Sean “Diddy” Combs to Be Detained Pending Trial as Mogul Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Trafficking
Sean “Diddy” Combs was ordered to be detained pending trial Tuesday after he pleaded not guilty to charges including sex trafficking and racketeering.
On Tuesday morning, the government unsealed a three-county indictment accusing Combs of various crimes related to an alleged decades-long pattern of physical and sexual violence against women in his orbit. Federal prosecutors charged him with sex trafficking and racketeering for directing a vast criminal enterprise through which he assaulted and trafficked women with the help of his various businesses from at least 2008.
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“My concern is that this is a crime that happens behind closed doors,” Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky said, referring to the allegations of sex trafficking and more, in announcing her decision to deny bail pending trial.
The indictment also refers to a series of events called “Freak Offs,” in which commercial sex workers were allegedly brought in by Combs, who then “used force, threats of force, and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts” that were recorded and could last for days.
The judge added that she was concerned about a power imbalance between the mogul and alleged victims and that those alleged victims may be susceptible to coercion.
Defense attorneys for Combs said in a press conference that they would be appealing the decision for Combs to be held without bail and would return for a hearing Wednesday.
Combs was in attendance at the hearing Tuesday, wearing a black T-shirt and sweatpants. A row filled with family members, including some of his children, sat behind him in the packed gallery. Combs did not speak out loud, other than to say he was not guilty, but often nodded in agreement with his attorney, Marc Agnifilo, as he discussed the measures Combs had taken to cooperate with law enforcement.
Combs sought release on a $50 million bond, secured by equity in his Miami residence and that of his mother. He proposed home detention with GPS monitoring and to be restricted to parts of Florida, New York and New Jersey, mainly to deal with pending litigation and attend medical appointments.
Agnifilo added that he had obtained the passports of Combs and several of his family members months ago and the Combs was in the process of selling his private plane, in order to assuage fears of any flight risk. He noted that Combs also voluntarily flew to New York on Sept. 5 to await arrest. While in New York, Combs has been seeking therapy and treatment, he said.
“We can trust him because he’s earned his trust through actions,” Agnifilo said.
The government opposed bail. It said he poses an ongoing safety risk and may try to tamper with the case or flee.
“He is a serial abuser and a serial obstructor,” Assistant ADA Emily Johnson said.
The indictment alleged that Combs repeatedly engaged in acts of violence, including assault, arson and brandishing firearms. In December 2011, for instance, he and an associate kidnapped an unnamed individual at gunpoint to break into a residence, according to a filing from prosecutors. Roughly two weeks later, members of the alleged criminal enterprise set fire to that individual’s car with a Molotov cocktail.
The individual is believed to be Kid Cudi, who confirmed accusations in a lawsuit from Casandra Ventura, better known as Cassie, that Combs set fire to the rapper’s car.
As to the single charge of sex trafficking, Agnifilo claimed the charge related to one woman with whom Combs had been previously been in a 10-year relationship —appearing to refer to Ventura — which Agnifilo called mutually “toxic.” However, he alleged that the woman had consensually agreed to have sexual contact with male sex workers, in an arrangement with Combs.
“Is it sex trafficking? Not if everybody wants to be there,” Agnifilo said.
Prosecutors stressed Combs’ access to firearms. In a March raid of his home, law enforcement seized several guns, including three AR-15 rifles, each with defaced serial numbers, according to the indictment. Combs’ attorney argued those rifles belonged to his private hired security.
The government said Combs has a “disposition to violence” such that he can’t be released. “No bail conditions can address the defendant’s tendency to become violent when angry or emotional: anyone in his presence is at risk of abuse or assault,” the filing stated.
Defense attorneys for Combs argued that leaked video footage from 2016, which appears to show Diddy assaulting a woman, believed to be Ventura, in a hotel room as she tries to leave, was more a matter of Ventura finding out Combs was dating multiple women and getting into an altercation, than a propensity for violence.
“He’s not a perfect person,” Agniflio said.
Prosecutors also opposed bail based on arguments that Combs is likely to obstruct proceedings. It pointed to him bribing hotel security to prevent them from disclosing the video depicting his assault of Ventura. Agniflio said Combs had since apologized for the incident but that he took actions because it was a “deeply embarrassing event.”
More recently, Combs and his associates allegedly reached out to potential witnesses in the investigation and directed them to lie in an attempt to conceal his alleged crimes. During one of the calls, which took place just three days after he was sued by Ventura, the mogul reportedly asked for the victim’s “friendship” and told her she “ain’t got to worry about nothing else” if she went along with his version of events.
Additionally, the government claimed Combs poses a major flight risk due to his substantial resources. It said he has access to dozens of bank accounts, some personal and many under corporate entities, which contain millions of dollars, as well as over $1 million in personal cash on hand.
If Combs “wanted to flee, he has the money, manpower, and tools to do so quickly and without detection,” the filing stated. Prosecutors also underlined the severity of the charges as a reason for Combs to flee.
Prosecutors compared the decision to deny bail for Combs to the decisions made for R. Kelly, Jeffrey Epstein and Keith Raniere, the founder of NXIVM, who had also been represented by Agnifilo. But Agnifilo said those incidents involved minors, who could not consent, which was different from the allegations involving Combs.
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