Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain in jail after a judge rejected his latest attempt for release while the rapper and music producer awaits trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
Judge Arun Subramanian denied Combs’ team’s motion for release on Wednesday. His decision followed a two-hour court hearing on Friday where he appeared to explore potential options and questioned prosecutors’ allegation that Combs continued to obstruct the ongoing investigation.
“The Court finds that the government has shown by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community,” the judge wrote in a five-page order.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Combs for comment.
Federal prosecutors argued that Combs could not be trusted on bail because he flouted the rules of the jail and judge. They said he posed a danger to women and was tampering with witnesses – even while in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Prosecutors allege Combs tried to evade law enforcement monitoring by using several techniques, including three-way calling, to contact witnesses. They also accused him of violating the judge’s own order limiting communications and ignored his lawyers’ guidance in part by orchestrating a social media campaign around his birthday to try to influence the potential jury pool.
The judge pointed to evidence that Combs was not following the jail rules – including the continued use of a messaging service – in his decision. “Underscoring the Court’s concern, despite defense counsel’s assurances to the Court at the November 22, 2024 hearing (with Combs in attendance) that Combs stopped using ContactMeASAP as of November 16, 2024, … the government indicates that Combs has continued to use this service as recently as this past Sunday, November 24, 2024.”
His attorneys have relentlessly pursued his release from federal custody, arguing that private security would provide more restrictions on Combs than federal jail. They said Combs needed to be free to help prepare his defense against the criminal charges and roughly 30 civil lawsuit alleging sexual abuse.
His attorneys identified a three-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side where they argued he would be surrounded by security 24/7 to monitor visits and phone calls. Under their proposed bail package, Combs would also post a $50 million bond.
During Friday’s hearing the judge scoffed at the suggestion that Combs could stay at his home in Miami with a boat dock, saying that’s “not going to work.”
The hip-hop mogul was arrested in September and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and prostitution-related charges. He has pleaded not guilty and will go to trial on May 5.
Combs was previously denied bail by two other federal judges who found there were no conditions that would assure them that he wouldn’t try to obstruct the investigation or be a threat to the community. Combs initially appealed one of those rulings and then asked the appeals court to put that on hold while tried again with Judge Subramanian, who was transferred the case.
Source: CNN
--Agencies
