Sean Combs Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Sean “Diddy” Combs was ordered to be detained pending trial Tuesday after he pleaded not responsible to costs together with intercourse trafficking and racketeering.

On Tuesday morning, the federal government unsealed a three-county indictment accusing Combs of varied crimes associated to an alleged decades-long sample of bodily and sexual violence towards ladies in his orbit. Federal prosecutors charged him with intercourse trafficking and racketeering for steering an unlimited prison enterprise by means of which he assaulted and trafficked ladies with the assistance of his varied companies from at the very least 2008.

“My concern is that this can be a crime that occurs behind closed doorways,” Justice of the Peace Choose Robyn Tarnofsky stated, referring to the allegations of intercourse trafficking and extra, in saying her determination to disclaim bail pending trial. T

The indictment additionally refers to a sequence of occasions known as “Freak Offs,” during which business intercourse staff have been allegedly introduced in by Combs, who then “used drive, threats of drive, and coercion to trigger victims to have interaction in prolonged intercourse acts” that have been recorded and will final for days.

The decide added that she was involved a couple of energy imbalance between the mogul and alleged victims and that these alleged victims could also be vulnerable to coercion.

Protection attorneys for Combs stated in a press convention that they might be interesting the choice for Combs to be held with out bail and would return for a listening to Wednesday.

Combs was in attendance on the listening to Tuesday, sporting a black tshirt and sweatpants. A row crammed with members of the family, together with a few of his youngsters, sat behind him within the packed gallery. Combs didn’t communicate out loud, aside from to say he was not responsible, however typically nodded in settlement together with his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, as he mentioned the measures Combs had taken to cooperate with regulation enforcement.

Combs sought launch on a $50 million bond, secured by fairness in his Miami residence and that of his mom. He proposed dwelling detention with GPS monitoring and to be restricted to elements of Florida, New York and New Jersey, primarily to take care of pending litigation and attend medical appointments.

Agnifilo added that he had obtained the passports of Combs and a number of other of his members of the family months in the past and the Combs was within the technique of promoting his personal airplane, so as to assuage fears of any flight danger. He famous that Combs additionally voluntarily flew to New York Sept. 5 to await arrest. Whereas in New York, Combs has been searching for remedy and remedy, he stated.

“We are able to belief him as a result of he’s earned his belief by means of actions,” Agnifilo stated.

The federal government opposed bail. It stated he poses an ongoing security danger and should attempt to tamper with the case or flee.

“He’s a serial abuser and a serial obstructor,” Assistant ADA Emily Johnson stated.

The indictment alleged that Combs repeatedly engaged in acts of violence, together with assault, arson and brandishing firearms. In December 2011, for example, he and an affiliate kidnapped an unnamed particular person at gunpoint to interrupt right into a residence, in accordance with a submitting from prosecutors. Roughly two weeks later, members of the alleged prison enterprise set fireplace to that particular person’s automotive with a Molotov cocktail.

The person is believed to be Child Cudi, who confirmed accusations in a lawsuit from Casandra Ventura, higher often called Cassie, that Combs set fireplace to the rapper’s automotive.

As to the only cost of intercourse trafficking, Agnifilo claimed the cost associated to at least one ladies with whom Combs had been beforehand been in a 10-year relationship, which seems to consult with Ventura, which Agnifilo known as mutually “poisonous.” Nevertheless, he alleged that the girl had consensually agreed to have sexual contact with male intercourse staff, in an association with Combs.

“Is it intercourse trafficking? Not if all people needs to be there,” Agnifilo stated.

Prosecutors careworn Combs’ entry to firearms. In a March raid of his dwelling, regulation enforcement seized a number of weapons, together with three AR-15 rifles, every with defaced serial numbers, in accordance with the indictment. Combs’ lawyer argued these rifles belonged to his personal employed safety.

The federal government stated Combs has a “disposition to violence” such that he can’t be launched. “No bail situations can tackle the defendant’s tendency to turn into violent when indignant or emotional: anybody in his presence is susceptible to abuse or assault,” the submitting said.

Protection attorneys for Combs argued that leaked video footage from 2016, which seems to point out Diddy assaulting a lady, believed to be Ventura, in a resort room as she tries to go away, was extra a matter of Ventura discovering out Combs was courting a number of ladies and moving into an altercation, than a propensity for violence.

“He’s not an ideal particular person,” Agniflio stated.

Prosecutors additionally opposed bail based mostly on arguments that Combs is more likely to hinder proceedings. It pointed to him bribing resort safety to forestall them from disclosing the video depicting his assault of Ventura. Agniflio stated Combs had since apologized for the incident however that he took actions as a result of it was a “deeply embarassing occasion.”

Extra just lately, Combs and his associates allegedly reached out to potential witnesses within the investigation and directed them to lie in an try to hide his alleged crimes. Throughout one of many calls, which occurred simply three days after he was sued by Ventura, the mogul reportedly requested for the sufferer’s “friendship” and instructed her she “ain’t acquired to fret about nothing else” if she went alongside together with his model of occasions.

Moreover, the federal government claimed Combs poses a serious flight danger resulting from his substantial sources. It stated he has entry to dozens of financial institution accounts, some private and lots of below company entities, which include thousands and thousands of {dollars}, in addition to over $1 million in private money readily available.

If Combs “needed to flee, he has the cash, manpower, and instruments to take action shortly and with out detection,” the submitting said. Prosecutors additionally underlined the severity of the costs, as motive for Combs to flee.

Prosecutors in contrast the choice to disclaim bail for Combs to the selections made for R. Kelly, Jeffrey Epstein and Keith Raniere, the founding father of NXIVM, who had additionally been represented by Agnifilo. However Agnifilo stated these incidents concerned minors, who couldn’t consent, which was totally different from the allegations involving Combs.