Sean “Diddy” Combs was ordered to be detained pending trial Tuesday after he pleaded not guilty to charges including sex trafficking and racketeering.
On Tuesday morning, the government unsealed a three-county indictment accusing Combs of various crimes related to an alleged decades-long pattern of physical and sexual violence against women in his orbit. Federal prosecutors charged him with sex trafficking and racketeering for directing a vast criminal enterprise through which he assaulted and trafficked women with the help of his various businesses from at least 2008.
Combs sought release on a $50 million bond, secured by equity in his Miami residence and that of his mother. He proposed home detention with GPS monitoring and to be restricted to parts of Florida, New York and New Jersey, mainly to deal with pending litigation and attend medical appointments.
The government opposed bail. It said he poses an ongoing safety risk and may try to tamper with the case or flee.
The indictment alleged that Combs repeatedly engaged in acts of violence, including assault, arson and brandishing firearms. In December 2011, for instance, he and an associate kidnapped an unnamed individual at gunpoint to break into a residence, according to a filing from prosecutors. Roughly two weeks later, members of the alleged criminal enterprise set fire to that individual’s car with a Molotov cocktail.
The individual is believed to be Kid Cudi, who confirmed accusations in a lawsuit from Casandra Ventura, better known as Cassie, that Combs set fire to the rapper’s car.
Prosecutors stressed Combs’ access to firearms. In a March raid of his home, law enforcement seized several guns, including three AR-15 rifles, each with defaced serial numbers, according to the indictment.
The government said Combs has a “disposition to violence” such that he can’t be released. “No bail conditions can address the defendant’s tendency to become violent when angry or emotional: anyone in his presence is at risk of abuse or assault,” the filing stated.
Prosecutors also opposed bail based on arguments that Combs is likely to obstruct proceedings. It pointed to him bribing hotel security to prevent them from disclosing the video depicting his assault of Ventura.
More recently, Combs and his associates allegedly reached out to potential witnesses in the investigation and directed them to lie in an attempt to conceal his alleged crimes. During one of the calls, which took place just three days after he was Ventura, the mogul asked for the victim’s “friendship” and told her she “ain’t got to worry about nothing else” if she went along with his version of events.
Additionally, the government claimed Combs poses a major flight risk due to his substantial resources. It said he has access to dozens of bank accounts, some personal and many under corporate entities, which contain millions of dollars, as well as over $1 million in personal cash on hand.
If Combs “wanted to flee, he has the money, manpower, and tools to do so quickly and without detection,” the filing stated.
In response, the mogul said his ability to flee has been constrained because he’s surrendered his passport and is in talks to sell his plane. He also underscored that he moved to New York in advance of his arrest to self-surrender.
