Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been denied bail for the third time ahead of his sex trafficking trial.
The disgraced hip hop mogul, 55, had made another bid for freedom before Thanksgiving, but will now remain behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn ahead of his trial. in May 2025.
Combs has been charged with extortion, sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution, all of which he denies.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian made the decision in a written ruling Wednesday following a bail hearing last week, when the rapper’s attorneys argued that a $50 million bail package they proposed would be enough to ensure Combs Don’t run away and don’t try to intimidate potential candidates. trial witnesses.
Subramanian cited direct evidence of Combs’ violence, referring to Diddy punching ex Cassie in a 2016 hotel surveillance video, and a serious risk of witness tampering in the denial.
The ruling said: ‘The Court finds that the government has demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably ensure the safety of the community.
Prosecutors had previously said that Combs had been “witness tampering” from behind bars and Subramanian agreed, saying, “There is evidence to support a serious risk of witness tampering.”
Sean Diddy’ Combs has been denied bail for the third time ahead of his sex trafficking trial (pictured in 2022).
The judge also cited evidence that Diddy violated communication rules behind bars, including paying for inmates’ dial-up code numbers to make three-way calls to people not on his approved contact list.
The decision also cited “compelling evidence of Combs’ propensity for violence.”
Combs had asked to be released on $50 million bail and under 24/7 house arrest.
Two other judges had previously been persuaded by prosecutors’ arguments that the Bad Boy Records founder was a danger to the community if not behind bars.
diddy appeared before a federal judge in New York last week and was supported by his family in court.
His mother Janice, 84, walked out hand in hand with Diddy’s son Christian ‘King’ Combs, 26, and entered the courthouse.
Diddy himself entered the courthouse through a side door and was wearing a prison-issued tan T-shirt and pants.
He was not shackled after his lawyers claimed that doing so offended the “dignity” of the court.
Diddy began to smile when he saw seven members of his family in the second row of the public gallery, including his mother Janice, 83, who was wearing sunglasses, his adopted son Quincy, 33, Justin, 30, King, Chance, 18, and their twin daughters. D’Lila and Jessie, 17 years old.
He blew them kisses, formed a prayer sign with his hands, and tapped his heart.
Diddy warmly hugged his lawyers and sat at a table where he put on reading glasses to review some documents.
The proceedings began with a bang when the disgraced rapper’s defense attorney, Anthony Ricco, told Judge Arun Subramanian: “I would like to point out that Mr. Combs’ family is present. They traveled a great distance to be here. They would be his mother, their children and other relatives.
Subramanian thanked Diddy’s family in response and said it was “important for you to be here.”
Prosecutor Christy Slavik said Diddy was “a violent abuser and is a danger to the community” and argued he should remain in custody.
The disgraced hip hop mogul, 55, had made another bid for freedom before Thanksgiving, but will now remain behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn.
The Combs family arrived at the Southern District of New York Federal Court to attend a hearing for Diddy on November 22, including their adopted son (pictured), Quincy, 33, Chance, 18, and their twin daughters D’Lila and Jessie, 17.
Subramanian cited direct evidence of Combs’ violence, referring to Diddy punching ex Cassie in a 2016 hotel surveillance video, and a serious risk of witness tampering in the denial.
The brutal video of Diddy attacking singer Cassie in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016 was published by CNN in May.
Lawyers for the Bad Boy Records founder say the prosecution’s case is “fictitious” and that they have been putting a “theatrical spin” on it.
They are expected to argue that a key piece of evidence – a video showing him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016 – was “doctored” to make it appear worse than it really is.
Diddy is accused of running a decade-long criminal empire that included orgies called ‘Freak Offs’ in which women were drugged and forced into marathon sex sessions, sometimes with prostitutes.
He has denied sex trafficking and extortion, among other charges, and is due to go to trial in May next year.
Diddy has already been denied bail twice, including a $50 million bail package that involves 24-hour surveillance by security guards and home detention.
But prosecutors have argued that he continues to obstruct justice while in prison and that no set of bail conditions would prevent him from influencing jurors and tampering with witnesses.
Their filings have led to a legal showdown over what Diddy’s lawyers claim is a “complete institutional failure” by prosecutors.
The dispute concerns notes confiscated by a Bureau of Prisons investigator during an Oct. 28 raid on Diddy’s cell at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, where he is being held.
Rap megastar Diddy looks on top of the world as he and his then-girlfriend Cassie party during the Bad Boy Sound Clash in Kingston, Jamaica, in January 2013.
Diddy is being accused of running a decade-long criminal empire that included orgies called ‘Freak Offs’ in which women were drugged and forced into marathon sex sessions, sometimes with prostitutes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson defends the prosecution while Diddy and his defense attorneys Agnifilo and Geragos sit during a bail hearing on September 18.
Prosecutors used some of the notes to argue that Diddy was still trying to obstruct justice by paying a witness to make a positive statement about him on Instagram.
Diddy’s lawyers have claimed this material is privileged and said in court this week that they need to get more information before deciding what the remedy might be.
But the matter is so serious that it may be necessary to dismiss the case or recuse the team of four prosecutors, Marc Agnifilo said.
Diddy was arrested on September 16 and has been at the MDC since then.
During Wednesday’s hearing he appeared relaxed in court and smiled and joked with his attorneys.
Earlier this week it was hit with five new civil lawsuits, the latest in a deluge that is expected to reach more than 100 when they are all filed.
The new claims include one from a woman who says she was drugged and raped at one of Diddy’s infamous “White Parties” in the New York Hamptons.
Diddy’s lawyers deny all civil allegations.