Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Denied Bail, Will Remain in Federal Jail
A judge ruled to deny bail for Sean “Diddy” Combs in a hearing Tuesday afternoon, remanding him to federal custody.
Combs was arrested on Monday after he was indicted on three charges: racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and interstate transportation for the purpose of prostitution. He pled not guilty to all charges earlier Tuesday.
Several of the rapper’s homes were raided by the FBI in March, reportedly in connection with a federal sex-trafficking probe. The rapper has been accused by multiple women of rape, sex trafficking, and sexual harassment in recent years, including a lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. In May, CNN obtained horrifying hotel surveillance footage that appeared to show Combs assaulting Ventura when they stayed at hotel while they were dating.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo argued that the altercation between Ventura and his client was merely “evidence of Combs having more than one girlfriend and getting caught,” not sex trafficking.
Agnifilo also pledged to the court that Combs took the charges “seriously,” was currently in therapy, and would not flee if released on bail. He said that he had collected the passports belonging to Combs and his family members, and urged the court to put his client in home detention with a $50 million bond secured by his Miami residence, according to a report by CNN.
Judge Robyn Tarnofsky was unpersuaded, saying that her concern was that “this is a crime that happens behind closed doors, even when pretrial services is monitoring.”
The judge added that she was unable to find any conditions that would assure he would appear in court if released.
CNN’s report by Kara Scannell added that Combs “did not react when the judge made her ruling” and “took a sip of water from a bottle at the table before he was led out of the courtroom.”
Agnifilo told reporters outside the courthouse that Combs would appeal the denial of bail. The hearing for that appeal will take place Wednesday, in the same New York federal courtroom but with a different judge, according to Agnifilo.
“He’s going to clear his name and we’re going to stand by his side as he does. We believe in him wholeheartedly,” said Agnifilo, repeating that he believes his client “didn’t do these things.”
This article has been updated with additional information.