THREE CHARGES THE CHARM IN PUFF DADDY TRIAL?

Prosecutors in the hip-hop impresario's trial wielded the new allegations, after police located missing witness Matthew "Scar" Allen Tuesday night (2/20) in Maryland.

Allen is the man, whom witnesses say, was arguing with Puffy shortly before the December 1999 fracas at Club New York, in which three people were injured.

In a letter to Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Charles Solomon, prosecutor Matthew Bogdanos stated he interviewed Allen and his brothers, who were present during the shooting, on Jan. 3. Bogdanos wrote that the Allen brothers told him they were concerned about testifying at the trial and felt threatened by the powerful Puffy.

"Their greatest concerns were retaliation by Mr. Combs and those surrounding him against their mother, Shirley Allen," wrote Bogdanos. "I was also informed of several attempts by Mr. Combs personally to pay for their silence."

Bogdanos also released a statement written by Allen, in which Allen described the night's events, including Puff and protege Jamal "Shyne" Barrow firing guns. According to Allen, Puffy knocked a glass of champagne out of his hand and the men started "screaming" at each other. "At just about the same time one of the guys against the bar threw money at Puffy... Shyne then dipped down and came back up with a gun and started firing," Allen's sworn statement said. "At that point, Puffy had a gun in his right hand as I was running out. I could see both Shyne and Puffy firing guns."

If Allen waives his extradition rights, he could be back in New York within days. If he fights extradition, it could be a week before he's put on the stand. While the prosecution officially rested its case Wednesday (2/21), Judge Solomon ruled Allen could testify at the trial once defense attorneys had presented their cases…and on the condition the Allen help him choose a funky new nickname.