Photo Credit: Jennifer Grismer
Sean “Diddy” Combs was denied bail with less than two months left before his sentencing. A federal judge cites “flight or danger” concerns.
Judge Arun Subramanian has denied Sean “Diddy” Combs’ request for bail less than two months before his sentencing for conviction of transportation to engage in prostitution. The federal judge’s ruling on Monday, August 4, marks the fifth time that the music mogul has been denied release from the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, where he has been held since his arrest in September 2024.
According to the judge, the court must “find by clear and convincing evidence that the person is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of any other person or the community if released.” Combs, he writes, poses a risk of “flight or danger.”
Judge Subramanian also went on to describe the conditions required for the court to grant Combs’ release, saying they would be “exceptional reasons” where it was “undisputed that the defendant posed no risk of flight or danger.” Further, there would need to be “unique circumstances” warranting release, such as a “defendant’s advanced age and serious medical conditions” requiring “care that the MDC may not be able to provide.”
Ultimately, the judge concluded that Combs “fails to satisfy his burden to demonstrate an entitlement to release.”
However, Combs’ attorneys, headed by Marc Agnifilo, rebutted the judge’s conclusion with a response, claiming it is “disingenuous for the government to claim” that Combs’ history of violence proves he is a danger to the community today. “How is it that Combs—who has been in this institution for 11 months—has not been in any fights whatsoever, yet cannot establish by clear and convincing evidence that he does not pose a danger to the community?”
“We ask the Court to focus on Combs’ time in jail,” his attorneys write. “That Sean Combs has been free of violence of every sort [in jail] is important to understanding the man he is today. He has shown nothing but respect for the criminal justice system and everyone in it, from his first minute in jail until now.”
Further, they assert that Combs poses no risk of flight “given his history of flying to New York, under circumstances much greater than now, to face his impending federal case head on.” His attorneys also reference Combs’ “active, supportive, loving” role as a father to seven children. “Combs is focused on returning to his life with his children and will not run from his responsibilities to his children or this Court.”
The judge’s ruling comes just days after Combs’ former girlfriend, Virginia Huynh—referred to as “Victim-3” in his indictment—wrote a letter to a New York judge asking him to be released on bail. The letter identifies Huynh for the first time, and advocates for granting Combs’ request for bond.
Combs’ attorneys asked on July 28 for the judge to release their client on a $50 million bond while he awaits sentencing for his federal conviction on charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. The conviction, which took place on July 2, also saw Combs acquitted of more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. His attorneys asked for his immediate release at the time, which was also denied.
Hip Hop News, Music Industry News, Music Law, 1:24-cr-00542
This post was originally authored and published by Ashley King Digital Music News via RSS Feed. Join today to get your news feed on Nationwide Report®.
