A judge has denied the death sentence to rapper and producer Sean “Diddy” Combs. request for release on bail before his trial for federal sex trafficking allegations,
Combs' lawyers had sought his release on $50 million bond, saying he would live in a three-bedroom apartment on New York's Upper East Side and pay the cost of round-the-clock private security monitoring.
District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled in denying the request, “The Court finds that the Government has shown by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community.”
Subramanian concluded that there is “strong evidence of Combs' propensity for violence” and “evidence to support a serious risk of witness tampering” if released while awaiting trial.
Combs was arrested in September and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has declared himself innocent of the charges.
At the time, U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin Tarnofsky ordered Combs held without bail, but the rapper's legal team has since filed multiple requests to release him. they have all rejected,
comb being held in a detention center across the East River from Manhattan in Brooklyn, New York, according to online records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Combs is accused of using his business empire as a criminal enterprise to conceal his alleged abuse of women at events called “Freak Offs.”
“The 'freak offs' sometimes lasted for days at a time, involved multiple commercial sex workers and often involved a variety of narcotics, such as ketamine, ecstasy and GHB, which Combs used to keep victims obedient and compliant. “U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York told reporters last month.
Combs has denied any wrongdoing. One of his lawyers, Mark Agnifilo, said last month, “We're going to fight this case with everything we have, like it is, and ultimately, he will be exonerated.”
His trial is scheduled for May 2025.
Contributed to this report.