Diddy Denied Bail as He Enters Not Guilty Plea

Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.

By Allison Schonter

Sean "Diddy" Combs will remain in federal custody ahead of his trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. After the music mogul was remanded to await trial at a jail in Brooklyn during a Tuesday, Sept. 17 hearing, during which he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, a second judge once again denied his request for bail on Wednesday.

The ruling came after Combs' legal team appealed the initial decision to deny bail, arguing in a letter to U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky that conditions at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn were "horrific" and "not fit for pre-trial detention." In proposed bail package, his legal team recommended that Combs, 54, live at home alone in Florida with a 24/7 security team monitoring a pre-approved guest list, per PEOPLE. He also offered to give up access to his cell phone and internet and "do nothing but prepare for his trial." His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, wrote that Combs is "eminently trustworthy" and should be released on a $50 million bond.

However, prosecutors argued that Combs was a danger to the community and a danger to obstruct justice and intimidate witnesses. Prosecutor Emily Johnson accused him of a "longstanding pattern of abuse," and said his victims have an "extreme fear" of Combs.

During the Wednesday hearing, according to ABC News, Judge Andrew Carter sided with the prosecution, denying Combs' bail and ordering the musician remanded into custody. Carter said the government provided sufficient evidence Combs was a danger, adding that the defense's proposed bail package was "insufficient." Diddy's legal team plans to appeal the bail decision.

"The fight continues, we're not giving up by a long shot," Agnifilo told reporters outside the courthouse, adding that as Combs' lawyer, he would "do everything I can to move this trial as fast as possible," though he'd "much prefer to do that with him out of jail. Mr. Combs has maintained he's innocent."

Combs, who has been the subject of a federal investigation since at least March and was arrested in New York City on Monday, currently faces several charges. In a 14-page indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York Tuesday, it was revealed that Combs was charged with one count each of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.

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Prosecutors allege Combs coerced women to participate in "freak offs... highly orchestrated performances" in which prosecutors claim he "arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded." Combs then allegedly used those recordings as "collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims," who were sometimes injured during the freak offs.

He faces a sentence of up to life in prison, and a minimum of 15 years, if convicted of the three felony counts. He is next set to appear in court on Oct. 9, per CNN.

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