Diddy judge sparks uproar by granting 'rapist' rapper's diva jail request

Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been granted access to a laptop to assist in his defense, court documents have revealed - though there is a catch.

Currently behind bars for a litany of charges that include sex trafficking, the rapper will not be able to access the internet, officials said.

Judge Arun Subramanian made the allowance Thursday, in an order he issued himself in the Southern District of New York.

Combs, 55, is set to stand trial there next year, on May 5. The demand for a laptop is only the latest from the disgraced producer's team, who have already asked the high-profile be allowed to appear unshackled for all future court appearances.

That request was denied, unlike the recent plea for the in-cell laptop. An additional asked for him to be freed ahead of his trial was tossed in November.

Subramanian's decision served as a small victory for Combs, allowing him to use the court-sanctioned computer some seven days a week, from the hours of 8am to 3:30pm.

During that time, he will only be allowed to use the device only to review both sides' 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 discovery, not to take or store notes,' Judge Subramanian wrote.

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

'If [the] defendant wished for roader access to the Discovery Laptop, his counsel should discuss the issue with the government.

'If there are further disputes, the Court will consider adjustments to this order,' Subramanian concluded, now set to oversee the high-profile case two years into his tenure in the Southern District.

The new development caused anger among people online, specifically pointed at the judge. One person wrote: 'Booo that judge is trippin’ he does not need his damn laptop.' 

Another added: 'WHY ON EARTH GIVE Diddy a laptop in jail.' 

Just last week, Comb's lawyer Marc Agnifilo penned a letter to the jurist to claim his client had not been receiving the same treatments as his prison-mates in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where he is being kept ahead of trial.  

It read, 'We write on behalf of Mr. Combs to request that the Court direct the MDC to provide Mr. Combs with the laptop prepared for him by the government.'

It further asked that fed 'allow him to use that laptop on his unit, consistent with the way other inmates on his unit are permitted to use their laptops

It went to claim the laptop the government had already provided the MDC with the laptop, to assist with his team's handling of the case.

'In the nine days since then, Mr. Combs has still not been provided with the laptop despite numerous inquiries by defense counsel,' the letter stated, before claiming the government and MDC had already given Combs two options when it came to computer access. 

The first, the letter claimed, was use of the laptop in his unit's video-teleconference room whenever a team was available to oversee it

The other called for the laptop to be used only in a legal visiting room, between the hours of 8am and 3:30pm.

Based on Subramanian's response Thursday, it appears the judge has opted to combine the two, while dishing out some additional allowances.

It allows Combs to use the computer in both the visiting room and in the video conference room, from the hours offered in the second stipulation.

'Any [additional] proposal should be mindful of the Court's protective order, the nature of the materials on the Discovery Laptop, and the fact that [Combs] is not isolated in his unit,' Subramanian concluded.

The judge assumed his senate-approved post in March of last year, after being appointed by Joe Biden. The evidence being exchanged in discovery remains under wraps.

After seeing another request to be freed ahead of the trial denied, Combs will remain at MDC until May 5.

Comb's lawyers have previously accused prosecutors of using his detention 'to spy on him and invade his confidential communications with his counsel'. 

The jail was investigated by feds in late October, following a rash of violent incidents, including those surrounding two inmates stabbed to death and another speared in the spine with a makeshift icepick.

A subsequent statement sought 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 at [the facility].'

The bureau added there is no active threat, as the jail continues to house other high-profile criminals like R. Kelly and Sam Bankman-Fried. Previous tenants have included Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell as well.

As for Combs, a federal racketeering charge could see him sentenced to life when spring comes around.

A count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion also carries a life sentence, while a count of transportation for purposes of prostitution carries an additional max of 10 years. Separate suits have accused the rapper of being a rapist.

The case is being handled by the US Attorney Office's Civil Rights Unit, along with US Attorneys Meredith Foster, Emily A. Johnson, Christy Slavik, Madison Reddick Smyser and Mitzi Steiner.