By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Sean “Diddy” Combs on Monday lost his bid to be released from jail ahead of his October 3 sentencing, despite a jury having found the hip-hop mogul not guilty of the most serious charges at his sex crimes trial.
Combs’ lawyers had asked U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian on July 29 to release Combs on $50 million bond, saying conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn were dangerous and other defendants convicted of prostitution-related charges similar to Combs’ were usually released before sentencing.
In a written ruling, the judge said Combs’ arguments “might have traction in a case that didn’t involve evidence of violence, coercion or subjugation in connection with the acts of prostitution at issue, but the record here contains evidence of all three.”
Subramanian said his decision did not foreshadow what sentence he might impose against Combs, who has been jailed at the MDC since his September 2024 arrest.
Combs’ lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office in an August 1 filing said staffing, medical services and conditions at the MDC had improved since Combs’ arrest, and evidence of Combs’ physical violence presented at trial showed he remained a danger to the community.
Combs, 55, was found not guilty on July 2 of three counts of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, and convicted on two lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Prosecutors alleged Combs forced two former girlfriends to participate in days-long, drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers sometimes called “freak-offs.” Defense lawyers said the women were willing participants.
Each prostitution charge carries a maximum 10-year sentence, but prosecutors have acknowledged that federal sentencing guidelines appear to recommend a sentence of at most 5-1/4 years total.
Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, pleaded not guilty to all counts. The trial lasted seven weeks.
Subramanian denied Combs’ initial request for release immediately after the verdict, citing the ample evidence presented at trial of violent acts he committed.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Chris Reese)
