A cooperating witness has accused federal prosecutors of using him to "get their conviction" in the case of Sean "Diddy" Combs and then leaving him high and dry after the trial was over.
In a motion filed in Manhattan federal court, Clayton Howard contends the Justice Department leaned on his cooperation to beef up Combs' conviction for transporting people across state lines for prostitution and then reneged on protections due him under the Crime Victims' Rights Act.
According to the report by AllHipHop, the filing names former Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey as the prosecutor who oversaw Howard's cooperation.
Howard claims prosecutors subsequently barred him from testifying about Cassie Ventura's alleged participation in the incidents. Prefacing his accusation, Howard recounted his exchange with Comey during the investigation. "Assistant Prosecutor Maurene Comey became annoyed when I said I wanted to tell the truth about both of my offenders," Howard said. "She said I was too traumatized to testify, which I denied."
According to the filing summarized by AllHipHop, Howard claimed he traveled back and forth from New York, Los Angeles, and Miami from 2012 to 2019. He claims Combs and Ventura approached him through online ads and paid him between $1,500 and $6,000 to engage in pre-arranged sex acts-what Howard described as sometimes being called "Freak Offs"-all while Combs watched.
Federal prosecutors later categorized him as one of the five victims under Count 3 of the case-a designation that raised Combs' sentencing exposure under federal guidelines.
Howard says that once the trial was over, his efforts to avail himself of his rights as a victim were simply ignored. Submitting his written complaint, Howard recounted how he tried to get someone to listen. "I have been patient and persistent," Howard wrote. "The government used my cooperation when it served their interest, but now treats me as if I do not exist."
Howard said his frustration mounted when he was told prosecutors had listed him as a victim in a sentencing memo but later denied that status when he sought their help applying for the Backpage Remission Program, a federal fund disbursing more than $200 million to trafficking victims. With a Feb. 2, 2026, deadline looming, he said, he's racing to prove eligibility.
The filing also alleges prosecutors shielded Ventura's public image by preventing Howard from testifying. Introducing that claim, Howard asserted his intended testimony. He said Cassie "was not a victim of sex trafficking but an active participant."
AllHipHop added, "Her role became highly scrutinized after being fired by President Donald Trump in July of 2025, and subsequently filing a lawsuit against the Justice Department for wrongful termination.
Combs, 55, was convicted July 2, 2025, on two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution and sentenced to 50 months in prison on Oct. 3. He was acquitted of racketeering and sex-trafficking charges and is serving his sentence at Fort Dix in New Jersey.
Earlier this week, AllHipHop reported that a judge allowed Howard to serve Ventura through alternate means in connection with his $20 million civil lawsuit.
According to a recent Rolling Stone report, 50 Cent claims he has 140 hours of unreleased footage filmed for Sean "Diddy" Combs' documentary, portions of which appear in Netflix's "Sean Combs: The Reckoning."
Filmmaker Michael Oberlies told Rolling Stone the footage was obtained without authorization by a freelancer, while Combs' legal team attempted to block its release, calling the series a "hit piece."
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