Sean 'Diddy' Combs will remain in jail as a 3-judge panel considers his release on bail
Sean "Diddy" Combs will have to remain in a Brooklyn jail as an appeals court considers his lawyers' latest bid to have the hip-hop music mogul released to home detention at his $48 million Florida estate.
In a ruling filed Friday, federal appeals court judge William J. Nardini denied Combs' immediate release pending a decision on his motion for bail. Nardini referred the motion to a three-judge panel within the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
Combs' team's request to "file his bail motion under seal with partial redactions" was granted by the judge.
USA TODAY has reached out to Combs' representatives for comment.
During a status conference, U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs, who made an appearance in court wearing tan prison garb, will continue to be detained prior to his trial, which now has a start date of May 5, 2025.
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Combs has so far lost two bids to be released on bail. The first judge, U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky, sided with U.S. attorneys' argument that Combs posed a risk if he were to be released for home detention. The following day, Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. — who has since recused himself from the case — also ruled against Combs, determining that no amount of bail could guarantee Combs wouldn't tamper with witnesses.
On Tuesday, Combs' legal team filed an appeal with the Second Circuit, arguing the proposed conditions of his release are adequate in ensuring he will show up in court.
"Indeed, hardly a risk of flight, he is a 54-year-old father of seven, a U.S. citizen, an extraordinarily successful artist, businessman, and philanthropist, and one of the most recognizable people on earth," reads the appeal filing.
His attorneys have proposed a $50 million bond secured by the equity in Combs and his mother's Florida homes. They have also offered to appease concerns about risk of flight and possible witness tampering by implementing "24/7 monitoring by trained third-party former state and federal law enforcement officers," no internet or phone access for Combs, a pre-approved visitor list and surrendered passports belonging to the rapper and his family members.
Combs was arrested at a Manhattan hotel on Sept. 16 and arraigned on sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution charges the following day. He has been incarcerated in the Special Housing Unit at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since then and has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty on all federal criminal charges, despite mounting civil lawsuits over the past year.
The charges against Combs, detailed in a 14-page federal grand jury indictment unsealed last month, revealed an extensive and ongoing federal investigation into the hip-hop icon since federal agents raided his Los Angeles and Miami homes in March.
Investigators say the 54-year-old elaborately schemed to use his finances and status in the entertainment industry to "fulfill his sexual desires" in a "recurrent and widely known" pattern of abuse, which included so-called "freak offs" — sexual performances he allegedly orchestrated and recorded.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.