Lawyers for Sean “DD” Combs seek reversal of bail denial

Lawyers for hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs will appear in court on Wednesday to challenge a judge's ruling that denied Mr. Combs bail after he pleaded not guilty in a sex-trafficking case.

A federal judge in New York remanded the musician into custody on Tuesday after prosecutors argued he was a “serious flight risk.”

Mr. Combs, 54, was arrested Monday evening, accused of running a criminal enterprise since at least 2008 that relied on drugs and violence to force women to “satisfy his sexual desires,” according to prosecutors.

A 14-page indictment charged her with racketeering, forced sex trafficking and transportation for engaging in prostitution.

If convicted on all three counts, the rapper and record producer faces up to 15 years to life in prison.

He wore a black T-shirt and gray sweatpants when he appeared in court in Manhattan on Tuesday.

Asked by US Magistrate Judge Robin Tarnofsky how he intended to plead, Mr Combs stood up and said: “Not guilty”.

Mr Combs' lawyer, Mark Agnifilo, later said the musician's defense team had already launched an appeal against the judge's bail decision.

“We believe him wholeheartedly,” Mr. Agnifilo told reporters outside the Manhattan courthouse. “He didn't do these things.”

According to court documents, Mr. Combs used the “power” of his status to “seduce female victims … to engage in enhanced sexual activity” called “freak offs.”

“During the freak-off, Combs distributed a variety of controlled substances to the victims to keep them compliant and compliant,” the complaint states.

At a news briefing, US prosecutor Damian Williams said officers had found firearms, ammunition and 1,000 bottles of lubricant during raids on Mr Combs' homes in Miami and Los Angeles about six months ago.

Federal agents also found three semi-automatic rifles with defaced serial numbers and a drum magazine, Mr. Williams said.

He told reporters that more allegations were possible without giving details.

Mr. Agnifilo, the musician's lawyer, maintained, “There is no coercion and no crime.”

“He's not afraid of the charges,” he said, adding that he believed Mr Combs was the target of “an unfair trial”.

In court documents, federal prosecutors said that Mr. Combs “abused, threatened and coerced women around him to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his behavior”.

Prosecutors accused Mr Combs of “creating a criminal enterprise” whose members – under his direction – engaged in sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson and bribery.

On “numerous occasions”, the documents said, Mr Combs assaulted the women by “hitting, punching, dragging, throwing objects and kicking”.

The complaint did not specify how many women were victims. It also does not accuse Mr. Combs of directly engaging in unwanted sexual acts with women.

The founder of Bad Boy Records, who during his career p. Diddy, also known as Puff Daddy, has faced many complaints in the past.

Last November, his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassandra Elizabeth Ventura, filed a civil suit against him that included graphic descriptions of violent abuse. He denied the allegations, but settled the case a day after it was filed.

In May, Mr. Combs issued a public apology after video footage of a Los Angeles hotel showed him beating Ms. Ventura in a hallway.

Mr. Combs was charged with similar acts of violence in Tuesday's indictment.

Ms. Ventura's lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, declined to comment on Mr. Combs' arrest.

The allegations follow a string of sexual assault allegations against Mr. Combs, one of the most successful music moguls in rap history.

Four women, including Ms. Ventura, sued him alleging sexual and physical abuse.

In a statement issued last December, Mr Combs defended himself against what he described as “sickening allegations” made by “people looking for a quick payday”.

In June, he returned an official “Key to the City of New York” at the request of Mayor Eric Adams, who had bestowed the honor on him just nine months earlier.

Days later, Howard University announced that it was revoking Mr. Combs' 2014 honorary degree.

The musician is credited with helping turn rappers and R&B singers like Usher, Mary J. Blige and Notorious Big into stars in the 1990s and 2000s.