Diddy denied bail in sex trafficking, racketeering case

NEW YORK – Sean “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail.

The hip-hop mogul and Bad Boy Records founder has been held in a federal jail in Brooklyn on sex trafficking and racketeering charges since his arrest in September and had been denied bail twice before despite offering up $50 million.

Prosecutors had accused Combs of trying to influence witnesses and intimidate victims from behind bars and said he would pose a flight risk if released. They also told the court that his reliance on his vast wealth in his bail application could amount to a “two-tiered” justice system if his proposal were allowed. It involved the mogul paying for a private security firm to monitor him and control some of his communications while on house arrest.

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Earlier in the week, celebrity bail bondsman Ira Judelson was spotted at the courthouse attending one of Combs’ hearings.

The judge on Monday ordered federal prosecutors to delete images of Combs’ handwritten notes taken during a search of his jail cell – which his lawyers said were protected by attorney-client privilege and were improperly seized. Excerpts from those notes that prosecutors referenced previously cannot be used at the bond hearing, the judge added.

The quotes in question referenced getting “dirt” on at least two potential witnesses.

Prosecutors also claimed that Combs’ release could put victims and witnesses at risk. Despite the staggering sum offered up by the defense, the judge had so far kept the hip-hop icon behind bars. 

Prosoecutors allege he has a long history of obstruction, of encouraging witnesses and subordinates to cover for him, and of abusing both sexual partners and personal staff, according to court documents.

“Former staff members have described the defendant threatening to kill them, throwing objects at them, and being struck, punched, and shoved by the defendant, and seeing him do the same to others,” prosecutors alleged. “This significant history of violence must be taken into account when viewing the defendant obstructive activity. Taken together, there can be no doubt that the Government has proven the defendant’s dangerousness by clear and convincing evidence.”

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After seeing his bail denied on two prior occasions following an arrest in September, Combs renewed his quest for freedom last week with a new bail proposal offering the same $50 million sum, secured by his Miami Beach mansion, which his lawyers say is worth about $48 million.

Prosecutors previously raised “serious concerns” about the safety of victims and witnesses if Combs were to go free, and the judge overseeing his criminal case rejected his wide-ranging request for a gag order that would have restricted additional accusers from coming forward.

A trial is scheduled for May 5 of next year. By then, the U.S. attorney overseeing his case could be replaced by President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee, former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton.

The feds opened their investigation in November 2023, around the time his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, the singer known as Cassie, sued Combs, alleging physical and sexual abuse. He settled her civil lawsuit a day after she filed it.

Combs vehemently denied the allegations from Ventura and from all the other accusers. Then, a video leaked – showing the nearly naked billionaire brutally assaulting her in the hallway of Los Angeles’ Intercontinental Hotel.

Over the past year, new accusers have continued to come forward, and Texas attorney Tony Buzbee said in October he now represents more than 100 people looking to sue the rapper.