Sean 'Diddy' Combs to learn about release on bail next week, judge says
Sean "Diddy" Combs appeared again in a New York City courtroom on Friday as he continues to fight for his release on bail in his racketeering and sex trafficking case.
Combs' lawyers argued he should be released on bail and placed on home confinement in a three-bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side under 24/7 monitoring by three full-time security professionals, while prosecutors said the hip-hop impresario "cannot be trusted" to follow the rules of pretrial release.
The judge did not immediately rule but said he would have a decision next week.
The defense said it was proposing conditions "far more restrictive" than Combs faces in jail, including limiting phone calls to lawyers, restricting visitors other than lawyers and specific family members, keeping a visitor log and avoiding contact with witnesses or potential witnesses.
"If what the government is afraid of is that Mr. Combs is going to be violent toward someone, there's just zero chance of that happening," defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said.
Combs blew kisses to his family and tapped his heart as he entered federal court Friday in a beige jail smock over a white long-sleeve T-shirt. He hugged his attorneys and, once seated, turned in his chair to smile at his mother and children, who were seated in the second row.
Prosecutors reminded the judge "this is a case about violence" and argued the conditions proposed in the defense bail package fell short.
"At bottom, in order for conditions to be sufficient there has to be some level of trust that the defendant will follow them," prosecutor Christy Slavik said. "Simply put, the defendant cannot be trusted."
She also questioned the efficacy of a team of private security guards paid for by Combs.
"There is really just no separation for the defendant. You work for him. There's just no way to trust that any private security firm could do what the court requires and ensure compliance," Slavik said.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and prostitution charges.
His attorneys conceded hotel security camera video obtained by CNN depicted "physical conduct" between Combs and his ex-girlfriend Cassie but argued the video should not be used to keep Combs behind bars.
The defense argued in a filing on Thursday that prosecutors "invented" the narrative using a "manipulated version" of the video. The defense insisted the video did not depict a "freak off," the name for the sex-fueled parties allegedly held by Combs, but rather showed a domestic dispute in which Combs ran down the hall of the hotel to recover his clothes and cellphone.
"It's our defense to these charges that this was a toxic end of a loving relationship," Agnifilo said Friday.
Federal prosecutors said "it was a bit puzzling" the defense brought up the video because Combs does not dispute what it shows.
"The defendant admitted it and apologized for it in a public Instagram post. Shoving, kicking and dragging a female victim," Slavik said.
