NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has denied Sean “Diddy” Combs’ request to wait for his sentencing at home. His appeal for bail was turned down on Monday due to his conviction related to prostitution.
Combs has been in jail since his arrest in September. He was charged with federal offenses for allegedly coercing girlfriends into participating in drug-laden sexual encounters with male sex workers, while he observed and recorded the events.
Last month, he was found not guilty of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking but was convicted on two counts related to prostitution.
Judge Arun Subramanian rejected Combs’ $50 million bond request, stating that Combs had failed to demonstrate that he was neither a flight risk nor a threat to the community. He also hadn’t presented any “exceptional circumstance” that would permit his release following a conviction demanding detention typically.
The judge noted that Combs’ arguments might have been more persuasive in a different scenario that lacked evidence of violence, coercion, or domination connected to the prostitution acts in this case, but the present record showed evidence of all these elements.
Prosecutors declined to comment on the ruling. Messages seeking comment were sent to Combs’ lawyers.
The conviction could result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years. However, federal sentencing guidelines are complex and can vary significantly from case to case, and there is considerable disagreement between prosecutors and Combs’ lawyers about how these guidelines should be applied to his situation.
The guidelines aren’t mandatory, and Subramanian will have wide latitude in deciding Combs’ punishment.
The Bad Boy Records founder, now 55, was for decades a protean figure in pop culture. A Grammy-winning hip hop artist and entrepreneur with a flair for finding and launching big talents, he presided over a business empire that ranged from fashion to reality TV.
Prosecutors claimed he used his fame, wealth and violence to force and manipulate two now-ex-girlfriends into days-long, drugged-up sexual performances he called “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.”
During the trial, four women testified that Combs had beaten or sexually assaulted them. Jurors also watched video of Combs hurling one of his former girlfriends, R&B singer Cassie, to the floor, repeatedly kicking her and then and dragging her down a hotel hallway.
His lawyers argued that the government tried to criminalize consensual, if unconventional, sexual tastes that played out in complicated relationships. The defense acknowledged that Combs had violent outbursts but said nothing he did came amounted to the crimes with which he was charged.
Since the verdict, his lawyers have repeatedly renewed their efforts to get him out on bail until his sentencing, set for October. They have argued that the acquittals undercut the rationale for holding him, and they have pointed to other people who were released before sentencing on similar convictions.
Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo suggested in a court filing that Combs was the United States’ “only person in jail for hiring adult male escorts for him and his girlfriend.”
Agnifilo also raised concerns about squalor and danger at the Metropolitan Detention Center, the notorious federal lockup where Combs is being held. The judge wrote Monday that those conditions were a “serious” consideration, but he said Combs hadn’t shown that unique circumstances –- such as advanced age or medical issues –- would warrant his release.
The defense’s most recent proposal included the $50 million bond, plus travel restrictions, and expressed openness to adding on house arrest at his Miami home, electronic monitoring, private security guards and other requirements.
Prosecutors opposed releasing Combs. They wrote that his “extensive history of violence — and his continued attempt to minimize his recent violent conduct — demonstrates his dangerousness.”
___
Associated Press writer Jake Offenhartz contributed from Los Angeles.
