Sean Combs – also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy – has been refused bail after pleading not guilty to three felony counts.
The charges come after the rapper and music mogul was arrested at a hotel in New York on Monday 16 September.
Combs, a three-time Grammy winner and one of the most influential hip-hop producers of the past three decades, has been facing a wave of lawsuits by women who have accused him of sexual assault.
And now he faces a criminal trial having been denied bail at $50m (£37.8m).
Here’s a look what the charges are, why he was denied bail and what he and his lawyers have said.
What are the charges?
They relate to sex trafficking, drug possession and firearms offences.
Specifically, there are three charges outlined by the Southern District of New York (SDNY) in a legal indictment:
- Racketeering conspiracy
- Sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion
- Transportation to engage in prostitution
Racketeering conspiracy carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion has a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison; and transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The indictment alleges Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” from at least 2008.
It claims the 54-year-old used his employees, resources and influence in the music industry to create a “criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice”.
He allegedly induced female victims and male sex workers into drug-fuelled sexual performances, dubbed “Freak Offs”, according to the document.
The Freak Offs, referred to in the document some 16 times, were described as “elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded”.
Prosecutors allege victims were given controlled substances during the sometimes days-long events to keep them “obedient and compliant” and Combs subjected them to “physical, emotional, and verbal abuse” to get them to engage.
It said Combs and his victims were so exhausted after the sessions – which sometimes lasted days at a time – that they “typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use”.
Around 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant were seized from Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles when they were raided in March, the indictment added.
It also claims Combs and members of his business “engaged in acts of violence, threats of violence, threats of financial and reputational harm, and verbal abuse” including kidnapping and arson when witnesses of his alleged abuse threatened his authority or reputation.
What have Combs and his lawyers said?
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
After his arrest, his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said he was “disappointed” with the decision to “pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr Combs by the US Attorney’s Office”.
“Diddy is an imperfect person but is not criminal,” he continued.
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“To his credit, Mr Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.
“Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Speaking to journalists after Combs entered his plea, the lawyer added: “I am feeling confident. We’re going to go get Mr Combs out of jail.”
A statement from lawyers representing some of those who have made accusations against Combs said the “long-awaited arrest is the first step for our clients receiving justice”.
“The evidence is very clear and it was only a matter of time,” the statement from lawyers Rodney Diggs and Tyrone Blackburn read.
“This is an important step towards justice for all of Mr Combs’s victims including my clients. Justice will prevail.”
Why has Combs been denied bail?
Combs’s lawyers offered a $50m (£37.8m) bail package in exchange for his release to home detention with GPS monitoring and strict limitations on who could visit him.
Arguing to keep him behind bars, prosecutor Emily Johnson told the judge that Combs had a long history of intimidating both accusers and witnesses to his alleged abuse.
Ms Johnson cited text messages from women who said Combs forced them into the Freak Offs and then threatened to leak explicit videos of them engaging in sexual acts.
She also said that Combs’s own defence team was “minimising and horrifically understating” his propensity for violence.
The defence and prosecution were wrangling over the request before US district judge Andrew L Carter denied bail.
He said the government had proved “by clear and convincing evidence that there is no condition or set of conditions” that will ensure the safety of the community and that the rapper and music mogul will not tamper with witnesses.
Previous allegations against Combs
Combs has been facing civil allegations including rape, sexual assault, and forced drugging since November 2023.
The first allegations were made by the rapper’s ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, who claimed in her lawsuit that she was trafficked, raped, plied with drugs, and viciously beaten by Combs on many occasions over the course of 10 years.
He denied all allegations and settled the lawsuit with Cassie the day after it was filed, with the terms of the agreement kept confidential.
Months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her to the floor. He apologised for what he called his “inexcusable” behaviour in the video, saying he was “disgusted” by his past behaviour.
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Combs was sued by Joie Dickerson-Neal in November who alleged he drugged and sexually assaulted her when she was a psychology student at Syracuse University in January 1991. She also accused him of filming the attack.
In May, a former model accused Combs of sexually assaulting her at his New York City recording studio in 2003.
The same month, a woman accused Combs of sexually assaulting her more than 20 years ago when she was a fashion student in New York City.
In February, a music producer alleged Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.
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Combs was also named in a lawsuit that alleges his son sexually assaulted a woman working on a yacht chartered by his father.
His son is accused in the suit of spiking a woman’s drink and groping her, while it is alleged Combs created the circumstances that led to the assault and paid to cover it up afterwards. Both Combs and his son have denied the claims.
Another suit was brought against Combs shortly before his arrest by singer Dawn Richard, who has described years of psychological and physical abuse, including groping, as he helped launch her career.
New rape allegations emerge since arrest
Since his arrest, another two women, one who is named and the other who is known under the pseudonym Jane Doe, have filed lawsuits in New York.
The first was filed by Thalia Graves, who claims the music mogul and his head of security raped her and made a video recording of it at his studio.
The second claims she was repeatedly raped and drugged at the music mogul’s homes and became pregnant after one of the encounters. She later suffered a miscarriage after allegedly being pressured by Combs’ associates to get an abortion.
Representatives for Combs did not respond to these latest allegations but have denied every other made against him in the lawsuits, which you can read more about here.
In a statement in December, Combs described the claims he was facing then as “sickening” and alleged his accusers were “looking for a quick payday”.
“Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth,” he said.
What happens now?
Combs is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, where he will remain until his trial begins.
A date has not yet been set for the trial, and prosecutors say the investigation into Combs’s alleged criminal activity is still ongoing.
They say they have interviewed more than 50 victims of and witnesses to Combs’s alleged abuse, but that they expect more people to come forward with their accounts.
US attorney in Manhattan Damian Williams said in a news conference he wouldn’t “take anything off the table” when asked whether Combs’s associates or employees will face charges, adding: “Our investigation is very active and ongoing.”
Source : Sky News
