Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail on sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges

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Sean “Diddy” Combs was denied bail by a second judge after pleading not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Combs was arrested Monday in Manhattan and indicted for alleged crimes dating back to 2008. Per the Associated Press, the music mogul pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, when the charges were read in court.

Federal prosecutors called Combs “dangerous” and asked that he be jailed without bail, while Combs’ lawyers proposed he be released to home detention with electronic monitoring on a $50 million bond. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky denied the bail request, leading Combs’ legal team to file an appeal.

A second judge, U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter, refused to grant Combs’ appeal on Wednesday, stating that the government has proven “by clear and convincing evidence” that no bail package can guarantee the safety of the community and ensure that the hip-hop mogul will not tamper with witnesses.

“For decades, the defendant abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” reads the unsealed indictment, which Entertainment Weekly has reviewed. “To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled — creating a criminal enterprise.”

Per the 14-page federal document, members of the Combs enterprise allegedly engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Steve Granitz/WireImage

On the first count, Combs and his company are being charged with “a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals” that was “at times, verbal, emotional, physical and sexual.”

The second and third counts accuse Combs of causing unnamed victims to “engage in commercial sex acts” and claim that he “knowingly transported an individual in interstate and foreign commerce with intent that the individual engage in prostitution.”

Per the indictment, Combs “ensured participation from the women by, among other things, obtaining and distributing narcotics to them, controlling their careers, leveraging his financial support and threatening to cut off the same, and using intimidation and violence.”

Representatives for Combs and the U.S. Attorney’s Office didn’t immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.

On the evening of Combs’ arrest, his attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement, “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.” Agnifilo further stated that Combs had been “cooperative with this investigation and voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges” and that he “looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Paras Griffin/Getty

The saga continues a legally tumultuous year for Combs. Controversy surrounding the rapper and producer hit a peak when his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit in November accusing him of sexual assault and years of physical abuse. Combs denied all the allegations the day the lawsuit surfaced, and he and Ventura settled the suit the following day. In the aftermath of Ventura’s claims, several other accusers sued Combs, who has consistently denied the allegations.

In March, federal agents raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami as part of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Combs criticized the move as a “gross overuse of military-level force” in a statement via his attorney the following day.

A video of Combs physically assaulting Ventura resurfaced online in May, prompting the musician to apologize and take “full responsibility” for his behavior. “I’m disgusted,” Combs said in a since-deleted video. “I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”

Danity Kane singer Aubrey O’Day criticized his response on social media, writing, “Diddy did not apologize to Cassie.”

More recently, former adult film star Adria English sued Combs in July over accusations of sex trafficking and sexual assault, which the musician denied. English’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell-Kidd, told TMZ that a criminal indictment against Combs might follow “very soon.”

[This story has been updated with information about Sean Combs’ court appearance.]

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