Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs latest: Rapper to remain in jail as bail is rejected again in sex trafficking, racketeering case
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has faced a series of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse over the last year
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Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain in jail while awaiting his federal trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, a federal judge ruled during a Wednesday bail hearing.
For the second time this week, the rapper and music mogul appeared in a New York City courthouse to propose a $50 million bail package to avoid serving months in the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center.
Combs’ lawyers told the judge that Combs was not a flight risk or dangerous, despite prosecutors saying differently. His lawyers said they revoked Combs’ passport months ago and highlighted his charitable work to convince the judge.
But District Court Judge Andrew Carter was unconvinced and denied Combs’ request.
Carter said there is “no condition or set of conditions” that would ensure the safety of the community or that Combs would not contact witnesses.
The bail hearing happened about 24 hours after Combs pleaded not guilty to racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Combs, has insisted his client is “an innocent man with nothing to hide” and told reporters they were prepared to fight the charges.
Diddy used his music influence to force woman into sex and ‘freak offs’ in trafficking empire, prosecutors say
Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrest and abuse allegations: A timeline of key events
50 Cent mocks P Diddy after 1000 lube bottles seized in FBI arrest
What are the latest allegations against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs?
Diddy was hit with three civil lawsuits in November
In November, Combs was hit with three lawsuits filled with allegations of sexual and physical abuse, in just one week – a startling occurrence that would open a floodgate of other allegations and investigations.
Here’s a look back at that moment.
Sheila Flynn reported:
How P Diddy came to face three sexual assault accusations in a week
Sean Combs, formerly known as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and a host of other names, has undergone a myriad of reinventions since the start of his career – but now, with three sex assault lawsuits filed against him in a week, he’s entered a new and unwelcome ‘era.’ Sheila Flynn reports
Reminder of the charges against Combs
Here’s a reminder of the charges Combs faces.
According to a three-count criminal indictment unsealed on Tuesday, Combs ran a decades-long criminal enterprise that aided him in egregiously abusing women through sex crimes, physical violence and emotional manipulation, federal prosecutors said.
The rapper, who has been accused of rape and sexual abuse in at least nine civil lawsuits this past year, was arrested in New York Monday night and charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
On Tuesday morning he appeared in Manhattan federal court to plead not guilty to the charges.
Today is he expected to appear in court to appeal the decision to deny him bail.
Prosecution alleges there are more than 50 victims
The prosecution alleges there are more than 50 potential victims in relation to the charges against Combs.
In a memo supporting the request Combs remain in jail until trial, the prosecution said the government has conducted interviews with “over 50 victims and witnesses, many of whom saw or experienced the defendant’s abuse”.
The total number of alleged victims is unclear, but the memo added the prosecution “only expects that number to continue to grow”.
Combs ‘anticipated’ charges were being brought against him
Combs, who was arrested on Monday night at a hotel in Manhattan, knew the charges were coming.
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said the rapper travelled to New York last week in anticipation of the charges being brought.
“He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo added.
Combs being held in prison where Ghislaine Maxwell and R Kelly were once housed
More details about the conditions inside the Metropolitan Detention Center are being reported as Combs is being held there in pretrial detention.
It’s a facility that is no stranger to famous faces, having previously housed sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, Fyre Festival fraudster Billy McFarland and rapper R Kelly, who was found guilty of child sexual abuse.
Many have spoken out about the “barbaric” conditions inside the prison, with one inmate claiming the jail sees stabbings “at least a couple of times a week.”
“One guy was stabbed in the eye with a makeshift knife,” the inmate, only named as Eli, told NY1.
“And these knives, again, I have never been to jail. This is my first time in jail, but these knives are six, nine inches long sometimes, you know, homemade with materials from the steel walls. It’s very violent. There’s stabbings, there’s stabbings at least a couple times a week.”
Read more here.
Inside jail where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is being held, once home to Ghislaine Maxwell
Diddy is currently being housed in the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn ahead of his trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges
What will happen in court today?
Combs is due to appear in court again today at approximately 3.30pm ET.
He is appealing the decision to be held without bail in front of US District Court Judge Andrew Carter.
If the appeal is denied, Combs will be remanded back to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and could remain there until trial.
His laywers yesterday requested he remain under house arrest, which was denied.
50 Cent mocks Combs after 1,000 bottles of lube seized
50 Cent has mocked Combs with a message on social media shortly after the embattled music mogul was arrested by federal agents in New York City.
The rapper was responding to details released by the FBI - that searches of Combs’s homes in Miami and Los Angeles led to officers seizing “more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.”
In a post on Instagram, 50 Cent captioned a photograph of himself during a recent appearance on Drew Barrymore’s talk show with the message: “Here I am keeping good company with @thedrewbarrymoreshow and I don’t have 1,000 bottles of lube at the house.”
Kevin E G Perry reports.
50 Cent mocks P Diddy after 1000 lube bottles seized in FBI arrest
The rapper has been a longtime critic of the embattled music mogul
Inside notorious prison where Combs is being held
Combs is currently being held in the Special Housing Unit of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The notorious prison has also housed Ghislaine Maxwell, R Kelly and Billy McFarland to name a few.
It has been plagued by outbreaks of violence, unsanitary conditions and chronic understaffing, according to reports.
The rapper is reportedly being kept away from other prisoners at the moment.
WATCH: Diddy’s lawyer says he is ‘a fighter and not afraid of charges’ after bail refused
‘A win for women all over the world’: Aubrey O’Day celebrates Diddy’s arrest
Singer Aubrey O’Day has praised the arrest of Sean “Diddy” Combs on sex trafficking and racketeering charges as “a win for women all over the world.”
O’Day, who was a member of Diddy’s Danity Kane girl group, is one of a growing list of accusers who have filed civil lawsuits against the music mogul.
In a post on X, O’Day said she felt “validated” following his arrest.
“The purpose of Justice is to provide an ending and allow us the space to create a new chapter,” she said.
“Women never get this. I feel validated. Today is a win for women all over the world, not just me. Things are finally changing.”
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