Tuesday, September 17, 2024 - U.S. Prosecutors asked a judge on Tuesday, September 17, for music executive Sean “Diddy” Combs to be detained in prison until his trial, calling him a “dangerous” flight risk after the hip-hop icon was arrested on Monday evening and indicted on three counts, including s3x trafficking.
Prosecutors indicted Combs on charges of racketeering, sex
trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, alleging the mogul
had a “pattern” of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and violently coerced
women to engage in sex acts with commercial sex workers, with his employees
allegedly helping to facilitate and cover up his abuse.
Prosecutors filed a letter with the court on Tuesday asking
to extend the rapper's detention until his case goes to trial as Combs has been
in detention since his arrest Monday night.
Prosecutors argue that Combs should be imprisoned because he
is “dangerous and poses an ongoing threat to the safety of the community,”
pointing to his “long history of violent conduct” and alleging he’s “a serial
abuser who repeatedly assaults and coerces women to achieve his own sexual
gratification.”
They also allege Combs poses a “serious risk of flight”
given the allegations against him, which they note could result in a
significant prison sentence, and argue they’ve gathered a large amount of
evidence that makes it likely Combs will be convicted.
The letter accuses Combs of trying to obstruct the
investigation against him, including by bribing victims and witnesses to give
false testimony, which prosecutors argue means there are “simply no conditions”
for Combs’ release “that would ensure that the defendant’s efforts to obstruct
and tamper with witnesses will stop.”
Combs’ attorneys proposed to the judge that he should
instead be placed in home detention and monitored rather than imprisoned, but
prosecutors disagreed with that, arguing the proposal is “plainly insufficient”
and “there is no condition, or combination of conditions, that will reasonably
assure” Combs will appear in court and ensure “the safety of others and the
community, not to mention the integrity of the proceedings.”
“The incentive to flee is especially strong for this
defendant, who, at age 54, faces the very real prospect of spending a
substantial portion of the rest of his life in prison,” U.S. Attorney Damian
Williams wrote in his letter to the court.
It’s unclear how long it will take his criminal case to play
out before it goes to trial, though prosecutors noted he’s all but certain to
go to prison if found guilty.
The mandatory minimum sentence for the charges Combs faces
is 15 years, prosecutors noted, with a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Williams told reporters Tuesday the investigation remains ongoing, and it’s
still possible Combs could face additional charges.
The letter asking for Combs’ detention details several
specific alleged acts of violence that weren’t mentioned in the indictment,
including Combs and one of his associates allegedly kidnapping an unnamed
individual at gunpoint in order “to facilitate breaking into and entering the
residence” of another unnamed victim.
One of Combs’ associates also allegedly set fire to the
vehicle of the victim whose residence they tried to break into, which they did
by slicing open the top of the car and dropping a Molotov cocktail into the
vehicle. “Multiple witnesses” are prepared to testify that Combs was “bragging
about his role in destroying” the car, the letter notes.
Prosecutors also noted in the letter that Combs has employed
people who have a “significant criminal history, including violent crimes and
firearms offences.”
Combs pleaded not guilty and has denied the allegations of
sexual assault against him.
“He’s not guilty, he’s innocent of these charges,” Combs’
attorney Marc Agnifilo told reporters Tuesday, claiming Combs is in good
spirits and “confident” and is dealing with his prosecution “head-on.”
Combs was arrested in New York on Monday following a
reported months-long investigation by federal law enforcement that stemmed from
civil lawsuits brought against him by women accusing him of sexual assault and
abuse. The mogul’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in November 2023 was the first
to sue him—the suit was settled for undisclosed terms a day later.
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