Diddy Files Appeal Over Decision to Deny His Release on Bond
Diddy demanded a higher court review the decision to keep him behind bars without bond, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Diddy, 54, filed an appeal of the court order on September 18 that denied him bond. He filed the appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Diddy [real name: Sean Combs] was arrested on September 16 on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Prosecutors argued that he should be kept locked up until trial. They labeled him a serious flight risk.
A grand jury found that the mogul had abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to “fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct” for years.
The government argued, “There is no condition, or combination of conditions, that will reasonably assure the appearance of the defendant as required and the safety of others and the community, not to mention the integrity of the proceedings. As reflected by the gravity of the charges in the Indictment, the defendant is dangerous and poses an ongoing threat to the safety of the community.”
Prosecutors added, “If released, he remains a serious risk of flight, despite the conditions offered by his counsel. Most glaringly, the defendant also poses a significant risk of obstructing justice.”
Diddy’s lawyer offered $50 million in collateral as bond. In addition, he said his client would limit his travel to Florida, New York and New Jersey. He also offered to wear a GPS monitor.
His initial proposal was shut down. Diddy’s lawyer then offered a revised package that included drug tests and no female visitors to his homes, except for family and the mothers of his children.
Diddy’s lawyer wrote, “First, there is one alleged sex trafficking victim in the Indictment. One. The government can say what it wants, but what is actually charged is one victim. Count Two, charging sex trafficking mentions Victim 1. There is no Victim 2. That one person was in a ten-year romantic relationship with Sean Combs. That one person was an adult woman who lived alone, who never lived with Sean Combs. She had her own friends, she had her own life, as adults tend to do. Mr. Combs and this person were very much in love for a long time, as the many written communications between them show.”
He added, “This one person often expressed anger and jealousy because Mr. Combs had another girlfriend, as will be testified to by many witnesses and as the written communications show.”
The lawyer added, “At the end of Mr. Combs and this person’s relationship, she started a relationship with her trainer, which prompted Mr. Combs and the woman to break up. He did not force her stay, but instead, released her from any obligation to his record label. A month later, when the mother of four of Mr. Combs’ children passed away, this person was present at multiple memorial services around the country to support him. This is not sex trafficking.”
Following his arrest, Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said, “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. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community.”
The lawyer added, “He is an imperfect person but is not criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”