New York (AFP) – Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, appeared in court Friday again seeking bail, but a judge deferred the decision to next week, US media reported. Judges have already denied Combs bail twice, and prosecutors have alleged in opposing the third bid that the rapper and producer has contacted witnesses and used unauthorized communications platforms while incarcerated.
Federal prosecutors allege that Combs, 55, sexually abused women and coerced them into drug-fueled sex parties using threats and violence. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his criminal trial is currently slated to begin on May 5, 2025. Judge Arun Subramanian will rule on Combs’s latest bail application next week, during which time he would remain in prison, The New York Times reported.
Outside the Manhattan courthouse, bystanders shouted at Combs’s mother, Janice Combs, “Your son is a predator.” Other family members were seen outside the hearing. Combs’s lawyers argued that a defendant in another prominent federal sex trafficking case, former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries, received bail, which should apply to their client.
“The nature and circumstances of the offenses are substantially different,” prosecutors wrote to the court on Friday. “There are no allegations that Jeffries committed non-trafficking-related violent acts or that he used firearms during the charged period. The indictment against Combs alleges both.”
“With respect to the charged offenses, Jeffries does not include a racketeering offense. By contrast, Combs is charged with leading a racketeering enterprise.” Prosecutors have previously indicated there is still more evidence to explore and that more charges could be added to the indictment against Combs. Public allegations have been building against the Grammy winner since late last year, when singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, alleged Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs, as well as a 2018 rape.
© 2024 AFP
