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

Sean “Diddy” Combs stands before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky in this courtroom sketch on June 26, 2024, after prosecutors filed three criminal charges against him in federal court in the Manhattan borough of New York; Image credit: Reuters/Jane Rosenberg

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sean “Diddy” Combs used his notoriety as one of the biggest names in hip-hop to force women to perform degrading sexual acts as part of a long-standing sex trafficking and organized crime scheme, prosecutors said on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, as they filed three criminal 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 for continued detention after the music mogul’s arrest on Monday, September 16, 2024.

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” in which the music mogul watched and masturbated, prosecutors said.

In a possible preview of the defense strategy, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo described the sexual acts described by the prosecution as 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 not less than 15 years, if found guilty of three counts of conspiracy to commit organized crime, human trafficking and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.

Prosecutors said Combs lured women by giving them drugs such as ketamine and ecstasy, financial support, or promises of career advancement or a romantic relationship. Combs then used the secret recordings of the sex acts as “Security” to ensure the women remained silent, and sometimes displayed weapons to intimidate abuse victims and witnesses, prosecutors said.

The indictment did not say how many women were allegedly victims. Nor did it include any allegation that Combs himself directly engaged in unwanted sexual contact with women, although he was accused of attacking them by hitting, kicking, dragging and throwing objects. Combs and his associates used bribery and violence, such as arson and kidnapping, to keep his behavior secret, prosecutors said.

When Tarnofsky asked how he would 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, 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 on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter, who will oversee the remainder of the case.

Combs, who was also known as P. Diddy and Puff Daddy during his career, founded Bad Boy Records and helped make rappers and R&B singers such as Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious BIG and Usher into stars 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 having operated a criminal organization to exploit women for at least sixteen years.

“The defendant Sean Combs physically and sexually abused victims for decades“Prosecutor Emily Johnson told the judge, arguing for continued detention. “He is extremely dangerous for 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 in New York in 2021 and in Chicago in 2022 on sex trafficking, organized crime, sex crimes against children and other charges.

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 his 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 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.

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