Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Update: Rapper Asks Judge to Dismiss His Own Argument
|Sean “Diddy” Combs has called off his push to get released on bail as he awaits the May trial in his sex trafficking case.
Attorneys for the iconic rapper filed the motion Friday, writing, “Mr. Combs does not seek to appeal the district court’s denial of his renewed motion and hereby moves to voluntarily dismiss the appeal.”
Newsweek has contacted Combs’ lawyers via email for comment.
Three different judges have denied bail for the “Bad Boy for Life” artist three times. He is being held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC).
New York Judge Arun Subramanian denied Combs’ latest attempt at bail on November 27, determining there was no way to ensure the safety of the community if Combs were released.
The judge highlighted concerns of witness tampering and cited evidence of Combs’ violence, including a Combs-submitted version of the 2016 video of him assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at Los Angeles’ Intercontinental Hotel.
Subramanian also said there is evidence that Combs and Ventura exchanged texts after she testified before a grand jury in July even though his lawyers said he would never do that.
The judge also said that Combs, 54, violated prison communication rules by paying fellow inmates to use their phone access codes to contact people not on his approved contacts list.
Combs Granted Laptop Access
While Subramanian denied Combs bail, he granted a motion on Thursday from his lawyers for Combs to have access to a laptop while incarcerated.
The rapper will be allowed access to a laptop preloaded with discovery materials in his jail unit at MDC as he prepares for trial. The laptop is limited to viewing materials and cannot be used for note-taking or storage.
Combs can access the laptop “seven days per week from 8:00 AM to 3:30 p.m.,” according to court documents.
Combs’ Proposed Bail Package
Combs was arrested and charged on September 16 with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing.
The disgraced mogul’s lawyers previously proposed a $50 million bail, secured by Combs’ Miami mansion, which they said is worth about $48 million. They sent security to a three-bedroom apartment on New York City’s Upper East Side to inspect where Combs would’ve stayed if he were granted bail.
Last month, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo told the court that Combs’ NYC apartment would be “more restrictive than in the MDC.”
Agnifilo said there would be three security guards at the apartment and that Combs would not have access to phones or the internet, except for calls from his legal team.
Combs also faces nearly 30 lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct. He has denied any wrongdoing in those as well.
Houston-based lawyer Tony Buzbee is representing 120 people in the suits against Combs. Buzbee and Alex Spiro, attorney for Jay-Z, are feuding through legal documents after an amended lawsuit against Combs alleges that fellow music mogul Jay-Z took turns raping a 13-year-old girl at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party in 2000.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, vehemently denies the accusation.
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