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A judge denied Sean “Diddy” Combs’ request for bail after the rapper pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges.
Combs appeared before Robyn F. Tarnofsky in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday. Diddy was charged with conspiracy to commit organized crime, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation for the purpose of prostitution. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years in prison or a maximum of life in prison.
The judge ruled that she could not impose “any conditions” on Diddy. Tarnofsky pointed out that sex trafficking is a crime that takes place behind closed doors and that even with pre-trial monitoring services, it would be difficult to monitor the rapper. The judge considered alternatives to incarceration but concluded that they were insufficient. Tarnofsky acknowledged that the evidence against Diddy was substantial.
DIDDY CHARGED WITH SEX TRAFFICKING AND GENDER CAUSING AFTER ARREST
In the indictment unsealed on Wednesday, Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged with conspiracy to commit organized crime, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution. (Munawar Hosain)
The rapper entered the courtroom wearing a black T-shirt and khaki pants. He was not handcuffed, nor were his feet shackled. After sitting down next to his lawyer, Combs looked around the courtroom and toward the jury box.
Combs offered bail of $50,000,000 as part of a proposed bail package, according to a letter filed Tuesday by his legal team and obtained by Fox News Digital.
In addition, Combs surrendered his passport to his attorney on April 1. His mother, Janice, and his children, Chance, Jessie, D’Lila and Love Combs, each surrendered their passports as part of the bail application.
“Mr. Combs’ travel will be limited to the Southern District of Florida and the Southern District of New York (to appear in court, meet with his counsel, and attend medical appointments, which we will disclose to the Court in a separate sealed brief) and the Eastern District of New York or the District of New Jersey (only to the extent that his travel to and from New York involves an airport in those districts),” the proposal states.
FOX NATION SPECIAL EXAMINES THE INVESTIGATION AND RAID OF SEAN “DIDDY” COMBS
During a federal raid on Diddy’s Star Island home, an agent was photographed outside his Miami mansion. (MEGA/GC Images/Getty Images)
The defense also suggested the equity value of Mr. Combs’ residence on Star Island, which was estimated at $48,000,000, as well as the equity value of his mother’s home in Miami, Florida.
Combs has been trying to sell his plane since April 2024.
“On May 21, 2024, counsel advised AUSAs in a phone call that Mr. Combs had begun efforts to sell his aircraft,” the proposal states. Several potential buyers expressed interest in purchasing the aircraft, and a “letter of intent” was signed “just this weekend.”
The plane has not yet been sold. The defense agreed to keep the plane in Los Angeles as long as Combs resided in Florida if the plane was not chartered. On the night of his arrest, the plane was chartered from Los Angeles to Teterboro, New Jersey without Combs’ knowledge, nor did he have “control over its movement.”
“Of course, Mr. Combs agrees not to go to any state – in this case New Jersey – where his aircraft is located until the sale, which is being actively pursued, occurs,” the proposal said.
Combs also voluntarily moved to New York on September 5, prior to his arrest, where his attorney then “promptly informed the government of Mr. Combs’ whereabouts.” His legal team offered to “continually inform the government of Mr. Combs’ whereabouts.”
The disgraced media mogul also offered house arrest with GPS monitoring and “all other standard conditions of pretrial detention.”
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In March, Sean Combs’ home in Los Angeles was searched by Department of Homeland Security officials. (Getty Images)
U.S. prosecutors had asked the judge to deny Diddy bail before his arraignment on Tuesday, saying the “I’ll Be Missing You” singer is a flight risk. Prosecutors feared Diddy could obstruct justice or threaten witnesses. The government cited his alleged decades-long history of violence and abuse. Prosecutors said these potential problems could not be resolved by bail conditions.
“I want to make two things clear. First, this office is committed to investigating and prosecuting anyone who engages in sex trafficking, no matter how powerful, wealthy or famous they are,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said during a press conference Tuesday. “No one should doubt our commitment to this.”
“Secondly, we are not finished yet. The investigation is ongoing and I encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and do so quickly,” he added.
WATCH: US ATTORNEY HOLDS PRESS CONFERENCE ON DIDDY’S SEX TRAFFICKING CHARGES
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US Attorney Damian Williams announces at a press conference the publication of an indictment against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
In an explosive indictment released on Tuesday, disturbing allegations were made against Diddy.
Authorities alleged that Diddy operated a criminal enterprise through his companies, which included Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others, using “firearms, threats of violence, coercion, and verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse” to satisfy his sexual desires, according to the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.
Combs and his associates “intimidated, threatened and lured female victims into Combs’s environment, often under the guise of a romantic relationship. Combs then allegedly used violence, threats of violence and coercion to persuade the victims to engage in extended sexual acts with male sex workers, which Combs referred to, among other things, as ‘freak offs.'” Diddy often administered intravenous fluids to his victims after the “freak offs” to help them recover from physical exertion and drug use, the indictment states.
During raids on Diddy’s home in March, authorities seized “Freak-off supplies” and three AR-15s with obscured serial numbers, court documents say. Federal authorities seized “cases of lubricant and baby oil that Combs’ associates allegedly used to stock hotel rooms for the freak-offs – more than 1,000 bottles in total,” Williams said at a press conference.
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If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to Rainn.org
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
