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A rap megastar in custody awaiting a sex trafficking trial has again been denied bail – because a judge fears he will try to influence witnesses and says he has broken prison rules.
US District Judge Arun Subramanian made the decision in a written ruling following a bail hearing last week, when lawyers for hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been argued that a $50m bail package they proposed would be sufficient to ensure Combs does not flee and does not try to intimidate prospective trial witnesses.
Two other judges previously had been persuaded by prosecutors’ arguments that the Bad Boy Records founder was a danger to the community if he is not behind bars.
Lawyers did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the decision.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years, aided by associates and employees. An indictment alleges that he silenced victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.
A federal appeals court judge last month denied Combs’ immediate release while a three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan considers his bail request.
Prosecutors have insisted that no bail conditions would be sufficient to protect the public and prevent the I’ll Be Missing You singer from fleeing. They say that even in a federal lock-up in Brooklyn, Combs has orchestrated social media campaigns designed to influence prospective jurors and tried to publicly leak materials he thinks can help his case. They say he also has contacted potential witnesses through third parties.
Lawyers for Combs say any alleged sexual abuse described in the indictment occurred during consensual relations between adults and that new evidence refutes allegations that Combs used his “power and prestige” to induce female victims into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances with male sex workers known as “Freak Offs”.
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