A judge denies bail to Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs while awaiting sentencing

New York.- A federal judge in New York denied the bail request for musician and producer Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who awaits his sentence on October 3, arguing that the rapper could not prove that he does not represent a danger and that his case is “exceptional”, as he argued. Combs, found guilty last July after an eight-week trial, of two counts of transportation for the purpose of prostitution, for which, according to the jury, he violated the Mann Act of 1910 or White Slave Traffic Act, amended in 1978 and 1986 to apply only to this type of crime or other illegal sexual acts.

Diddy’s defense argues consensual acts

When requesting his release on bail, Combs’ lawyers argued to Judge Arun Subramanian that their client’s case was “exceptional” under the Mann Act, because it involved consensual acts between him and the women involved in the case – the singer Cassie Ventura and another unidentified woman – and offered a $50 million bail backed by a mansion on an island outside Miami.

“Basically, Sean Combs has been condemned for using the services of a sex worker, and that is no longer being prosecuted,” his lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, told Variety magazine last Friday.

However, the magistrate noted today in his two-page decision that “increasing the bond amount or devising additional conditions does not change the calculation, given the circumstances and the heavy burden of proof that rests on Combs.”

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He also indicated that during the trial the defense accepted that Combs committed violence in his personal relationships and that this type of violence “occurred behind closed doors”, so under that premise his bail request was also denied. The prosecution asked the judge to deny bail to Combs, 55, pleading not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering and sex trafficking, which exposed him to a life sentence.