A federal judge has denied bail for Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, as he faces charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
This is the third time Combs has been denied bail, with prosecutors opposing his latest request due to concerns about witness tampering. They alleged that while in custody, Combs had contacted witnesses and used unauthorized communication platforms, raising concerns about potential tampering.
In his ruling, Judge Arun Subramanian stated that no condition or combination of conditions would reasonably assure the safety of the community, effectively denying Combs’s motion for bail.
The judge also denied Combs’s request to be released from detention to prepare his defense, citing that Combs had not demonstrated a sufficient need for release to prepare for trial.
Federal prosecutors have accused Combs, 55, of sexually abusing women and coercing them into drug-fueled sex parties using threats and violence. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges and his trial is currently scheduled to begin on May 5, 2025.
The ruling comes after Combs appeared in court last week, where he was met with shouts from bystanders outside the Manhattan courthouse, including “Your son is a predator” directed at his mother, Janice Combs.
Combs’s lawyers had argued that a defendant in another prominent federal sex trafficking case, former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries, received bail, which should apply to their client. However, prosecutors countered that the nature and circumstances of the offenses were substantially different, citing the alleged violent acts and use of firearms in Combs’s case.
Prosecutors have indicated that there is still more evidence to explore and that more charges could be added to the indictment against Combs. Public allegations against the Grammy-winning artist have been building since late last year, when singer Cassie alleged Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs, as well as a 2018 rape.
