Sean “Diddy” Combs will not be released on bail before Thanksgiving, a federal judge ruled Wednesday while accusing the hip-hop mogul of violating and seeking ways to circumvent prison rules since he was arrested.
In a five-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled that Combs should not be released on the $50 million bail proposed by his legal team, saying Combs posed a “serious risk of witness tampering” and had discovered that he had violated the prison. rules, such as paying other inmates for their dial-up codes to call people outside their own approved contact list.
“His willingness to avoid [Board of Prison] rules in a way that would make it more difficult to track your communications is compelling evidence that the Court cannot reasonably ensure[d] as to the sufficiency of any release condition,” Subramanian ruled.
The ruling thwarted the third attempt by Combs' attorneys to free him during his criminal trial.
In the latest motion, his attorneys asked that, instead of going to prison, he be confined to his three-bedroom apartment on New York City's Upper West Side with 24-hour surveillance.
In their motion, Combs' legal team argued that the apartment would be “far more restrictive” than what Combs faces in jail, and that the agreement would include limiting phone calls only to attorneys, allowing only specific members of his family and lawyers visit him there. and being monitored by an independent firm.
But Subramanian rejected the request.
“Given the nature of the allegations in this case and the information provided by the government, the Court doubts the sufficiency of any conditions granting confidence to Combs and the people in his service, such as a private security detail, to comply with the conditions,” he stated. wrote.
Combs faces charges of sex trafficking, extortion and transportation to engage in prostitution. In court records, federal prosecutors allege that the Bad Boy Entertainment founder, 55, used his network of employees and influence to lure female victims and used force, threats, coercion and drugs to force them to participate in acts. sexual with prostitutes.
Combs referred to sexual binges that sometimes lasted several days as “turn-ons,” prosecutors said.
Prosecutors have opposed Combs' attempts to be released on bail, alleging that Combs has continued to try to tamper with witnesses and violated prison rules.
In his decision, the judge found that federal prosecutors had “demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably ensure the safety of the community” and that Combs still presented “a serious risk of witness tampering.”
Subramanian also pointed to the infamous security video of Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, stating that the video showed “compelling evidence of Combs’ propensity for violence.”
In his decision, the judge also noted what he called “misrepresentations” by Combs' attorneys during an emergency hearing on Nov. 19.
During the hearing, Combs' legal team argued that notes in legal notebooks that were seized from Combs' cell during a raid at the Metropolitan Detention Center should be considered privileged because the notebooks were labeled “legal.”
Photos of the sweep, however, showed that the notebooks had no such labels.
“The circumstances of this incident and the misrepresentations made at the November 19, 2024 hearing at which Combs was present influence whether the Court can have reasonable assurance that any conditions it imposes will be met,” he wrote.
