Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs submitted a fresh bail request on Friday, citing altered circumstances and new evidence that he believes warrant his release to prepare for a May trial from outside of jail.
Attorneys representing Combs submitted a request in federal court in Manhattan, following the rejection of his earlier bail requests by two judges since his arrest in September on charges related to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
He has entered a not-guilty plea to allegations of coercing and abusing women over several years, allegedly aided by a network of associates and employees, while reportedly silencing victims through intimidation and violence, which includes kidnapping, arson, and physical assaults.
He is set for a trial on May 5 at a federal detention center in Brooklyn.
In a recent court filing, Combs’ legal team has put forward a “far more robust” bail proposal that would impose stringent 24/7 security monitoring and significant limitations on his communication, allowing contact only with his attorneys. The financial commitment linked to the package stays at $50 million, consistent with their earlier proposal.
They point to fresh evidence that they claim “shows the government’s case is weak.” The lawyers argued that the evidence contradicts the government’s assertion that a video from March 2016, which shows Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend, took place during a coerced sexual event referred to in the indictment against him.
Their statement described the meeting as “a brief insight into a complicated yet long-standing consensual relationship” involving Combs and his former girlfriend.
The attorneys contended that the conditions of confinement Combs is facing at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn infringe upon his constitutional rights to engage in his defense.