Sean “Diddy” Combs has once again been denied bail by a judge in New York City, marking the third such refusal.
Previously, two other judges had declined to release Mr. Combs from custody, citing significant risks of witness tampering if he were to be freed before his trial, set for May 2025.
He is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, facing charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation for prostitution.
Mr. Combs has pleaded not guilty and also refuted over two dozen sexual assault claims presented in various civil lawsuits.
The judge referenced evidence suggesting Mr. Combs’s alleged efforts at witness tampering, violations of prison rules, and his supposed leadership of a “criminal enterprise” that involved forced labor and kidnapping.
US District Judge Arun Subramanian stated that the court could not trust Mr. Combs to be released on bail.
In the ruling issued on Wednesday, the judge noted, “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.”
Prosecutors have consistently argued against granting Mr. Combs bail, pointing to his problematic behavior while in detention.
Prosecutors recently charged that the rap mogul misused jail communication systems to tamper with witnesses and manipulated others to post online, enhancing his defense’s public image.
However, Mr. Combs’s defense attorneys argue that he needs to be released to adequately prepare for his upcoming trial.
This month, Judge Subramanian mandated the destruction of nearly 20 pages confiscated during a search of Mr. Combs’s cell, which included personal notes and legal strategy outlines.
The defense claimed the search violated attorney-client privilege, protecting confidential exchanges between a lawyer and their client.
Yet, prosecutors contended that these documents were not protected since they related to possible obstruction of justice and witness tampering by Mr. Combs.
They also alleged that Mr. Combs had his children share a video of their birthday festivities online to influence potential jurors.
Mr. Combs reportedly sent numerous texts via a service called ContactMeASAP, described as a real-time messaging tool for inmates, from two separate accounts to many individuals, including some not on his approved contact list.
Dawn Richards’s attorney, Lisa Bloom, claims Mr. Combs has been contacting witnesses from behind bars.
She told BBC’s Newsnight that a person had disparaged her client, calling her deceitful, and investigations revealed over 100 communications with Mr. Combs from jail, suggesting possible witness tampering.
“The strong implication there is that he talked her into making those statements, perhaps even gave her money. We don’t know, but that would be witness tampering,” Ms. Bloom told Newsnight.
Ms. Bloom suspects others might be implicated in the case, stating, “He didn’t do this by himself. He had an operation that people were brought in by others, so he didn’t do everything himself. And we think it’s very important that not only do predators get brought to justice, but also those who conspire with them, who help them, who are complicit.”
Numerous civil lawsuits have been filed against Mr. Combs, accusing him of coercion, abuse, blackmail using sexual encounter videos, witness intimidation, and physical assault.
Some complainants were minors at the time of the alleged incidents. Despite these accusations, Mr. Combs has strongly denied all charges against him.
His lawyers previously proposed a $50 million bail arrangement, including house arrest with no female visitors, which the court dismissed.
To fund his bail bond, he has listed his properties in Los Angeles and Miami for sale.
