Washington [US], November 28 : Sean "Diddy" Combs will remain in prison as he awaits trial after a federal judge denied his request for a $50 million bail package, according to The Hollywood Reporter
Combs had previously been denied bail twice by two other judges after concerns that he may tamper with witnesses.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled on Wednesday that no conditions of release can assure the safety of the community. The judge referred to Combs' alleged history of violence, including the use of firearms, kidnapping, and arson, and noted evidence of attempts to hide communications with individuals he was barred from contacting.
Combs had previously been denied bail twice by two other judges after concerns that he may tamper with witnesses.
"There is evidence supporting a serious risk of witness tampering," stated the ruling.
The court handed down the decision after a bail hearing that took place last week. Wednesday's court highlighted incidents presented by the government, such as a 2016 video showing Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel. Text messages between Combs and Ventura indicated the severity of the assault.
"I have a black eye and a fat lip," Ventura wrote after the incident. "I still have crazy bruising."
As per the publication, the court also pointed out Combs' history of deleting messages with Ventura, who was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury. Phone records showed that the two exchanged messages from June to August, but the messages could not be recovered.
The court noted that Combs violated prison rules to obscure his communications. He allegedly paid other inmates to use their phone access codes and instructed his family and lawyers to use three-way calls to bypass monitoring. The ruling stated that these actions show "strong evidence" that Combs cannot be trusted to follow release conditions."
His "willingness to skirt" rules in a "way that would make it more difficult for his communications to be monitored is strong evidence that the Court cannot be reasonably assured as to the sufficiency of any conditions of release," the order stated as per the publication.
Prosecutors argued that Combs had also used unauthorized messaging apps to contact witnesses and coerced his family into writing public messages intended to influence potential jurors.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Combs' defence team, led by attorney Marc Agnifilo, argued that the charges against him, particularly those related to sex trafficking, were unsupported. They maintained that the accusations stemmed from a toxic, sometimes violent, relationship. The defense also accused prosecutors of seizing privileged legal material from Combs' jail cell, though the court ordered prosecutors to delete images of Combs' notes.
Federal prosecutors accuse Combs of leading a criminal enterprise that included the assault and trafficking of women through his businesses since 2008. This includes events known as "Freak Offs," where women were allegedly forced into extended sexual acts under coercion. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
A trial is scheduled for May 5, 2025.
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