Sean ‘Diddy' Combs denied bail for fifth time ahead of sentencing

Washington Post

2 days ago

Sean 'Diddy' Combs was denied bail once again as he awaits sentencing for two prostitution-related charges. The music producer has been petitioning for his release from a federal jail in Brooklyn since his arrest in September.
'Combs fails to satisfy his burden to demonstrate an entitlement to release,' Judge Arun Subramanian wrote in a letter Monday.
Combs's attorneys have repeatedly tried to get him released from the Metropolitan Detention Center, making their most recent appeal in July, less than a month after he was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He's expected to be sentenced to between 0 and 10 years in prison for each count on Oct. 3.
After a wave of civil sexual assault lawsuits and Homeland Security Department raids on two of his mansions, Combs was indicted and arrested in September. The judge denied a proposed bail package that included a $50 million bond, deciding that Combs's release would leave his accusers vulnerable and that his history of drug use meant he wasn't trustworthy.
The defense team appealed the decision shortly after, adding that Combs would be subject to weekly drug testing, any women other than family members would be barred from visiting him, and his visitors would be monitored by a private security company. But another judge denied the appeal, deeming him a flight risk and stating that security wouldn't be enough to stop him from potentially sending coded messages.
He was denied bail a third time in November by Subramanian, who presided over Combs's racketeering and sex-trafficking trial, because of evidence suggesting Combs could be violent and tamper with witnesses.
Combs's attorneys renewed their efforts after the verdict in his nearly two-month federal trial. They asked that he be immediately let out on a $1 million bond co-signed by family members, noting that the jury had acquitted him on the most serious charges: racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. But Subramanian again denied the request, citing the defense team's own admission that Combs had a history of violence.
In a letter opposing Combs's release, former Bad Boy employee and celebrity stylist Deonte Nash argued that freeing Combs on bail would 'send a dangerous message: that wealth and influence can shield someone indefinitely from accountability.'
Nash, who testified at Combs's trial, added, 'It will also endanger those who cooperated with this investigation under subpoena, who are already living in fear of retaliation.'
In late July, the defense proposed Combs's release with a $50 million bond secured by his Miami home, adding that he would travel only between Florida and New York to confer with his lawyers. His attorneys cited similar cases in which the defendants were released pending sentencing.
His bail petition was notably supported by ex-girlfriend Virginia Huynh, whom federal prosecutors attempted to subpoena for Combs's criminal trial, alleging that Huynh was another victim of sex trafficking and physical abuse. According to the government, Huynh and her attorney were unresponsive after multiple attempts to contact her.
Huynh, in a 2019 podcast, accused Combs of punching her in the head and stomping on her stomach. A former personal assistant to Combs also testified that he had witnessed Combs being physically aggressive with Huynh.
But in August, Huynh submitted a letter of support for Combs, saying she did not consider him 'a danger to me or the community.'
'Our relationship, like many, was not always perfect,' she wrote, 'but he was willing to acknowledge his mistakes and make better decisions in the future.'
'Allowing him to be at home will also support the healing process for all involved,' Huynh argued.
Janay Kingsberry, Shayna Jacobs and Herb Scribner contributed to this report.