Diddy smiles and kisses family during bail hearing

Sean “Diddy” Combs seemed optimistic as he entered a New York City courtroom for a bail hearing, hoping to secure his release while facing sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

The 55-year-old music mogul greeted his family with kisses and waves as he entered South Manhattan Federal Court wearing a beige prison jumpsuit. Unlike previous hearings, he was not handcuffed and was escorted by U.S. marshals.

Family and supporters, including his mother Janice Combs, daughter Chance Combs, son Justin Dior Combs and adopted son Quincy Brown, attended the hearing Friday afternoon.

The judge postponed the decision to grant him bail after arguments from prosecutors that Combs could not be “trusted” to follow the conditions and could evade legal scrutiny even under the guidance of his lawyers.

Combs is currently being held on a $50 million bond at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, awaiting trial.

During the hearing, Combs’ legal team pointed to changed circumstances, including new evidence, as reasons to release him, arguing that it would allow him to better prepare for his May 5 trial. Two judges previously ruled that he poses a danger. to the community and poses a flight risk.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Slavik said Combs’ attempts to contact jailhouse witnesses, often through family members, showed he “cannot and will not follow the rules” of his own legal team. “Simply put, the suspect cannot be trusted,” she said.

Slavik further accused Combs’ attorneys of “enabling him to ignore the rules” and argued that they had shown an “inability to control their client.”

Last week, prosecutors alleged that Combs used prison guards’ phones to intimidate potential witnesses ahead of his trial. According to court documents, he allegedly contacted family members from prison and asked them to contact potential victims and make up “stories” while making “relentless attempts” to “corruptly influence witness statements.”