Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team has submitted a third appeal for pretrial release to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, according to Page Six.
The appeal disputes the Southern District of New York’s decision to deny the music mogul bail twice, citing accusations of obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
Combs’ lawyers are pushing for his immediate release under reasonable bail conditions, arguing that the evidence for his detention is inadequate and claiming legal mistakes in the court’s ruling.
The 54-year-old founder of Bad Boy Records was arrested last month on charges of rackеteering conspiracy, sеx trafficking through force, fraud, or coеrcion, and transporting individuals for prоstitution.
He pleaded not guilty and is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as he awaits trial.
Prosecutors expressed concern that Combs might intimidate witnesses or interfere with the case if released, and suggested he could be a flight risk due to his wealth and access to private jets.
The hip-hop mogul was willing to post up to $50 million in bond, including his $48-million Miami mansion and his mother’s home as collateral.
Additionally, Combs informed the judge that he was willing to wear a GPS monitor, agreed to restrict his travel to Miami and New York, and stated that he would sell his private plane, which is reportedly located in Los Angeles.
In its appeal, the defense contended that the government has not provided clear and convincing evidence to demonstrate that Combs poses a danger to the community or has engaged in witness tampering, labeling the allegations as “vague” and “speculative.”
His attorneys further argued that the district court made a legal mistake by ruling “without factfinding or analysis.”
Combs’ legal team maintained that they submitted “a robust bail package with highly restrictive conditions,” which included home detention with GPS monitoring, no access to the internet or phones, 24/7 supervision, no female visitors other than family and the mothers of his children, and weekly drᴜg testing.
The defense argued that the musician has followed legal protocols to this point, noting that he surrendered his passport and offered to secure bail with his multimillion-dollar home.
In their appeal, the lawyers stated that Combs has “put his private airplane up for sale.”
The indictment reveals that federal agents found over 1,000 bottles of lubricant, various drᴜgs, and three AR-15 rifles during a raid on his LA and Miami mansions in March.
Prosecutors alleged that the father of seven “abᴜsed, threatened, and coеrced womеn and others around him to satisfy his sеxual desires, protect his reputation, and hide his actions” for decades, “establishing a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in … sеx trafficking, forced labor, kidnаpping, аrson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”
According to the indictment, Combs and members of his Combs Enterprise allegedly organized multiple “Freak Offs,” which were drᴜg-fueled sеx parties.
During these gatherings, he is accused of “hitting, kicking, throwing objects at, and dragging victims, sometimes by their hair,” as stated in the indictment, which also claims that he “subjected victims to physical, emotional, and verbal abuse to force them to participate in Freak Offs,” which he “often recorded electronically.”
Prosecutors noted that the alleged аssaults “often resulted in injuries that took days or weeks to heal.”
If found guilty, Combs faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.