Hip-hop star Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain in federal detention until his trial on charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, a judge decided Tuesday.
Prosecutors argued to a Manhattan court that Combs should stay in detention, calling him a flight risk and a “significant risk” to obstruction of justice.
“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,” prosecutors wrote in their letter Tuesday.
Combs was charged in a three-count criminal indictment for transportation to engage in prostitution along with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, court documents show. He pleaded not guilty to the charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
The indictment claims that Combs presided over a vast criminal enterprise that relied on employees and the influence of Combs’s business empire.
The indictment includes allegations that date back to 2008 and claim that Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”
The filings outline vivid abuse from Combs to the victims, whom he kicked, hit and threw objects at.
Combs’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, released a statement after the music mogul was detained.
“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 wrote. “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.”