Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain in federal custody after a judge denied his bail appeal on Wednesday, September 18, just one day after he pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. The charges stem from a federal investigation and a series of sexual assault allegations.
Combs’ legal team sought bail, citing “horrific” conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he is being held. However, their request was denied by a magistrate judge due to the seriousness of the charges and allegations of witness tampering by prosecutors.
Initially, Combs was denied bail on Tuesday following his indictment on three counts: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, coercion, and transportation for prostitution. The alleged incidents occurred between 2009 and 2018 for sex trafficking, and from 2009 to 2024 for prostitution.
The indictment accuses Combs of using his business empire to establish a “criminal enterprise,” coercing and abusing women and others for sexual purposes, maintaining his reputation, and covering up his actions. Prosecutors allege his associates participated in or attempted crimes such as sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.
According to prosecutors, Combs engaged in a “persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse,” including physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual violence. His employees allegedly helped facilitate and conceal his actions, with claims that women were coerced into “extended sex acts” with male commercial sex workers, which Combs referred to as “Freak Offs.” Additionally, it is alleged that he and his associates transported sex workers across state lines, which prosecutors claim constitutes sex trafficking. They also allege that women were drugged to ensure compliance.
Combs was arrested Monday night in Manhattan, and the charges were unsealed on Tuesday morning. His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, has denied the allegations, stating that Combs “voluntarily relocated to New York in anticipation of these charges” and has “nothing to hide.”
chai