Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs was denied bail despite his bizarre promise to the judge in his sex-trafficking case – saying he will have no female visitors if he is released on bail following his arrest.
Combs, 54, was arrested on Monday in New York and hit with an indictment accusing him of years of coercion and abuse while using blackmail and violence to control his victims.
He has now been denied bail twice with US district judge Andrew L Carter saying on Wednesday that the government had proved ‘by clear and convincing evidence that there is no condition or set of conditions’ that will ensure he will not tamper with witnesses.
Prosecutors accuse the hip-hop mogul of inducing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes dayslong sexual performances referred to as ‘Freak Offs.’
Combs, who pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, promised to have minimal female visitors to his home in Miami Beach should he be granted release on bail.
The star’s legal team asked for Combs to be released on $50 million bail and kept electronically monitored, with his Miami mansion as collateral, after a US magistrate judge in Manhattan ordered he be held without bail on Tuesday.
Under the bail request, visits would be limited to family or mothers of his children, property caretakers and friends who are not co-conspirators in the federal indictment, TMZ reported. Logs of all visitors to his home would be handed over to the government nightly.
The restrictions are believed to be an attempt to address court concerns that he may contact or intimidate witnesses, as they also stipulate that he would have no contact with known grand jury witnesses and undergo weekly drug testing.
However, the prosecution argued that the rapper has a long history of intimidating both accusers and witnesses to his alleged abuse and cited security footage that showed Combs hitting his then-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, in a hotel hallway.
The indictment that accuses Combs of using ‘power and prestige’ to lure and intimidate women under ‘pretense of a romantic relationship’.
He would then allegedly use force, threats and coercion to get the women to engage with male sex workers in the ‘Freak Offs,’ described as ‘elaborate and produced sex performances’ arranged and directed by Combs while he masturbated and often recorded them.
The indictment further stated that some ‘Freak Offs’ would last for days, requiring Combs and victims to receive IV fluids to recover from the exertion and drug use.
Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said the ‘Freak Offs’ stemmed from the star’s former on-again-off-again relationship with R&B singer Cassie, and not coercive.
Prosecutors said they had interviewed more than 50 victims and witnesses, expecting the number to grow.
Prosecutors also said that searches conducted in Combs’ home earlier this year resulted in law enforcements seizure of narcotics, videos of the ‘Freak Offs’ and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.
The indictment alleged Combs to be violent, choking and shoving people, hitting and kicking victims and sometimes dragging them by their hair, causing serious injuries.
It further alleges that Combs sometimes kept videos of victims engaging in sex acts and used the recordings as ‘collateral’ to ensure continued silence and obedience.
Combs is currently being held in custody in New York, where he will remain until his trial unless bail is granted.
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