Warning: This article contains graphic information
A judge refused Sean “Diddy” Combs’ The request for bail came after the rapper pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges.
Combs was arraigned before Robin F. Tarnofsky in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday. Diddy was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 15 years in prison or a maximum of life imprisonment.
The judge decided that “no conditions” could be imposed on Diddy. Tarnofsky explained that sex trafficking is a crime that takes place behind closed doors and that it would be difficult to monitor the rapper even with pre-trial monitoring services. The judge considered options other than custody, but found they were not sufficient. Tarnofsky believed the weight of the evidence against Diddy was significant.
Diddy charged with sex trafficking and racketeering after arrest
The indictment unsealed Wednesday charges Sean “Diddy” Combs with sex trafficking by fraud or coercion, and transportation, fraud or coercion to induce prostitution. (Munawwar Hussain)
The rapper entered the courtroom wearing a black T-shirt and khaki pants. He was not handcuffed and had no shackles on his legs. After sitting next to his lawyer, Combs looked around the courtroom and looked toward the jury box.
According to a letter submitted by his legal team on Tuesday and obtained by Fox News Digital, Combs offered a $50,000,000 bond as part of a proposed bail package.
Additionally, Combs surrendered his passport to his attorney on April 1. His mother Janice and children Chance, Jesse, D’Lila, and Love Combs submitted their passports as part of the bail motion.
“Mr. Combs’ travel will be restricted to the Southern District of Florida and the Southern District of New York (to appear in court, meet with his attorney, and attend medical appointments, which we will describe to the court in a separate, sealed submission), as well as the Eastern District of New York or the District of New Jersey (only to the extent that his travel from New York involves airports in those districts),” the motion states.
Fox Nation special explores Sean ‘Diddy’ investigation and raids
An agent was photographed outside Diddy’s Miami mansion during the federal raid on his Star Island home. (MEGA/GC Images/Getty Images)
The defense also proposed equality Mr. Combs’ Residence on Star Islandwhich was appraised at $48,000,000, and equity in his mother’s home in Miami, Florida.
Combs has been trying to sell his airplane since April 2024.
“On May 21, 2024, counsel advised AUSA during a phone call that Mr. Combs had begun efforts to sell his aircraft,” the motion states. Several potential buyers expressed interest in purchasing the aircraft, and a “letter of intent” was signed “just this weekend.”
The plane has not yet been sold. The defense agreed to keep the plane in Los Angeles while Combs lives in Florida if the plane was not being chartered. The night he was arrested, the plane was chartered from Los Angeles to Teterboro, NJ, without Combs’ knowledge, nor did he have “any control over its movement.”
“Apparently Mr. Combs has agreed not to move to any state — in this case, New Jersey — where his airplane is located pending its sale, which is being actively pursued,” the motion states.
Combs also voluntarily moved to New York on September 5, prior to his arrest, where his attorney “promptly informed the government of Mr. Combs’ whereabouts.” His legal team offered to “continuously share Mr. Combs’ whereabouts with the government.”
The disgraced media mogul also offered home detention with GPS monitoring and “all other standard conditions of pre-trial supervision.”
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In March, Homeland Security officers raided Sean Combs’ Los Angeles home. (Getty Images)
The U.S. District Attorney’s Office urged the judge to deny Diddy bail ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, calling the “I’ll Be Missing You” singer a potential flight risk. The attorney’s office was concerned that Diddy would possibly obstruct justice or intimidate witnesses. The government pointed to his alleged decades-long history of violence and his pattern of abuse. The attorney’s office indicated that no bail conditions could address these potential issues.
“Now I want to be clear about two things. First, this office is determined to investigate and prosecute anyone who engages in sex trafficking, no matter how powerful, wealthy or famous,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said during a press conference Tuesday. “No one should doubt our commitment to that.”
“Second, we have not yet completed the investigation. That investigation is ongoing, and I encourage anyone with information about this matter to come forward and to do so quickly,” he said.
WATCH: US attorney holds press conference on Diddy sex trafficking charges
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U.S. Attorney Damian Williams announced the unsealing of an indictment against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs at a press conference. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)
The explosive indictment released Tuesday made disturbing allegations against Diddy.
Authorities claimed Diddy ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global. According to the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital, he used “firearms, threats of violence, coercion, and verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse” to coerce women into fulfilling his sexual desires.
Combs and his employees “intimidated, threatened, and lured female victims into Combs’ affair, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship. Combs allegedly used force, threat of force, and coercion to force victims to engage in prolonged sexual activity with male commercial sex workers, which Combs referred to, among other things, as ‘freak offs.'” The indictment notes that Diddy would often provide his victims with IV fluids to recover from physical exertion and drug use after “freak offs.”
During a raid on Diddy’s home in March, authorities seized Court documents say the “freak off supplies” included three AR-15s with tainted serial numbers. Williams said at a press conference that federal authorities also seized “cases of various personal lubricants and baby oil that Combs’ employees allegedly used to stock hotel rooms for the freak offs — more than 1,000 bottles in all.”
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If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
