Sean “Diddy” Combs pleads not guilty in sex trafficking case; judge denies bail – Culture

Prosecutors said Sean “Diddy” Combs used his fame as one of the biggest names in hip-hop to coerce women into degrading sexual acts as part of a long-running sex trafficking and organized crime scheme. On Tuesday, prosecutors filed three charges against him.

Combs, 54, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Manhattan, hours after the 14-page indictment was unsealed. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky denied Combs bail and granted prosecutors’ request to keep him in custody after the music mogul’s arrest on Monday.

Prosecutors said the rapper and producer used his business empire, which includes his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, to transport women and male sex workers across state lines to participate in recorded sexual performances called “freak offs” during which the music mogul watched and masturbated.

In a possible preview of the defense strategy, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo called the sexual activity described by prosecutors consensual. “Does everyone have experience with this kind of intimacy? No. Is this sex trafficking? No. Not if everyone wants to be involved,” Agnifilo told the judge.

Combs faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, but a minimum of 15 years, if found guilty of the three counts of conspiracy to commit organized crime, human trafficking and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.

According to prosecutors, Combs lured women with drugs such as ketamine and ecstasy, financial support, or the promise of professional support or a romantic relationship.

They alleged that Combs then used the secret recordings of the sex acts as “security footage” to ensure the women’s silence. He also sometimes displayed weapons to intimidate abuse victims and witnesses.

The indictment did not specify how many women were allegedly victims, nor did it contain any allegation that Combs himself had unwanted sexual contact with women, although he was accused of attacking them by hitting, kicking, pulling and throwing objects.

According to prosecutors, Combs and his accomplices tried to keep his behavior secret through bribery and violence such as arson and kidnapping.

When Tarnofsky asked how he planned to plead, Combs – wearing a black T-shirt and gray sweatpants – stood up, pulled up a thin microphone on the defense table and said, “Not guilty.”

“My concern is that this is a crime that is happening behind closed doors,” the judge said in denying bail before Combs was escorted out of the courtroom by members of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said he will appeal his client’s continued detention at a hearing Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter, who will hear the rest of the case.

Combs, who was also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy during his career, founded Bad Boy Records and helped make stars of rappers and R&B singers such as Mary J Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious BIG and Usher in the 1990s and 2000s.

“Extremely dangerous”

In a case brought by the office of District Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan, prosecutors accuse Combs of operating a criminal organization to exploit women for at least 16 years.

“The defendant Sean Combs has physically and sexually abused victims for decades,” prosecutor Emily Johnson told the judge, who argued for continued imprisonment. “He is an extreme danger to the community.”

The defense had sought to free Combs on $50 million bail secured by his Miami home. Agnifilo acknowledged that Combs has a history of drug use and toxic relationships and said he is in treatment and therapy, but did not go into detail.

Combs is the highest-profile music industry figure to be accused of sexual misconduct since R&B singer R Kelly was sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison after being convicted of sex trafficking, organized crime, sex crimes against children and other charges in New York in 2021 and Chicago in 2022.

Combs’ career fell into crisis last year after he was accused of a series of civil lawsuits involving sexual and other misconduct and a federal criminal investigation was launched against him.

Last November, his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, an R&B singer known by the nickname Cassie, accused him in a lawsuit of repeated physical abuse, sexual slavery and rape. A day after the lawsuit was filed, she agreed to a settlement, the amount of which was not disclosed. Combs denied her allegations.

In a March 2016 incident similar to Cassie’s description of the alleged attack, Combs was caught on hotel surveillance video hitting and dragging a woman who was trying to leave a “freak off,” according to prosecutors.

Combs then offered a stack of cash to a hotel security guard, who then intervened, prosecutors said.

According to the indictment, prosecutors said Combs’ associates helped organize the “freak offs” by booking hotel rooms and purchasing controlled substances and other items used in sex.

According to the indictment, authorities found drugs, 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, and AR-15 rifles with obscured serial numbers during raids on his homes in Los Angeles and Miami Beach, Florida, six months ago.