Sean Combs – also referred to as P Diddy and Puff Daddy – has been refused bail after pleading not responsible to 3 felony counts.
The fees come after the rapper and music mogul was arrested at a lodge in New York on Monday 16 September.
Combs, a three-time Grammy winner and probably the most influential hip-hop producers of the previous three a long time, has been going through a wave of lawsuits by ladies who’ve accused him of sexual assault.
And now he faces a prison trial having been denied bail at $50m (£37.8m).
Here is a glance what the fees are, why he was denied bail and what he and his legal professionals have stated.
What are the fees?
They relate to intercourse trafficking, drug possession and firearms offences.
Particularly, there are three expenses outlined by the Southern District of New York (SDNY) in a authorized indictment:
Racketeering conspiracySex trafficking by drive, fraud, or coercionTransportation to interact in prostitution
Racketeering conspiracy carries a most sentence of life in jail; intercourse trafficking by drive, fraud, or coercion has a most sentence of life in jail and a compulsory minimal sentence of 15 years in jail; and transportation for functions of prostitution carries a most sentence of 10 years.
It alleges Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” from no less than 2008.
It claims the 54-year-old used his workers, sources and affect within the music business to create a “criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice”.
Picture:
Combs and his defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo in a courtroom sketch. Pic: Reuters
He allegedly induced feminine victims and male intercourse employees into drug-fuelled sexual performances, dubbed “Freak Offs”, in line with the doc.
The Freak Offs, referred to within the doc some 16 occasions, had been described as “elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded”.
Prosecutors allege victims got managed substances in the course of the generally days-long occasions to maintain them “obedient and compliant” and Combs subjected them to “physical, emotional, and verbal abuse” to get them to interact.
The indictment additionally claims Combs and members of his enterprise “engaged in acts of violence, threats of violence, threats of financial and reputational harm, and verbal abuse” together with kidnapping and arson when witnesses of his alleged abuse threatened his authority or fame.
What have Combs and his legal professionals stated?
Combs has pleaded not responsible to all expenses.
After his arrest, his lawyer Marc Agnifilo stated he was “disappointed” with the choice to “pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr Combs by the US Attorney’s Office”.
“Diddy is an imperfect person but is not criminal,” he continued.
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Diddy ‘did not do this stuff’ – lawyer
“To his credit, Mr Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.
“Please reserve your judgment till you’ve got all of the information. These are the acts of an harmless man with nothing to cover, and he seems to be ahead to clearing his title in court docket.”
Speaking to journalists after Combs entered his plea, the lawyer added: “I’m feeling assured. We’ll go get Mr Combs out of jail.”
A statement from lawyers representing some of those who have made accusations against Combs said the “long-awaited arrest is step one for our purchasers receiving justice”.
“The proof may be very clear and it was solely a matter of time,” the statement from lawyers Rodney Diggs and Tyrone Blackburn read.
“This is a crucial step in the direction of justice for all of Mr Combs’ victims together with my purchasers. Justice will prevail.”
Why has Combs been denied bail?
Combs’s lawyers offered a $50m (£37.8m) bail package in exchange for his release to home detention with GPS monitoring and strict limitations on who could visit him.
Arguing to keep him behind bars, prosecutor Emily Johnson told the judge that Combs had a long history of intimidating both accusers and witnesses to his alleged abuse.
Ms Johnson cited text messages from women who said Combs forced them into the Freak Offs and then threatened to leak explicit videos of them engaging in sexual acts.
She also said that Combs’s own defence team was “minimising and horrifically understating” his propensity for violence.
The defence and prosecution were wrangling over the request before US district judge Andrew L Carter denied bail.
He said the government had proved “by clear and convincing proof that there isn’t a situation or set of situations” that will ensure the safety of the community and that the rapper and music mogul will not tamper with witnesses.
Previous allegations against Combs
Combs has been facing civil allegations including rape, sexual assault, and forced drugging since November 2023.
The first allegations were made by the rapper’s ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, who claimed in her lawsuit that she was trafficked, raped, plied with drugs, and viciously beaten by Combs on many occasions over the course of 10 years.
He denied all allegations and settled the lawsuit with Cassie the day after it was filed, with the terms of the agreement kept confidential.
Months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her to the floor. He apologised for what he called his “inexcusable” behaviour in the video, saying he was “disgusted” by his previous behaviour.
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Combs apologises after CCTV video
Combs was sued by Joie Dickerson-Neal in November who alleged he drugged and sexually assaulted her when she was a psychology pupil at Syracuse College in January 1991. She additionally accused him of filming the assault.
In Could, a former mannequin accused Combs of sexually assaulting her at his New York Metropolis recording studio in 2003.
The identical month, a lady accused Combs of sexually assaulting her greater than 20 years in the past when she was a vogue pupil in New York Metropolis.
In February, a music producer alleged Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have intercourse with them.
Combs was additionally named in a lawsuit that alleges his son sexually assaulted a lady engaged on a yacht chartered by his father.
His son is accused within the go well with of spiking a lady’s drink and groping her, whereas it’s alleged Combs created the circumstances that led to the assault and paid to cowl it up afterwards. Each Combs and his son have denied the claims.
The latest go well with was introduced in opposition to Combs shortly earlier than his arrest by singer Daybreak Richard, who has described years of psychological and bodily abuse, together with groping, as he helped launch her profession.
In an announcement in December, Combs described the claims he was going through then as “sickening” and alleged his accusers had been “looking for a quick payday”.
“Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth,” he stated.
What occurs now?
Combs is being held on the Metropolitan Detention Middle, the place he’ll stay till his trial begins.
A date has not but been set for the trial, and prosecutors say the investigation into Combs’ alleged prison exercise remains to be ongoing.
They are saying they’ve interviewed greater than 50 victims of and witnesses to Combs’ alleged abuse, however that they anticipate extra individuals to return ahead with their accounts.
