Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail after mixed verdict clears him of top sex crimes charges
Hip-hop mogul found guilty of prostitution-related offences, faces a maximum 10-year sentence on each of two counts
Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain behind bars for now, a judge ruled on Wednesday, after the music mogul was cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life but was found guilty of lesser prostitution-related offences.
In rejecting the defence’s request for bail, US District Judge Arun Subramanian said prosecutors had presented ample evidence at Combs’ trial that he had committed violent acts and should remain in jail until his sentencing on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
“It is impossible for the defendant to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he poses no danger,” Subramanian said during a hearing in Manhattan federal court hours after the verdict.
The seven-week trial focused on allegations that Combs forced two of his former girlfriends to partake in drug-fuelled, days-long sexual performances sometimes known as “Freak Offs” with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed.
Both women – the rhythm and blues singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane – testified that he beat them and threatened to withhold financial support or leak sexually explicit images of them.