Diddy denied Bail
Sean "Diddy" Combs has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution, according to an unsealed indictment filed by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday.
The specifics of Combs' arrest indictment were revealed after the music mogul was arrested in New York City on Monday, following a sex trafficking probe and two federal raids. The producer was arrested "based on a sealed indictment," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated on social media, adding that prosecutors will have "more to say" once the indictment was made public Tuesday morning.
According to a 14-page indictment presented in federal court on September 12, Combs transformed his "multi-faceted business empire" into a "criminal enterprise" in which he and his collaborators committed kidnapping, arson, physical violence, sex trafficking, and forced labor, among other crimes.
Multiple AR-15 weapons, large-capacity magazines, "evidence" of the offenses in the indictment, and over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant were discovered during the raids, according to Williams at a press conference Tuesday.
"Today, we shatter any false notion of impunity as we uncover the defendant's alleged pattern of manipulation, exploitation, and outright abuse," said HSI New York Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker, in a statement. "Make no mistake: we are here today only because of the unwavering strength of victims and witnesses who have already endured unspeakable hardships."
Combs pleaded not guilty to the three accusations against him in front of US Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky on Tuesday afternoon. Following Combs' arraignment hearing, Tarnofsky denied the rapper bail and ordered him to remain in detention while awaiting trial.
In court, Williams alluded to a letter his office issued to Tarnofsky on Tuesday, in which he begs her to consider holding Combs because "if released, he remains a serious risk of flight, despite the conditions offered by his counsel" and is "a significant risk of obstructing justice."
Combs' attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said the judge that the sexual behavior detailed by the prosecutors was voluntary. "Does everyone have experience being intimate in this way? No. Is there sex trafficking? No. "Not if everyone wants to be there," Agnifilo stated.
"We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney's Office," Agnifilo told USA TODAY in a statement Monday.
"Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, devoted family guy, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, enjoying his children, and fighting to better the Black community. "He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal."