Kirk Burrowes, ex-president of Bad Boy Entertainment, is making explosive claims in new court papers which implicate Sean 'P Diddy' Combs in the 1995 murder of Suge Knight's bodyguard and accuse his conglomerate of ordering the hit on Tupac Shakur.
In legal filings obtained by The New York Post, Burrowes claims the mogul set up an "enterprise" of thuggish associates "to gain power, recognition, fame and financial gain through acts and threats involving murder, mayhem and extortion via the enterprise."
Burrowes, godfather to Diddy's son, Justin, makes the extraordinary claims as part of a $25 million suit in Manhattan federal court. The disgruntled label exec says he enjoyed a "very close, family-like relationship" with Combs before their relationship erupted. This past June, he filed the legal action, claiming Diddy cheated him out of $25 million, threatened him with a baseball bat and undermined his management deal with rap diva Mary J. Blige.
"With the consent, approval and ratification of the [Bad Boy] enterprise, Suge Knight's chief bodyguard "Big Jake" was murdered in 1995," Burrowes says in a sworn legal statement. Allegedly, the bodyguard was killed soon after Combs' "advance man" got into an "East Coast-West Coast bashing contest" at an Atlanta party. A local deputy sheriff, who was later killed in a "mysterious car accident," identified Combs' "advance man" - a convicted felon named Anthony Jones - as the shooter, claims Burrowes.
Burrowes also accuses Bad Boy Entertainment of hiring the shooter who killed Tupac. Burrowes did not offer more detail on this in his sworn 37-page statement.
Burrowes lawyer John Bostany will argue in court today for Burrowes' new claims of violence to be admitted to the case. "My client appears to be the victim of a corrupt group that 'thugs its way through it' and I am here to help him get justice," Bostany said yesterday.
Additionally, Burrowes accuses Combs of the champagne-bottle attack on April 15, 1999 against Universal Records exec Steve Stoute - an attack Diddy admitted to and apologized for. Burrowes continues naming Roy Reid and Dante Dixon, alleged members of Diddy's "enterprise" were directed by Combs to threaten, harass and stalk John Bentley, a songwriter and owner of Calidelphia Records.
Combs lawyer Benjamin Brafman said yesterday Burrowes' claims are "entirely baseless" and "without merit."
