Sean "Diddy" Combs will continue to be held in jail pending his May 5, 2025 trial on sex-trafficking charges, as a US judge denied his request for a $50 million (Dh183 million) bail on Wednesday. The decision was made by US District Judge Arun Subramanian in a written order, following a two-hour hearing on November 22 in Manhattan federal court. This marks the fourth time Combs' bail has been denied since his arrest, with previous judges citing concerns that he might interfere with witnesses.
The rapper and producer pleaded not guilty on September 17 to allegations that he used his business empire, including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, to sexually exploit women. Prosecutors claim that the abuse involved women participating in recorded sexual performances with male sex workers, sometimes transported across state lines. Combs, 55, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and his legal team maintains that the sexual activities described by prosecutors were consensual.
Combs' defense team proposed that he be confined to an apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side, under 24-hour surveillance by private security personnel he would pay for, and prohibited from contacting alleged victims or witnesses. However, prosecutors argued that Combs was unlikely to adhere to these conditions. They also presented evidence that Combs had violated jail policy by using other inmates' identification numbers to make phone calls from the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Additionally, prosecutors cited a 2016 hotel surveillance video showing Combs assaulting his former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie. They argued that this video demonstrated Combs' potential for violence if released. Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo, however, disputed this claim, stating there was no risk of Combs acting violently. Combs had previously apologized in May after CNN aired the video of him physically assaulting Cassie in a hotel hallway. Agnifilo emphasized that while the incident was acknowledged, it was not indicative of sex trafficking.
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