Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Ordered to Jail As $50M Bond Rejected

The choose cited Combs’s alleged historical past of violence, which prosecutors mentioned was “each spontaneous and premeditated.”

“I do not know which you could management your self,” Tarnofsky mentioned.

In an indictment unsealed Tuesday, prosecutors within the Southern District of New York accused Combs of intercourse trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and unlawful prostitution transportation. They allege he manipulated and pressured victims into collaborating in “Freak Offs” — elaborate “intercourse performances” that Combs masturbated to and recorded. Assistant US Legal professional Emily Anne Johnson mentioned at Tuesday’s listening to that prosecutors have obtained among the movies by means of search warrants.

Combs wore a black T-shirt and sweatpants on the listening to. He was arrested at 8:25 p.m. Monday evening at a lodge the place he was staying, prosecutors mentioned.

The rapper was marched into the courtroom by US marshals on Tuesday. When he sat on the protection desk, his toes moved restlessly.

Throughout a lot of the listening to, Combs saved a impartial expression and sipped often from a Fiji water bottle. If he’s convicted at trial, he may face life in jail.

On the listening to, Combs pleaded not responsible to the three felony fees towards him.

On the afternoon courtroom look, Combs’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, proposed a $50 million bond bundle to maintain him out of jail earlier than his trial. He held a stack of six passports — which he mentioned belonged to Combs and 5 of his relations — and mentioned the rapper deliberate to promote his non-public jet as an example he was not a flight danger.

Prosecutors, in the meantime, mentioned in their very own letter filed to the courtroom that Combs ought to stay incarcerated, arguing he has used his “huge wealth” to “be sure that his legal conduct goes unpunished by means of manipulative and obstructive conduct.” Johnson in contrast Combs to Jeffrey Epstein, R. Kelly, and Keith Raniere — all individuals who have been saved incarcerated following their arrests on sex-trafficking fees lately.

Along with being referred to as a rapper and document producer, Combs is a serial entrepreneur who’s based style and media corporations and was a model ambassador for Cîroc vodka. Prosecutors pegged his wealth at about $1 billion and mentioned he had a non-public jet and $1 million in money readily available to flee the nation if he wished to.

“Briefly, if the defendant wished to flee, he has the cash, manpower, and instruments to take action shortly and with out detection,” prosecutors wrote within the submitting.

Diddy tried to close down witnesses, prosecutors say

Combs’ lawyer, Agnifilo, mentioned on the listening to that the rapper had taken pains to replace prosecutors on his whereabouts all through the course of the investigation into his conduct. Combs prevented touring abroad and even gave a heads-up when he went on a whitewater rafting over the summer time, Agnifilo mentioned.

Prosecutors mentioned that if Combs had been launched, he may have interaction in witness tampering. Johnson mentioned Combs and his associates have contacted witnesses within the investigation and tried to get them to vary their tales, together with “gaslighting” them in order that they’d undertake a distinct model of occasions.

Many of the bond Combs’ legal professionals provided would have been backed by his Miami house, which they mentioned was value $48 million.

“Sean Combs has by no means evaded, prevented, eluded, or run from a problem in his life,” his legal professionals wrote of their letter. “He won’t begin now.”

Prior to now, Combs has pressured safety employees to remain quiet about his actions, prosecutors wrote.

After a March 2016 incident, the place Combs “was captured on video surveillance putting, kicking, and dragging a lady in a public space of a lodge” — an obvious reference to the R&B singer Cassie Ventura — Combs tried to bribe lodge safety, prosecutors mentioned.

“When a member of lodge safety employees intervened, the defendant tried to supply the lodge safety officer a stack of money to make sure his silence,” prosecutors wrote. “After the safety guard refused the defendant’s bribe, and after coordination between the defendant and his workers, the defendant’s employees contacted different members of lodge safety.”

On the listening to, Agnifilo tried to characterize the “Freak Offs” and Combs’s relationship with Ventura as absolutely consensual. He mentioned their 10-year relationship was “mutual of their toxicity” and that the 2 had cheated on one another a number of instances.

“This ‘sex-trafficking’ was a 10-year relationship,” Agnifilo mentioned. “These had been two individuals in love.”

In response to Agnifilo, Ventura wished to extract a $30 million fee from Combs to purchase her silence about their relationship historical past. The lawyer mentioned that after Combs settled a civil lawsuit that Ventura filed in November 2023, there was a “bandwagon” of different lawsuits towards Combs.

Of their letter, prosecutors that Combs’ abuse has continued regardless of being below legal investigation.

“The defendant has continued to bodily assault and threaten these round him, together with his romantic companions, his workers, and others who occurred to be current when he succumbed to suits of rage,” prosecutors wrote. “No bail situations can handle the defendant’s tendency to turn into violent when offended or emotional: anybody in his presence is liable to abuse or assault.”