A federal judge denied Sean “Diddy” Combs bail on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
The decision came in a Wednesday ruling by federal judge Arun Subramanian, after Combs appeared in court on Friday, Nov. 22, for a third bail hearing, citing him as a considerable risk to community safety.
“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 wrote in his ruling.
The jurist wrote that Combs’ freedom would represent a “serious risk of witness tampering,” citing his attempts to communicate by call and text with an unnamed witness to the grand jury.
That, along with the gruesome acts of which he stands accused, the cache of weapons obtained from his residences, and alleged v.i.o.l.e.n.c.e and threats of v.i.o.l.e.n.c.e undertaken by him and his enterprise when under threat, all added up to “compelling evidence of Combs’s propensity for v.i.o.l.e.n.c.e” and risk for witness tampering, Subramanian wrote.
The music mogul has been behind bars since his September indictment on federal s.e.x crime charges. Previously he had been denied bail by two different judges, who cited concerns of witness tampering.
In their bid to keep him behind bars, prosecutors argued that Combs would potentially tamper with witnesses if released, alleging that the Bad Boy Records founder had tried to intimidate witnesses from behind bars.
In a court filing, prosecutors claimed that “the defendant’s goal is to blackmail victims and witnesses either into silence or providing testimony helpful to his defense.”
Defense attorneys, meanwhile, claimed that the prosecution’s case was “thin” and proposed a $50 million bail package with strict release conditions that would significantly limit Combs’ ability to contact others beyond his attorneys and would require 24/7 monitoring.
The indictment against Combs centers on alleged “freak offs,” which authorities claim were elaborate s.e.x performance involving male s.e.x workers and women who were forced or coerced into participating.
He is charged with s.e.x trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution and has pleaded not guilty.
Since his arrest, Combs has been behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a facility the defense has called “unfit” for pre-trial detention.
When asked by Subramanian where Combs would reside if granted bail, the mogul’s attorneys said he would live in a three-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
In a filing, defense attorneys said that if granted bail, Combs would not have access to his cell phone, which would be in the custody of security personnel, and that a log would be kept of all incoming and outgoing calls and messages. They further noted that cameras had been placed in the apartment.
Combs’ trial is currently scheduled for May 2025.
