Diddy's legal team demands rapper's release, argues ‘swingers lifestyle' is no reason to keep him behind bars
Combs remained behind bars following his July 2 conviction on federal charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. Now, his legal team has made another plea for the rapper to be released until his Oct. 3 sentencing hearing.
The "I'll Be Missing You" rapper was acquitted of his most serious charges – racketeering and sex trafficking. Lawyers for Combs argued his "swingers" lifestyle with his ex-girlfriends was not enough to keep him locked up following his acquittal.
"This was a lifestyle, one that both Ms. Ventura and Jane chose. One they all – as grown adults – had a right to choose," the petition for release, obtained by Fox News Digital, read. "Like many aspects of sex and intimacy, it was not without its complications, its bouts of jealousy, and, at times, its frustrations. But that is a hallmark of any serious romantic relationship, and that is what these were, serious, long-term romantic relationships."
His lawyers claimed the underlying facts of Combs' case have made the continued prosecution and incarceration of the rapper "unique."
"There has literally never been a case like this one, where a person and his girlfriend arranged for adult men to have consensual sexual relations with the adult long-term girlfriend as part of a demonstrated 'swingers' lifestyle and has been prosecuted and incarcerated under the Mann Act," the letter added.
Judge Arun Subramanian rejected Combs' $1 million proposed bail package immediately following his conviction. The federal judge claimed Combs' violence in his personal relationships, that Combs owned up to, was a contributing factor to his reasoning for keeping the rapper behind bars.
According to Judge Subramanian, there would be no way to guarantee the safety of others should the musician be released.
For his latest attempt, Combs' legal team proposed a $50 million bail package secured by his Miami mansion located on Star Island. They noted the rapper would be limited to traveling in the Southern District of Florida, the Southern District of New York for attorney meetings, plus the airports necessary to travel between the two. Combs would also give up his passport.
"Sean Combs should not be in jail for this conduct," the lawyers emphasized. "In fact, he may be the only person currently in a United States jail for being any sort of john, and certainly the only person in jail for hiring adult male escorts for him and his girlfriend, when he did not even have sex with the escort himself."
WATCH: DIDDY'S LEGAL TEAM WON'T STOP UNTIL HE WALKS A 'FREE MAN,' LAWYER SAYS
During a press conference following the verdict, his lead counsel, Marc Agnifilo, boasted that the team wasn't going to stop until Combs walks out a free man to his family.
"We are not nearly done fighting. We are just getting started," Agnifilo said outside the courthouse earlier this month. "To win this and to defeat the prosecutors from the Southern District of New York takes effort from beginning to end. Today was a major, major step in the right direction. But we fight on and we're going to win, and we're not going to stop until he walks out of prison a free man to his family."
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He added that those days are over via his peace through strength mission for the military, adding at the time, "My preference will always be to make peace and to seek partnership, even with countries where our differences may be profound." A Disneyland spokesperson told Fox Digital, when asked about the protest doll, that a cast member swiftly removed the doll from the ride attraction when it was first spotted, and reminded the guest of park rules. The activist who placed the doll within the attraction left without incident, according to Disney. Ben & Jerry's, which Cohen and co-founder Jerry Greenfield sold in 2000, has a long history of left-wing politics and social justice activism, including rolling out ice cream flavors such as "Pecan Resist" in 2018 to protest the first Trump administration, and "Change the Whirled" in 2021 that was crafted with former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who was the first sports player to popularize kneeling during the national anthem back in 2016. 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DOJ assistant AG responds to new allegations in SJSU transgender volleyball controversy
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None of WFG's attorneys have been accused of violating any applicable rules of professional conduct. Now, Dhillon joins other GOP officials speaking out in response to the recent report. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, shared the report with the caption, "This is disgraceful, and this young woman should have never been forced to compete with a man in the first place." Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., shared the report on X and called for the NCAA and the Mountain West to conduct a new investigation. "It's a DISGRACE that we have universities who actively put female athletes in harm's way. NCAA and Mountain West need to hold a FULL INVESTIGATION IMMEDIATELY. Appreciate Brooke Slusser speaking out and fighting for female athletes. Keep it up!" Tuberville wrote. A White House spokesperson provided a statement to Fox News Digital last week addressing the report as well. "Women deserve to play sports without fear of being violated and harassed by biological men. President Trump is returning integrity to women's sports by ending the deranged left's policies that demean and endanger women," White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said. In a lawsuit signed by 10 other current or former women's college volleyball players against the Mountain West and representatives of SJSU, Slusser alleged Fleming and other teammates sneaked out of a team hotel the night before an Oct. 3 match against Colorado State and met with an opposing player. The lawsuit alleged a teammate who sneaked out with Fleming later told players and coaches of an alleged plan by Fleming, in a conspiracy with the Colorado State player, to have Slusser spiked in the face during a match. The lawsuit and complaint alleged the players who sneaked out told other players and coaches they saw Fleming also hand over an SJSU scouting report with an agreement to throw the match in Colorado State's favor. Slusser said after she joined Riley Gaines' lawsuit against the NCAA in September, her interactions with trans athletes quickly turned hostile, citing her experience with Fleming. "After I joined the lawsuit, Blaire did not like me whatsoever. There was a time where Blaire said, 'I never want to speak to you again.' And I said, 'OK, that's fine,'" Slusser said. "I just knew there was hatred toward me from Blaire." Fox News Digital interviewed San Jose State athletic director Jeff Konya to inquire about Slusser's claims and other details of the investigation. However, Konya stood up after about five minutes of related questions and walked away, saying, "I'm done." Fox News Digital played a video clip of Slusser reciting these allegations to Konya at Mountain West media days July 15. "I have no idea if she's telling the truth or not," Konya said of Slusser's claims. Konya would not confirm or deny whether any of the witnesses interviewed corroborated the allegations against Fleming. When asked if he was satisfied with how the university handled the controversy involving Fleming in 2024, Konya said, "I think everybody acted in the best possible way they could, given the circumstances." The U.S. Department of Education opened a federal Title IX investigation into the situation involving Fleming and the university's handling of the trans athlete. The DOE recently reached agreements with other universities that allowed males to play on women's teams. On July 1, the DOE announced it had reached an agreement with the University of Pennsylvania to apologize to all female athletes that competed with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 2021-22 season and to rescind all of Thomas' school records. Then, on Friday, the department announced a similar agreement with Wagner College in response to the school allowing transgender fencer Redmon Sullivan to compete on the women's fencing team. Education Secretary Linda McMahon previously told Fox News Digital her department will continue working to address the SJSU investigation. "Our investigation will continue," McMahon said. The DOJ has launched lawsuits against public officials in California and Maine for allowing males to compete in girls sports and refusing to come to an agreement with the Trump administration. Fox News Digital has reached out to SJSU, the Mountain West and WFG for a response to Dhillon's statement. When Fox News Digital previously asked the Mountain West if it would disclose any evidence from the investigation, particularly if any of the witnesses interviewed corroborated the allegations against Fleming, the conference declined. "With litigation ongoing, the Mountain West will have no further comment," a conference spokesperson said. San Jose State previously declined to respond to Slusser's claims. "Due to ongoing litigation and federal investigation, we are unable to respond to your inquiry," a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital has attempted to reach Fleming through social media for comment in response to Slusser's allegations.
