Sean “Diddy” Combs can’t go residence from jail to await sentencing on his prostitution-related conviction, a decide stated Monday, denying the rap and magnificence mogul’s newest bid for bail.
Combs has been behind bars since his September arrest. He confronted federal fees of coercing girlfriends into having drug-fuelled intercourse marathons with male intercourse staff whereas he watched and filmed them.
He was acquitted final month of the highest fees — racketeering and intercourse trafficking — whereas being convicted of two counts of a prostitution-related offence.
In denying Combs’ $50-million bond proposal, Choose Arun Subramanian stated the hip-hop impresario hadn’t confirmed that he didn’t pose a flight threat or hazard, nor proven an “distinctive circumstance” that will justify his launch after a conviction that in any other case requires detention.
Combs’ arguments “may need traction in a case that didn’t contain proof of violence, coercion or subjugation in reference to the acts of prostitution at difficulty, however the report right here incorporates proof of all three,” the decide wrote.
Prosecutors declined to touch upon the ruling. Messages looking for remark had been despatched to Combs’ legal professionals.
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The conviction carries the potential for as much as 10 years in jail. However there are sophisticated federal tips for calculating sentences in any given case, and prosecutors and Combs’ legal professionals disagree considerably on how the rules come out for his case.
The rules aren’t necessary, and Subramanian could have extensive latitude in deciding Combs’ punishment.
The Dangerous Boy Information founder, now 55, was for many years a protean determine in popular culture. A Grammy-winning hip hop artist and entrepreneur with a aptitude for locating and launching massive skills, he presided over a enterprise empire that ranged from trend to actuality TV.
Prosecutors claimed he used his fame, wealth and violence to pressure and manipulate two now-ex-girlfriends into days-long, drugged-up sexual performances he referred to as “freak-offs” or “resort nights.”
Throughout the trial, 4 girls testified that Combs had overwhelmed or sexually assaulted them. Jurors additionally watched video of Combs hurling one among his former girlfriends, R&B singer Cassie, to the ground, repeatedly kicking her after which and dragging her down a resort hallway.
His legal professionals argued that the federal government tried to criminalize consensual, if unconventional, sexual tastes that performed out in sophisticated relationships. The defence acknowledged that Combs had violent outbursts however stated nothing he did got here amounted to the crimes with which he was charged.
For the reason that verdict, his legal professionals have repeatedly renewed their efforts to get him out on bail till his sentencing, set for October. They’ve argued that the acquittals undercut the rationale for holding him, and so they have pointed to different individuals who had been launched earlier than sentencing on related convictions.
Defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo instructed in a court docket submitting that Combs was the USA’ “solely individual in jail for hiring grownup male escorts for him and his girlfriend.”
Agnifilo additionally raised issues about squalor and hazard on the Metropolitan Detention Heart, the infamous federal lockup the place Combs is being held. The decide wrote Monday that these circumstances had been a “critical” consideration, however he stated Combs hadn’t proven that distinctive circumstances –- similar to superior age or medical points –- would warrant his launch.
The defence’s most up-to-date proposal included the $50 million bond, plus journey restrictions, and expressed openness to including on home arrest at his Miami residence, digital monitoring, non-public safety guards and different necessities.
Prosecutors opposed releasing Combs. They wrote that his “intensive historical past of violence — and his continued try to reduce his current violent conduct — demonstrates his dangerousness.”
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Related Press author Jake Offenhartz contributed from Los Angeles.
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