US Attorney gives press conference on Diddy's sex trafficking charges
Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks to press about Sean "Diddy" Combs' criminal charges.
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC INFORMATION
A judge denied Sean "Diddy" Combs' request for bail after the rapper pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking.
Combs appeared in front of Robyn F. Tarnofsky in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday. Diddy was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The judge decided there were "no conditions" she could impose on Diddy. Tarnofsky pointed out sex trafficking is a crime that happens behind closed doors and the rapper would be hard to monitor even with pre-trial monitoring services. The judge considered alternatives to detainment, but found they were not sufficient. Tarnofsky conceded the weight of the evidence against Diddy is significant.
Diddy's legal team plans to appeal the bail decision.
DIDDY HIT WITH SEX TRAFFICKING AND RACKETEERING CHARGES FOLLOWING ARREST
Sean "Diddy" Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in the indictment unsealed Wednesday. (Munawar Hosain)
"Mr. Combs is a fighter. He's going to fight this to the end," Diddy's lawyer said outside the courthouse following the arraignment. "He's innocent. He came to New York to establish his innocence. He's not afraid. He's not afraid of the charges."
"There's nothing that the government said in their presentation today that changes anyone's mind about anything. He's been looking forward to this day. He's been looking forward to clearing his name. And he's going to clear his name. And we're going to stand by his side as as he does. We believe in him wholeheartedly. He didn't do these things."
The US District Attorney's office requested the judge deny Diddy's bail ahead of his Tuesday arraignment, characterizing the "I'll Be Missing You" singer as a potential flight risk. The attorney's office worried Diddy would possibly obstruct justice or threaten witnesses. The government pointed to his alleged decades-long history of violence and his pattern of abuse. The attorney's office indicated no bail conditions could address these possible issues.
Diddy pleaded not guilty to federal charges after his arrest. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)
Sean "Diddy" Combs appeared in court for his arraignment Tuesday. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)
"Now I want to be clear about two things. First, this office is determined to investigate and prosecute anyone who engages in sex trafficking, no matter how powerful or wealthy or famous you may be," US Attorney Damian Williams said during a press conference earlier Tuesday. "No one should doubt our commitment on that."
"Second, we are not done. This investigation is ongoing, and I encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly," he added.
WATCH: US ATTORNEY GIVES PRESS CONFERENCE ON DIDDY'S SEX TRAFFICKING CHARGES
US Attorney Damian Williams speaks at a press conference to announce the unsealing of an indictment charging music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
The rapper entered the courtroom for his arraignment wearing a black T-shirt and khaki pants. He was not handcuffed nor were his feet shackled. After sitting down next to his attorney, Combs glanced around the courtroom and looked at the jury box.
Combs offered $50,000,000 bond as part of a proposed bail package, according to a letter submitted by his legal team Tuesday and obtained by Fox News Digital.
In addition, Combs surrendered his passport to counsel on April 1. His mother, Janice, and children Chance, Jessie, D'Lila and Love Combs each surrendered their passports under the bail proposal.
"Mr. Combs' travel will be restricted to the Southern District of Florida and the Southern District of New York (to attend Court, meet with his counsel, and attend medical appointments, which we will address to the Court in a separate, sealed, submission) as well as the Eastern District of New York or the District of New Jersey (only to the extent that his travel to and from New York involves an airport in those Districts)," the proposal stated.
WATCH: DIDDY PLANS TO APPEAL DENIAL OF BAIL: LAWYER
FOX NATION SPECIAL EXPLORES SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS INVESTIGATIN, RAIDS
An agent was photographed outside Diddy's Miami mansion during a federal raid of his home on Star Island. (MEGA/GC Images/Getty Images)
The defense also proposed the equity of Mr. Combs' residence on Star Island, which was appraised at $48,000,000, and the equity in his mother's home in Miami, Florida.
Combs has attempted to sell his airplane since April 2024.
"On May 21, 2024, counsel advised the AUSAs during a phone call that Mr. Combs had commenced efforts to sell his airplane," the proposal stated. Several potential buyers showed interest in purchasing the plane, with a "Letter of Intent" signed "just this weekend."
The plane has not yet been sold. Defense agreed to keep the airplane in Los Angeles while Combs resided in Florida, if the aircraft was not being chartered. The night he was arrested, the airplane was chartered from Los Angeles to Teterboro, NJ without Combs' knowledge, nor did he "possess any control over its movement."
"Obviously Mr. Combs agrees to not go to any state – in this case, New Jersey – in which his airplane is located pending its sale, which is actively being pursued," the proposal claimed.
A judge denied Diddy's request for bail after the rapper pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Combs also voluntarily relocated to New York on Sept. 5 ahead of his arrest, where his counsel then "immediately informed the government of Mr. Combs' whereabouts." His legal team offered to "continually share Mr. Combs' location with the government."
The disgraced media mogul also offered home detention with GPS monitoring, and "all other standard conditions of pretrial supervision."
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Sean Combs' LA home was raided by Homeland Security officials in March. (Getty Images)
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Disturbing allegations were laid out against Diddy in an explosive indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Authorities claimed Diddy ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others. He used "firearms, threats of violence, coercion, and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse" to fulfill his sexual desires, according to the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.
Combs and his employees would "intimidate, threaten, and lure female victims into Comb's orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship. Combs allegedly then used force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs referred to as, among other things, 'Freak Offs.'" Diddy often provided IV fluids to his victims following "freak offs" to recover from physical exertion and drug use, the indictment read.
During raids on Diddy's home in March, authorities seized "freak off supplies" along with three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers, the court docs stated. The feds took "cases and cases of the kinds of personal lubricant and baby oil that Combs' staff allegedly used to stock hotel rooms for the freak offs - more than 1,000 bottles altogether," Williams said at a press conference.
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If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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