Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyers seek gag order, citing 'improper' pretrial publicity

Attorneys for Sean "Diddy" Combs complained of a "deluge of improper pretrial publicity" and asked the judge overseeing his criminal case to order potential witnesses to keep quiet.

Combs' attorneys, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, said in a letter to the judge that statements by certain individuals are "undermining Mr. Combs' right to a fair trial and the integrity of the grand jury proceedings."

The letter followed grand jury testimony by a music producer who claimed to have had possession of a videotape of the hip-hop mogul engaged in sexual assaults of celebrities.

Combs is currently imprisoned on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking by force and transportation to engage in prostitution.

"These stories have spread rapidly through the media and created the impression that such videos exist, which is false, and that the government is actually crediting his sensational claims, which is profoundly prejudicial," the letter said.

The defense is asking for a court order gagging potential witnesses and their attorneys.

Prosecutors have objected to such a gag order, in part because plaintiffs in civil litigation against Combs are outside the purview of the criminal court.

But the defense attorneys have stated, "It makes little sense that civil litigants seeking to capitalize on the criminal allegations against Mr. Combs can nonetheless claim that they are not involved in the criminal proceedings."

Combs has pleaded not guilty to a three-count federal indictment, and his legal team has denied that he sexually assaulted any of his civil accusers.