WARNING: This article contains graphic information
A judge has denied rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs' request for bail after he pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges.
Combs appeared before Robin F. Tarnovsky in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday. Diddy is charged with organized criminal conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation for the purposes of prostitution. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
The judge ruled that there were no “conditions” he could impose on Diddy. Judge Tarnovsky noted that sex trafficking is a crime that takes place behind closed doors, making it difficult to monitor the rapper, even with pretrial monitoring services. The judge considered alternatives to incarceration but found them insufficient. Judge Tarnovsky acknowledged that the weight of the evidence against Diddy was great.
Diddy's legal team plans to appeal the bail decision.
Diddy indicted on sex trafficking and extortion charges after arrest
According to an indictment unsealed Wednesday, Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged with organized criminal conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation for prostitution. (Munawar Hossain)
“Mr. Combs is a fighter and he's going to fight to the end,” Diddy's lawyer said outside the court after the indictment. “He's innocent. He came to New York to prove his innocence. He's not afraid. He's not afraid of the indictment.”
“There's nothing in the government's announcement today that's going to change anybody's mind. He's been looking forward to this day. He's been looking forward to clearing his name. And he will, and we will stand with him as he does. We believe him wholeheartedly. He didn't do this.”
The U.S. District Attorney's Office asked the judge to deny bail for Diddy ahead of his arraignment on Tuesday, saying the “I'll Be Missing You” singer is a flight risk. The district attorney's office was concerned Diddy might obstruct justice or intimidate witnesses. The government pointed to Diddy's decades-long history of violence and a pattern of abuse. The district attorney's office suggested no bail conditions would address those issues.
Diddy pleaded not guilty to the federal charges after his arrest. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
“Right now, I want to make two things clear: First, this office is committed to investigating and prosecuting those who engage in sex trafficking, no matter how powerful, wealthy or famous they may be,” U.S. Attorney Damien Williams said at a press conference on Tuesday. “No one should doubt our commitment to that.”
“Secondly, it's not over yet. The investigation is ongoing and we encourage anyone with information about this incident to come forward and act swiftly,” he added.
Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared in court for his arraignment on Tuesday. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
WATCH: US prosecutor explains Diddy's sex trafficking charges
U.S. Attorney Damien Williams announced the unsealing of the indictment against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs at a press conference. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)
The rapper entered the courtroom for his arraignment wearing a black T-shirt and khaki pants. He was not handcuffed or shackled. After sitting next to his lawyer, Combs looked around the courtroom and at the jury box.
Combs has offered $50 million in bail as part of his bond, according to a letter filed by Combs' lawyers on Tuesday and obtained by Fox News Digital.
Additionally, Combs turned over his passport to his attorney on April 1. As part of the bail proposal, his mother, Janice, and his children, Chance, Jesse, Delilah and Love Combs, also turned over their passports.
“Mr. Combs' travel will be limited to the Southern District of Florida and the Southern District of New York (for court appearances, meetings with counsel, and attendance at medical appointments, which will be filed with the Court in separate sealed filings) and the Eastern District of New York or the District of New Jersey (only using airports in those districts for travel to and from New York),” the proposal states.
Video: Diddy plans to appeal bail denial: lawyer
FOX NATION SPECIAL INVESTIGATES SEAN DIDDY COMBS INVESTIGATION AND ATTACK
As federal agents searched Diddy's home on Star Island, agents were photographed outside Diddy's Miami mansion. (MEGA/GC Images/Getty Images)
The defense also Combs' home on Star Islandreal estate valued at $48 million, and the value of his mother's home in Miami, Florida.
Combs has been trying to sell the plane since April 2024.
“On May 21, 2024, the attorney informed AUSA via telephone that Mr. Combs had begun working on the sale of the airplane,” the proposal states. Several potential buyers had expressed interest in purchasing the plane, and a “letter of intent” was signed “this weekend.”
The plane has not yet been sold. The defense agreed to store the plane in Los Angeles while Combs was in Florida, as long as the plane was not chartered. On the night of Combs' arrest, the plane was chartered from Los Angeles to Teterboro, New Jersey, without Combs' knowledge, and Combs “had no control whatsoever over the movement of the plane.”
“Apparently, Mr. Combs has agreed not to travel to the state in which his aircraft is located, in this case New Jersey, where the sale is actively underway,” the proposal states.
A judge has denied rapper Diddy's request for bail after he pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges. (Dia Dipaspil/Getty Images)
Combs voluntarily relocated to New York on September 5, prior to his arrest, after which his lawyers “promptly notified the government of Combs' location” and offered to “share information about Combs' location with the government on an ongoing basis.”
The disgraced media mogul also proposed home detention with GPS monitoring and “other standard conditions of pretrial supervision.”
Did you enjoy reading this? For more entertainment news click here
Sean Combs' Los Angeles home was searched by Homeland Security agents in March. (Getty Images)
Click here to sign up for our Entertainment Newsletter
Disturbing charges were laid out against Diddy in a shocking indictment unsealed on Tuesday.
Authorities alleged that Diddy ran a criminal enterprise through businesses including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, and that he used “firearms, threats of violence, coercion, verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse” to gratify his sexual desires, according to an unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.
Combs and his employees “intimidated, threatened and lured female victims into Combs' entourage, often under the guise of romantic relationships. Combs then allegedly used force, threats of force and coercion to force the victims into engaging in extended sexual acts with male prostitutes, which Combs referred to as 'freak-offs.'” According to the indictment, after the “freak-offs,” Diddy would often give the victims intravenous fluids to help them perform physical labor or recover from drug use.
During a search of Didi's home in March, authorities Court documents state that three AR-15 guns with obliterated serial numbers were seized, along with “pervert paraphernalia.” “We also seized multiple boxes of personal lubricants and baby oil, totaling over 1,000 bottles, that Combs' staff had allegedly stocked in the pervert hotel rooms,” Williams said at the press conference.
Click here to get the FOX News app
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or rain
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
