Sean “Diddy” Combs returns to jail as judge considers bail request

Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges, has been denied bail three times since his arrest, with several judges citing the risk that he could tamper with witnesses.

NEW YORK, United States – Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain in custody for at least several more days as a US judge considers his bid to be released on $50 million bail from the Brooklyn prison where the music mogul has been held for 10 weeks.

After a nearly two-hour hearing in Manhattan federal court, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said Friday he would rule on Combs’ request for home confinement “promptly.”

This month, Combs’ lawyers proposed a bail package backed by his $48 million Florida mansion. He also called on security officials to monitor Combs around the clock and have no contact with the alleged victims or witnesses.

Combs has been denied bail three times since his arrest, with several judges citing the risk that he could tamper with witnesses. On September 17, the rapper and producer pleaded not guilty to charges that he used his business empire, including the Bad Boy Entertainment record label, to sexually abuse women.

During the hearing, defense attorney Mark Agnifilo disputed prosecutors’ contention that hotel surveillance video from 2016 showing Combs assaulting ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, showed there was a risk he would commit violent actions in case of release.

“The likelihood of this happening is zero,” Agnifilo said.

Combs apologized in May after CNN aired video of him kicking, pushing and dragging Cassie down a hotel hallway. Agnifilo said he never denied the incident, but noted that the video is not evidence of sex trafficking.

“Our defense to these allegations is that this was a toxic, loving relationship that lasted 11 years,” Agnifilo told the court.

Prosecutor Christine Slavik previously said Combs tried to bribe hotel staff to delete surveillance footage, demonstrating that he sought to cover up his crimes through illegal means.

According to Slavik, even while behind bars in the capital’s pre-trial detention center, Combs communicated with his lawyers through unauthorized channels and tried to run a social media campaign to influence potential jurors.

“The defendant has demonstrated that he either cannot or will not follow the rules,” Slavik said. “Simply put, the accused cannot be trusted.”

As for Combs’ attempt to mount a social media campaign, attorney Alexandra Shapiro said he has the right to respond to news coverage of the case that could paint him in an unfavorable light to potential jurors.

As the U.S. Marshals Service brought him to the hearing, Combs, dressed in beige prison clothes, blew kisses to his family, who sat in the second row of the courtroom.

Combe denies wrongdoing

Prosecutors said the abuses included women participating in recorded sex performances, called “freaks,” with male sex workers who were sometimes transported across state lines. Combs, 55, denies wrongdoing, and his lawyers say the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual.

Combs’ lawyers questioned why prison was needed when federal prosecutors in Brooklyn last month allowed pretrial release on $10 million bail for former Abercrombie and Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries, who has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, which brought charges against Combs, countered that Jeffries is 80 years old and has no criminal history, while Combs has a history of arrests.

They also said federal agents found rifles with defaced serial numbers at Combs’ homes. Subramanian this week ordered prosecutors to destroy copies of handwritten notes Combs took from prison before deciding whether they are covered by attorney-client privilege.

A government investigator photographed the tapes during a search of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn where Combs was being held. – Rappler.com