The arrested US rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is accused of human trafficking for sex and organized crime, will not be released on bail for the time being. His lawyers failed once again in their request to get Combs out of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn in return for a million-dollar bail. According to consistent media reports, a judge rejected the second request on Wednesday (local time). A judge in New York had already blocked his release the day before. The 54-year-old hip-hop mogul’s lawyers appealed against this decision.
No release on bail
Combs’ lawyers described the conditions in the Brooklyn prison as “appalling,” the New York Times reported. They suggested that their client could spend the time until the trial begins under guard at his home in the US state of Florida.
The public prosecutor had classified the rapper as an “extreme danger” to society. The judges followed the prosecution’s wishes by refusing to release Combs. According to media reports, there is otherwise a risk that he could intimidate witnesses and obstruct justice.
The musician was arrested in New York on Monday evening. The indictment states that Combs abused, threatened and coerced women over decades to fulfill his sexual desires and then remain silent so as not to damage his reputation. When the indictment was read out on Tuesday, Combs pleaded not guilty. If found guilty on some or all counts, he faces life imprisonment.
Allegations against Combs
Since last year, several civil suits have been filed against Combs (“Bad Boy for Life,” “I’ll Be Missing You”) for rape and abuse. In March, raids in Los Angeles and Miami made headlines. US investigators searched the rapper’s homes there.
In May, CNN released a video that allegedly showed Combs attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel in 2016. The rapper then publicly apologized.
In a civil lawsuit filed in 2023, the singer accused the musician of, among other things, sexual abuse, rape, intimidation and physical violence during their long-term relationship. There was no trial, but a settlement. Combs denied the allegations at the time.
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