Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs latest: Rapper sent back to jail as shocking texts after Cassie hotel attack revealed
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 until his federal trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, as shocking text messages following his attack on ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura were revealed in court.
The rapper appeared again in a New York City courthouse to propose a $50 million bail package to avoid the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center.
Diddy’s lawyers told District Court Judge Andrew Carter that he was not a flight risk or dangerous, but the request was denied, with the judge reasoning there is “no condition or set of conditions” that would ensure the safety of the community or that Diddy would not contact witnesses.
The prosecution shared alleged text messages from Diddy to his ex to strengthen the argument that he should remain behind bars until trial.
The court heard Diddy allegedly text Ventura: “Call me, the cops are here. I got six kids. You, please call. I’m surrounded. You gonna abandon me all alone.”
Diddy pleaded not guilty to racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, insisted his client is “an innocent man with nothing to hide”.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrest and abuse allegations: A timeline of key events
What are the latest allegations against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs?
‘One of the best days ever’: Woman who claims Diddy shot her in face in NYC club celebrates arrest
1,000 bottles of baby oil and ‘freak offs’: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and the rise of his ‘criminal enterprise’
Inside the New York jail where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is currently being held
Diddy’s lawyers describe ‘horrific’ conditions of jail where Combs is being held
Combs’ lawyers highlighted the poor conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center where Combs is currently being held, in their letter asking a judge to let the musician remain under house arrest.
“Numerous Courts in this district have raised concerns with the horrific conditions of detention there,” Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ lawyer, wrote in the letter.
Agnifilo cited numerous court cases where the jail was described as “dreadful”, “dirty”, “plagued by violence” and “inhuman.”
Lawyers ask federal judge to release Combs from custody in letter
Lawyers for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs attempted to smother fears that the music mogul poses a flight risk or a danger to others in asking a New York judge to allow the music mogul to remain under house arrest until his trial instead of sitting in jail.
“Sean Combs has never evaded, avoided, eluded or run from a challenge in his life. He will not start now,” Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ lawyer, said in a letter to District Court Judge Andrew Carter on Wednesday.
Agnifilo addressed several concerns that led a magistrate judge to jail Combs, including that he is unpredictable and dangerous.
“Aside from his actions since the inception of this investigation, Mr. Combs’ character is shown through his demonstrated contributions to society,” Agnifilo said.
He cited examples like donating to charity, raising money for Covid-19 relief, advancing the careers of Black people in music and creating thousands of jobs.
The lawyer also said there were major differences between Combs’ case to other sex trafficking cases like the one involving Jeffrey Epstein because Combs is not accused of trafficking minors and has not flown internationally since last year.
Similarly, Agnifilo said that the difference between Combs’ case and the government’s case against R. Kelly was that Kelly is accused of abusing minors over a prolonged period of time whereas Combs is not.
Judge issues ‘Brady’ order
Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky has issued a Brady order, which requires government prosecutors to disclose evidence and materials that could be used for impeachment.
Jimmy Kimmel brings up Trump’s glowing past comments about Diddy
Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel reminded people that Donald Trump once referred to Sean “Diddy” Combs as a “good friend” on his show – hours after the music mogul pleaded not guilty to three federal crimes.
Myriam Page reports:
‘He’s a good friend’: Jimmy Kimmel brings up Trump’s glowing past Diddy comments
The late night comedy show host joked that the troubled rapper is ‘getting his character references lined up’ after he was denied bail on Tuesday
What is a racketeering charge?
Diddy was charged with racketeering, or violating RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), for running a “criminal enterprise” that allegedly aided him in carrying out sex crimes.
Racketeering is a form of organized crime in which a group of people set up a fraudulent coordinated scheme to repeatedly collect a profit.
RICO is a statute that was created to prosecute the Mafia and other organized crime rings. It made it easier for prosecutors to bring multiple charges against multiple people so long as it was part of the same criminal enterprise. It also added new penalties that prosecutors can use to leverage a plea deal.
In Combs’ case, prosecutors are alleging he ran the “criminal enterprise”, made up of close associates, assistants and others, to help coerce women into his orbit, abuse them and then conceal any abuse from outside individuals.
Attorney for Diddy accuser applauds indictment
An attorney for Dawn Richard, a singer and former member of “Danity Kane”, said she applauds the indictment against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and called it “strikingly similar” to the complaint her client made against the music mogul.
“We applaud the grand jury’s new indictment of Sean Combs, which is strikingly similar to the federal complaint we filed last week on behalf of our brave client, Dawn Richard,” Lisa Bloom said in a statement to The Independent.
“Given the brutal beating of Sean Combs’ girlfriend caught on video and the eight people who have now accused him of abuse in court filings, including Dawn, this arrest seems long overdue. It’s a big, moving day for victims, but an arrest is only the beginning. May justice be delivered to Mr. Combs. We implore other accusers to come forward in solidarity and join us in this fight.”
Richard filed a lawsuit against Combs in early September, accusing him of acting inhumanely toward her, abusing her and sexually harassing her.
Former prosecutor says outlook for Diddy is ‘bleak,’
Elie Honig, an attorney with experience trialing “complex international sex trafficking rings”, said his review of the indictment showed a “bleak” outlook for Combs.
“Given what I know about the SDNY and its racketeering and sex trafficking prosecutions – the outlook for Combs is bleak,” Honig wrote in an op-ed for Intelligencer on Wednesday.
Although prosecutors did not provide extremely specific details about their evidence in the indictment, Honig said the allegations they’ve made in the indictment, letter to the judge requesting Combs remain jailed and U.S. attorney’s press conference indicate the prosecution has “valuable” backing.
He said prosecutors’ reference to “dozens of victims and witnesses” means the defense team will have a “tough” time undermining each one.
Honig said prosecutors likely will use a public video of Combs physically assaulting an individual which could support their allegation that physical violence was a core aspect of the racketeering charge.
“Racketeering (or ‘RICO’) charges are a cheat code of sorts for prosecutors,” Honig said.
Federal prosecutors allege Combs used those around him to create a “criminal enterprise” that continuously enabled his alleged criminal behavior – like coercing women to participate in his so-called “Freak Offs”.
Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, asserts that his client is an “innocent man with nothing to hide”. During the arraignment, Agnifilo indicated that the charges brought against him stemmed from nothing more than a consensual but strained relationship due to infidelity.
Although the case is in its early stages and nowhere near trial-ready, Honig said he can “already see the defense taking shape… ‘He’s a sex freak, but he’s not a criminal’.”
‘One of the best days ever’: Woman who claims Diddy shot her in face in NYC club celebrates arrest
A woman who claims Sean “Diddy“ Combs shot her in the face in a New York City nightclub back in 1999 has described the news of his arrest as “one of the best days ever.”
Natania Reuben was at Club New York in Manhattan in December 1999 when gunfire broke out, injuring three people. She miraculously survived, but the bullet scarred her brain.
Reuben described the moment that her teenage daughter, Nirvana, broke the news of Diddy’s arrest to her on Monday. Reuben told The Daily Beast: “I said, ‘Are you kidding me, really?’ She said, ‘Yes!’ I just screamed out to God, ‘Thank you, merciful father!’”
Rhian Lubin reports:
Woman who claims Diddy shot her in face in NYC club celebrates arrest
Natania Reuben, who was shot in the face in a NYC club in 1999, has spoken out about Diddy’s arrest
Watch: Video from Combs’ home raid shows moment FBI breach his house
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
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