Sean 'Diddy' Combs Denied Bail, Judge Raises Witness Tampering Possibility

A second judge has denied bail to Sean “Diddy” Combs after the disgraced entertainment star’s lawyers asked that he be allowed to await trial on sex trafficking charges at his luxurious island home near Miami Beach, rather than a grim federal prison in Brooklyn.

U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter said Wednesday that the government had proven “by clear and convincing evidence that there are no conditions or set of conditions” that would ensure the safety of the community and that the hip-hop mogul would not tamper with witnesses, as prosecutors have suggested.

Combs’ lawyers have offered $50 million bail — using his mansion as collateral — in exchange for his release to home confinement with GPS monitoring and strict restrictions on who can visit him. The defense and prosecution argued over that request at a hearing Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday, a U.S. magistrate judge in Manhattan ordered Combs held without bail.

Combs, 54, pleaded not guilty Tuesday after being accused of using his “power and prestige” to entice female victims and male sex workers to engage in elaborate, drugged sexual performances, dubbed “freak offs,” that Combs organized, participated in and often recorded. The events sometimes lasted for days, according to the indictment.

The indictment accuses him of coercing and abusing women for years, with the help of a network of associates and employees, while using blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings, to prevent victims from speaking out.

Combs has been in federal custody since his arrest Monday night at a Manhattan hotel. On Wednesday, Combs blew kisses to his family and touched his heart as he entered the courtroom wearing the same T-shirt and sweatpants he wore Tuesday.

Prosecutor Emily Johnson argued for Combs’ continued detention, telling U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter that the once-famous rapper had a history of intimidating accusers and witnesses to his alleged abuse. She cited text messages from women who said Combs forced them to do “freak offs” and then threatened to release videos of them performing sexual acts.

Johnson said Combs’ defense team “grossly downplayed and underestimated” Combs’ propensity for violence, disputing his attorney’s characterization of a 2016 assault at a Los Angeles hotel as a lovers’ quarrel. Security video of the incident showed Combs punching his then-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, in a hotel hallway.

Johnson took advantage of a text message from a woman who claimed Combs dragged her by the hair down a hallway. According to Johnson, the woman told the rapper, “I’m not a rag doll, I’m somebody’s child.”

Mr. Johnson argued that Mr. Combs posed a “danger to the community and posed a serious risk to the integrity” of his case. He also raised concerns about Mr. Combs’ potential flight risk, though he focused primarily on the risk of obstruction of justice.

At a press conference Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams detailed the charges against Sean “Diddy” Combs, which accuse him of sex trafficking, arson and racketeering. Williams also outlined the findings of several searches, including the seizure of videos of the alleged abuse, AR-style weapons and more than 1,000 bottles of personal lubricant.

Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky had initially ruled that Combs was too dangerous to be released. But Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, sent a letter to Carter Wednesday again requesting bail on conditions that would allow him to leave the Metropolitan Detention Center, the Brooklyn waterfront detention center where he was taken after his indictment.

The prison, which holds about 1,200 inmates, is the subject of frequent complaints from lawyers and some judges, who consider it overcrowded, violent and neglected.

Combs’ Florida home sits on Star Island, a man-made sliver of land in Biscayne Bay accessible only by causeway or boat. It’s one of the most expensive places in the United States to live. Combs’s request echoes a long line of wealthy defendants who have offered to post multimillion-dollar bail in exchange for house arrest in luxurious surroundings.

If released on bail, Combs would have to remain in the home while he awaits trial, his lawyers have proposed. Visits would be limited to family, caretakers of the property and friends who are not considered accomplices.

“I’m confident. We’re going to get Mr. Combs out of jail,” Agnifilo said as he arrived in court Wednesday. He added that Combs “is doing very well, he’s focused and he’s ready for his hearing.”

After the hearing, Agnifilo said: “I told Mr. Combs that I was going to try to get his case resolved as quickly as possible… I expect that he’s going to have to dig deep and find the determination to go… and fight this case and that’s what he’s going to do.”

The defense said it plans to file another appeal to try to get Combs out of behind bars.

Many of the charges in the indictment match allegations in a November lawsuit filed by Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura. The lawsuit was settled the next day, but her allegations have followed Combs ever since.

The AP generally does not name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they do so publicly, as Ventura has done.

Hip-hop superstar Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested Monday night after a federal grand jury indicted him on a series of charges including racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.

Without naming Ventura but clearly referring to her, Agnifilo argued at Tuesday’s arraignment that the entire criminal case was the result of a long-standing, troubled but consensual relationship that broke down because of infidelity. The “freak offs,” he argued, were an extension of that relationship, not coercion.

Prosecutors described the case as broader. They said they interviewed more than 50 victims and witnesses.

Like many of hip-hop’s aging figures, Combs, the Bad Boy Records founder, had cultivated a softer public image. A father of seven, he was a respected international businessman whose annual “White Party” in the Hamptons was once a must-attend event for the jet-setting elite.

But prosecutors said he used the same companies, people and methods with which he built his business and cultural power to facilitate his crimes. They said they would prove it with financial and travel records, electronic communications and videos of the “Freak Offs.”

In March, authorities raided Combs’ luxury homes in Los Angeles and Miami, seizing drugs, videos and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, prosecutors said. They also seized firearms and ammunition, including three AR-15s with serial numbers defaced.

A conviction on each count would carry a mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison, with the possibility of life in prison.

Combs’ next court appearance is scheduled for early October.