'Puffy' Trial: The PEOPLE Report

By Stephen M. Silverman

05/08/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Matthew Bogdanos, the prosecutor in the gun possession and bribery trial of Sean "Puffy" Combs, filed contempt charges against the rap mogul in New York State Supreme Court on Wednesday morning, because, said Bogdanos, Combs violated the court-imposed gag order in the case and spoke to the media, reports PEOPLE. Once again declaring his innocence, Combs, 31, released a statement Tuesday night saying that he would testify in the case while his ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, would not. "It's yet another one of Mr. Combs's inability to control his impulses and inability to follow the law," Bogdanos told the courtroom. In response, Combs's attorney, Benjamin Brafman, told the courtroom that his client's press statement was "my fault" and explained that Combs "was not talking about the evidence. He released a statement relying on our understanding with this being a gag order on certain parts of the case, but not all of them." (Brafman also said that Lopez might be called to testify after all, a decision to be made once Combs finishes his testimony.) As a result, Judge Charles H. Solomon issued a new and stricter gag order, saying, "If Mr. Combs is commenting on Miss Lopez's testimony that to me is not very good." During the afternoon session, Judge Solomon, who has yet to rule on the contempt charge, returned to the topic of Combs's press leak. "There will be no statements made about this case outside this courtroom," said the jurist. "Period." Combs is expected to take the stand on Thursday.