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A US judge on Wednesday denied bail for rapper Sean Diddy Combs as he faces charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
TheNewsGuru.com(TNG) understands that the federal sex trafficking trial of Diddy is scheduled to start on May 5.
The embattled rapper was arrested on September 16 over sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
According to magistrate judge Robyn Tarnofsky, the entertainer will be jailed while awaiting trial.
Tarnofsky’s order followed after the Bad Boy Records founder pleaded not guilty to the 14-page federal indictment against him.
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Diddy was also accused of sexually abusing 120 more people, including a 9-year-old boy.
Prosecutors opposed his latest request to be granted bail, alleging that while in custody, he had contacted witnesses and used unauthorized communication platforms, raising concerns about potential witness tampering.
“For the following reasons, Combs’s motion is DENIED — no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community,” federal judge Arun Subramanian said in an order.
Subramanian also denied Combs’s application to be released from detention to prepare his defence.
“Combs has not carried his burden of demonstrating that release from detention is necessary for trial-preparation purposes,” the judge wrote.
Wednesday’s ruling follows a court appearance by Combs at the end of last week.
Outside the Manhattan courthouse, bystanders shouted at Combs’s mother Janice Combs, “Your son is a predator.” Other family members were seen outside the hearing.
Combs’s lawyers argued that a defendant in another prominent federal sex trafficking case, former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries, received bail, which should apply to their client.
Prosecutors wrote to the court, “The nature and circumstances of the offenses are substantially different.
“There are no allegations that Jeffries committed non-trafficking-related violent acts or that he used firearms during the charged period. The indictment against Combs alleges both.
“With respect to the charged offenses, Jeffries does not include a racketeering offense. By contrast, Combs is charged with leading a racketeering enterprise.”
