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Sean “Diddy” Combs was denied bail and will be held in custody after his indictment on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution on Tuesday, September 17, one day following his arrest in New York.
Combs appeared at his arraignment Tuesday wearing a black long-sleeve shirt and gray sweatpants, and entered a plea of not guilty in court. But despite a bail proposal made by Combs’ attorneys, a federal judge in New York ruled that Combs be held behind bars during his arraignment on Tuesday, Sept. 17, while prosecutors alleged that Combs had drugs in the hotel room in which he was arrested on Monday, September 16.
The Southern District of New York had announced that Combs was arrested by federal agents on Monday, with ABC News detailed that the arrest took place at the Park Hyatt hotel on West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan by Homeland Security Investigations agents. In March, federal authorities raided Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles.
According to the indictment unsealed on Tuesday, federal prosecutors allege that dating back to 2009, Combs, 54, ran an “enterprise that he engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor or, kidnapping, arson and other crimes, adding that he “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” Prosecutors also allege that Combs “ensured participation” by giving them narcotics, holding sway over their careers, threatening to cut them off from financial support and using violence and intimidation.
Speaking outside the federal courthouse in New York, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo said that the music mogul was “going to plead not guilty, obviously. He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers, and I expect a long battle with a good result for Mr. Combs.” In an additional statement, Agnifilo said: “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Editorial credit: Phil Stafford / Shutterstock.com
