By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK – Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain in jail ahead of his May 5, 2025 trial on sex-trafficking charges after a US judge denied his bid on Wednesday to be released on $50-million bail from the Brooklyn jail where the music mogul has been held for 10 weeks.
US District Judge Arun Subramanian announced the decision in a written order, after hearing arguments during a two-hour hearing on Nov. 22 in Manhattan federal court.
Combs had previously been denied bail three times since his arrest, with multiple judges citing a risk he might tamper with witnesses.
The rapper and producer pleaded not guilty on Sept. 17 to charges that he used his business empire, including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, to sexually abuse women.
Prosecutors said the abuse included having women take part in recorded sexual performances called “freak offs” with male sex workers who were sometimes transported across state lines.
Combs, 55, has denied wrongdoing, and his lawyers have said the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual.
His defense lawyers argued he should be confined to an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he would be monitored around the clock by private security personnel he would pay for, and be barred from having contact with alleged victims or witnesses.
But prosecutors said it was unlikely Combs would abide by those rules. – Reuters
