On Friday, Sean “Diddy” Combs proposed a new $50 million bail package, offering his Florida mansion as collateral in hopes of securing his release from the Brooklyn jail where he has been held for eight weeks on criminal sex trafficking charges.
Combs has been denied bail three times since his arrest, with judges citing concerns about a potential risk of witness tampering. The music mogul pleaded not guilty to charges on September 17, alleging that he used his business empire, including 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 another development on Friday, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who is overseeing the case, denied Combs’ request for a gag order to prevent his accusers from speaking publicly. Combs’ legal team had argued that the approximately 30 civil cases against him for misconduct or abuse were interfering with his right to a fair trial. Combs, 55, has denied all wrongdoing, asserting that the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual.
In a court filing on Friday, Combs’ defense attorney, Alexandra Shapiro, requested that the judge approve the $50 million bond, which would be backed by his $48 million Miami home and co-signed by several family members. Shapiro also proposed that Combs be monitored by security personnel around the clock, placed under home detention, and prohibited from contacting any alleged victims or witnesses. Combs’ trial is set for May 5.
Shapiro argued that new evidence had undermined part of the prosecution’s case for detaining Combs. She pointed to a 2016 hotel surveillance video showing Combs physically assaulting his former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie. Shapiro contended that the video was not evidence of a coerced “freak off,” but instead a brief glimpse into a complicated, decade-long consensual relationship between Combs and Ventura.
Shapiro also criticized the conditions at the jail, saying that Combs could not properly prepare for trial while incarcerated due to the “incredibly voluminous” material he needed to review. Without access to a laptop computer and facing frequent lockdowns and restrictions on basic items like pens, Combs’ defense team argued that he had been stripped of the opportunity to prepare adequately for trial. Shapiro stated that these conditions violated Combs’ constitutional rights.
