NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors are urging a judge to reject this week’s renewed request for bail for hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, stating that since his conviction last month on prostitution-related charges, there have been no changes justifying a new assessment.
They also mentioned that their initial assessment suggesting federal sentencing guidelines would recommend a prison term of four to five years at his Oct. 3 sentencing was significantly underestimated.
The government’s written argument filed late Thursday to a Manhattan federal court judge followed a defense lawyer’s renewed $50 million bail plea for Combs, asserting that the Bad Boy Records founder should be allowed to remain free pending his October sentencing.
Combs, 55, was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking allegations that could have led to life imprisonment but was found guilty of two counts related to transportation for prostitution, for organizing transport for women and male sex workers for sexual encounters he filmed.
On the day of the verdict, prosecutors won a bail fight after defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo argued that Combs should be freed immediately on bail.
Judge Arun Subramanian denied bail, stating Combs had not proven by clear and convincing evidence that he does not pose a “danger to any person or the community.” However, he allowed the bail request to be revisited.
In his Tuesday submission, Agnifilo highlighted other similar cases to Combs’ conviction where defendants received bail. He also pointed out the harsh conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Combs has been detained since his September arrest at a New York hotel.
Prosecutors, though, said conditions at the federal lockup had improved considerably before Combs was arrested. A federal judge in January 2024 had blasted conditions at the jail, including its extensive lockdowns and inadequate medical care.
Prosecutors said cases cited by Agnifilo in which other defendants received bail were not comparable to the crimes Combs was convicted of carrying out.
“The defendant’s detention pending sentencing is mandatory, there are no exceptional circumstances justifying his release, and even if there were, the defendant cannot demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he is not a danger the community,” prosecutors wrote.
