Key Points
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A judge denied Sean Combs’ latest bail request following his conviction earlier this year.
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The rapper must remain in jail until his October sentencing.
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Combs was arrested last September, before being convicted on two prostitution-related charges.
After his conviction on two prostitution-related charges following a high-profile trial, rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs’ bail request has again been denied by a judge.
Judge Arun Subramanian said Monday that Combs, 55, must remain in jail and can’t go home ahead of his October sentencing, after he was previously acquitted on major charges related to racketeering and sex trafficking, but convicted on a pair of transportation to engage in prostitution charges — which carry a potential sentence of 10 years.
In denying the $50-million bond, Subramanian noted that Combs did not prove that he didn’t pose a flight risk, and he didn’t provide an “exceptional circumstance” justifying his release until sentencing, per the Associated Press.
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs at Invest Fest in 2023
Per AP News, the judge additionally said that Combs “might have traction in a case that didn’t involve evidence of violence, coercion or subjugation in connection with the acts of prostitution at issue, but the record here contains evidence of all three.”
Combs’ team argued that there could be significant danger for Combs at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York, where he’s being held, and, in addition to the $50 million bond, proposed travel restrictions and house arrest at the entertainer’s home in Miami.
The prosecution opposed the move, writing that Combs’ “extensive history of violence — and his continued attempt to minimize his recent violent conduct — demonstrates his dangerousness,” per AP News.
Subramanian previously denied another of Combs’ bail requests at a hearing hours after a 12-person jury delivered their verdict in the case.
Federal prosecutors first accused Combs of leading a criminal enterprise that “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” per to the indictment.
The surrounding trail drew significant media coverage, particularly revolving around the prosecution’s star witness, Combs’ ex-girlfriend and recording artist Cassie Ventura.
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Sean Combs
Ventura tearfully testified that she experienced Combs’ alleged “freak-offs,” which were described as voyeuristic, drug-fueled sex marathons with male escorts that Ventura claimed were facilitated by Combs. Combs’ lawyers maintained that the sexual acts in question were consensual.
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Before the trial, Ventura launched a 2023 lawsuit that preceded a federal investigation into Combs, She additionally testified about a 2016 incident that was caught and widely circulated on video, which showed her former partner assaulting her inside a hotel.
Entertainment Weekly has reached out to legal representatives for Combs for comment.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
