Diddy‘s latest appeal for bail has been opposed by prosecutors who have cited concerns over the mogul potentially engaging in bribery and witness tampering.
The Bad Boy boss has already been denied bail twice but has continued to petition for his release from jail, where he has been since his arrest for sex trafficking and racketeering last month.
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In a legal filing on Wednesday (October 16), prosecutors pointed to the “serious and violent nature” of Diddy’s alleged crimes, as well as his alleged efforts to conceal them, while imploring the courts to uphold Judge Andrew Carter’s previous denial of bail.
The document specifically mentions Puffy’s highly-publicized 2016 assault on Cassie and his actions afterwards, including offering a hotel security officer a “stack of cash in exchange for his silence” and “direct[ing] his staff to contact other members of the hotel security staff to obtain the surveillance video.”
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Prosecutors also point to the government’s previous accusation that the mogul had contacted possible victims and witnesses, either directly himself or through associates, in an attempt to get them on his side.
The most recent example of this allegedly occured on September 14, just days before Diddy was arrested.
Prosecutors have filed opposition to Sean "Diddy" Combs' bail appeal with 2nd Circuit.
"In arguing that Judge Carter erred, Combs entirely ignores the serious and violent nature of the charges against him, and the strength of the evidence against him."https://t.co/4vo6F6Nz9rpic.twitter.com/WqZFmsaUvy
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) October 17, 2024
The filing further argues that Puffy’s proposed $50 million bail package, which would see him confined to his home without access to a phone or the internet and monitored by a private security firm, would not sufficiently eliminate the risks of witness tampering or obstructing justice.
This is because, prosecutors say, Diddy relied on a network of loyal associates to carry out some of his dirty work and therefore the proposed bail conditions would not stop him from doing so again.
The ruling on the matter might be delayed, however, as Diddy’s lawyers have asked to put the appeal on hold while they pursue a new bail hearing in U.S. District Court.
In a separate filing this week, his legal team wrote: “Because relevant new information has come to light since [Diddy’s arrest], Mr. Combs intends to file a renewed motion for pretrial release on conditions, with an updated proposed bail package, in the district court.”
HOWEVER, Combs' lawyers want the appeal put on hold while they pursue a new bail hearing in U.S. District Court.
"The renewed request is based on changed circumstances warranting a new bail hearing, which the district court is best suited to consider in the first instance." pic.twitter.com/JKbObIJ3F0
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) October 17, 2024
Diddy is also petitioning the government to reveal the identities of his alleged victims before his trial next year.
In a filing earlier this week, his attorneys wrote: “Without clarity from the government, Mr. Combs has no way of knowing which allegations the government is relying on for purposes of the indictment. Other than Victim-1 [Cassie], there is no way for Mr. Combs to determine who the other unidentified alleged victims are.”
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They added: “[T]he government is forcing him, unfairly, to play a guessing a game.”
Puffy’s legal team also claimed in the filing that the government’s evidence will prove that his alleged “freak off” sex parties were consensual.
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“Mr. Combs also anticipates that the discovery will contain voluminous evidence of consensual sexual activity — making it all the more difficult for Mr. Combs to ascertain which of his prior sexual partners now claim, years later, that they felt coerced,” they wrote.
They further claimed that by the government concealing the identities of his alleged victims, they’re putting Diddy in an awkward position, legally speaking, when it comes to addressing the claims put forth in his mounting civil lawsuits.
