Sean “Diddy” Combs had his $50 million ($77 million) bail request denied on Wednesday, marking the third time his bid for release has been rejected since his arrest. Combs will remain incarcerated ahead of his May 5, 2025, trial on sex-trafficking charges.
US District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled against the request, citing concerns over Combs’s potential for witness tampering and evidence of prohibited communications while in custody.
“Given the nature of the allegations in this case and the information provided by the government, the court doubts the sufficiency of any conditions that place trust in Combs and individuals in his employ—like a private security detail—to follow those conditions,” the judge wrote. “There is compelling evidence of Combs’s propensity for violence.”
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges of using his business empire, including Bad Boy Entertainment, to sexually abuse women. Prosecutors allege he organised “freak offs” involving women and male sex workers, some of whom were transported across state lines.
Prosecutor Christine Slavik presented a 2016 hotel surveillance video showing Combs assaulting former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, as evidence of his violent tendencies.
Combs’s lawyers proposed home confinement at a Manhattan apartment, monitored by private security, with strict conditions barring contact with witnesses or alleged victims.
His lawyer Marc Agnifilo said there’s a zero per cent chance of Diddy acting violently. Still, he acknowledged a past incident of violence against Cassie captured on video but argued it was unrelated to the current charges. “This was a toxic, loving 11-year relationship,” Agnifilo said.
Prosecutors said Combs violated jail policy by using other inmates’ identification numbers to make unmonitored calls. They argued this conduct underscored the risk of him tampering with witnesses.
Combs has denied wrongdoing, maintaining the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual.
If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
