.
"The public has a compelling interest in learning the full truth about who was involved in Epstein and Maxwell's sex trafficking ring, how they were able to get away with it for so long, and who helped them evade justice," McCawley wrote.
The motion by Brafman is the latest attempt by Combs to distance himself from Epstein, who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Combs has denied any involvement with Epstein or his activities, and has said he only met him once at a charity event in 2004.
However, Combs' name has been linked to Epstein in various reports and court documents over the years. In 2015, Combs was named as one of the celebrities who flew on Epstein's private jet, dubbed the "Lolita Express", according to flight logs obtained by Gawker. In 2019, Combs was listed as one of the contacts in Epstein's "little black book", which was leaked by a former employee. And in 2020, Combs was accused by a former model of raping her at Epstein's New York mansion in 2004, according to a lawsuit filed by the woman, who used the pseudonym Jane Doe.
Combs has not commented on the latest motion by his lawyer, but he has previously dismissed the allegations against him as "false and defamatory". He has also said he is a victim of a "smear campaign" orchestrated by his enemies in the music industry and the media.
The motion by Brafman is expected to be opposed by Giuffre's lawyer, as well as by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, which is conducting a criminal investigation into Epstein's associates. The motion will also likely face scrutiny from Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, who has been calling for the release of Epstein's flight logs and the names of his co-conspirators.
Blackburn, who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has said she wants to uncover the full extent of Epstein's sex-trafficking ring and expose the powerful people who enabled him. She has also said she wants to ensure that the victims of Epstein and his associates get the justice they deserve.
"How many names stay redacted? How many powerful people are still hiding behind their lawyers and their money? How many innocent girls were abused by Epstein and his friends? These are the questions that need to be answered," Blackburn said in a statement.
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