Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs requests release from jail prior to federal sex crimes trial
Sean “Diddy” Combs has asked to be released from jail in advance of his federal sex crime trial.
His legal team submitted documents on Tuesday seeking to overturn his detention, asserting that the reasons given by federal prosecutors were merely “speculative.”
“What makes this situation extraordinary is that Mr. Combs was taken into custody right after his charges were filed, despite being a public figure throughout his life, with many of his actions widely known to the public and law enforcement,” stated his attorney Alexandra Shapiro in a legal submission to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Combs was taken into custody at a Manhattan hotel on September 16 and faced charges including sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution the following day. He has been held in the Special Housing Unit at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center since then, maintaining his innocence and pleading not guilty to all federal charges, despite numerous civil lawsuits against him in the past year.
On September 30, Combs’ legal team officially filed a notice of appeal, marking the beginning of the appeals process. In her recent legal filing, Shapiro contended that federal prosecutors’ claims about potential obstruction were grounded in “unverified allegations regarding conversations with witnesses in civil cases, initiated by those witnesses rather than Mr. Combs.”
Shapiro emphasized that Combs presents “no conceivable” flight risk, noting his actions prior to his arrest, including his instructions to his attorneys to reach out to federal prosecutors in March once he realized he was a target of an ongoing serious federal investigation.
Documents obtained by YSL News last week revealed that Combs is seeking an appellate court ruling to overturn Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr.’s decision on September 18, which denied his bail release request. At that time, his legal team presented a “substantial bail proposal,” which included a $50 million bond.
His proposed bail terms requested travel restrictions within the Southern District of Florida—where his Miami residence is situated—along with the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, home confinement with GPS monitoring, surrendering of passports from Combs and five family members, and ongoing attempts to sell his private jet.
Shapiro asserted that Combs is “hardly a flight risk,” arguing in her legal document that “he is a 54-year-old father of seven, a U.S. citizen, an immensely successful artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, as well as one of the most recognizable individuals globally.”
Shapiro remarked, “The media frenzy surrounding his arrest has skewed the analysis of his bail conditions: Mr. Combs was not released pending trial, despite his willingness to adhere to strict conditions that would mitigate any risk of flight or danger.”
Combs faces setbacks in his bail attempts
Prior to this appeal, Combs unsuccessfully sought bail on two occasions. The initial ruling came from U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky, who sided with U.S. attorneys that Combs could pose a risk if released for home detention.
After Carter upheld Tarnofsky’s September 17 ruling against Combs, his lawyer Marc Agnifilo expressed intentions to challenge the decision.
“I informed Mr. Combs that I will expedite his case to trial as soon as possible,” he told reporters outside the courthouse on September 18. “I aim to reduce the length of time he endures the difficult and, in my opinion, inhumane treatment in the Special Housing Unit of the Metropolitan Detention Facility.”