Topline
Prosecutors successfully asked on Tuesday for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs to be detained in prison until his trial—calling him a “dangerous” flight risk—after the hip-hop artist was indicted on and pleaded not guilty to three counts, including sex trafficking.
Sean "Diddy" Combs attends Howard Homecoming – Yardfest at Howard University on October 20, 2023 in ... [+]
Key Facts
Prosecutors indicted Combs on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, alleging the mogul had a “pattern” of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and violently coerced women to engage in sex acts with commercial sex workers, with his employees allegedly helping to facilitate and cover up his abuse.
Combs has been in detention since his arrest Monday night, and will remain in custody after prosecutors filed a letter with the court asking to extend that detention until his case goes to trial.
Prosecutors argued Combs should be imprisoned because he is “dangerous and poses an ongoing threat to the safety of the community,” pointing to his “long history of violent conduct” and alleging he’s “a serial abuser who repeatedly assaults and coerces women to achieve his own sexual gratification.”
They also alleged Combs posed a “serious risk of flight” given the allegations against him, which they noted could result in a significant prison sentence, and argued they’ve gathered a large amount of evidence that makes it likely Combs will be convicted.
The letter accused Combs of trying to obstruct the investigation against him, including by bribing victims and witnesses to give false testimony, which prosecutors argued means there are “simply no conditions” for Combs’ release “that would ensure that the defendant’s efforts to obstruct and tamper with witnesses will stop.”
Combs’ attorneys proposed that he should instead be placed in home detention and monitored rather than imprisoned, but prosecutors disagreed with that, arguing the proposal is “plainly insufficient” and “there is no condition, or combination of conditions, that will reasonably assure” Combs will appear in court and ensure “the safety of others and the community, not to mention the integrity of the proceedings.”
Crucial Quote
“The incentive to flee is especially strong for this defendant, who, at age 54, faces the very real prospect of spending a substantial portion of the rest of his life in prison,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams wrote in his letter to the court.
What To Watch For
It’s unclear how long it will take his criminal case to play out before it goes to trial, though prosecutors noted he’s all but certain to go to prison if found guilty. The mandatory minimum sentence for the charges Combs faces is 15 years, prosecutors noted, with a maximum sentence of life in prison. Williams told reporters Tuesday the investigation remains ongoing, and it’s still possible Combs could face additional charges.
Tangent
The letter asking for Combs’ detention details several specific alleged acts of violence that weren’t mentioned in the indictment, including Combs and one of his associates allegedly kidnapping an unnamed individual at gunpoint in order “to facilitate breaking into and entering the residence” of another unnamed victim. One of Combs’ associates also allegedly set fire to the vehicle of the victim whose residence they tried to break into, which they did by slicing open the top of the car and dropping a Molotov cocktail into the vehicle. “Multiple witnesses” are prepared to testify that Combs was “bragging about his role in destroying” the car, the letter notes. Prosecutors also noted in the letter that Combs has employed people who have a “significant criminal history, including violent crimes and firearms offenses.”
Chief Critic
Combs has long denied the allegations of sexual assault against him. “He’s not guilty, he’s innocent of these charges,” Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo told reporters Tuesday, claiming Combs is in good spirits and “confident” and is dealing with his prosecution “head on.” In a statement to CNN on Monday after Combs’ arrest, Agnifilo called the charges an “unjust prosecution” and alleged Combs has “nothing to hide,” asking people to “please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts.”
Key Background
Combs was arrested in New York on Monday following a reported monthslong investigation by federal law enforcement that stemmed from civil lawsuits brought against him by women accusing him of sexual assault and abuse. The mogul’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in November 2023 was the first to sue him—the suit was settled for undisclosed terms a day later—and CNN reports 10 lawsuits against Combs have now been filed. While the federal investigation reportedly began with those allegations, CNN reported in May the probe had broadened to include organized criminal activity and sex trafficking, among other potential crimes. The indictment accuses Combs of orchestrating a criminal enterprise from 2009 onward in which women were forcibly made to have sex at “Freak Offs,” with Combs allegedly using tactics including violence, drugging and threatening women’s financial and career stability in order to coerce them to participate and stay silent. Prosecutors accuse Combs of “striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at and kicking” women and leaving them with injuries that took days or weeks to heal, with associates helping to facilitate the abuse and track down women if they attempted to flee.
