Combs “faces the very real prospect of spending a substantial portion of the rest of his life in prison,” prosecutors wrote.
Topline
Prosecutors asked on Tuesday for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs to be detained in prison until his trial—calling him a “dangerous” flight risk—after the hip-hop artist was indicted on three counts, including sex trafficking, and arrested Monday evening.Key Facts
Prosecutors indicted Combs on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, alleging the mogul had a “pattern” of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and violently coerced women to engage in sex acts with commercial sex workers, with his employees allegedly helping to facilitate and cover up his abuse.
Combs has been in detention since his arrest Monday night, and prosecutors filed a letter with the court asking to extend that detention until his case goes to trial.
Prosecutors argue Combs should be imprisoned because he is “dangerous and poses an ongoing threat to the safety of the community,” pointing to his “long history of violent conduct” and alleging he’s “a serial abuser who repeatedly assaults and coerces women to achieve his own sexual gratification.”
They also allege Combs poses a “serious risk of flight” given the allegations against him, which they note could result in a significant prison sentence, and argue they’ve gathered a large amount of evidence that makes it likely Combs will be convicted.
The letter accuses Combs of trying to obstruct the investigation against him, including by bribing victims and witnesses to give false testimony, which prosecutors argue means there are “simply no conditions” for Combs’ release “that would ensure that the defendant’s efforts to obstruct and tamper with witnesses will stop.”
Combs’ attorneys have proposed that he should instead be placed in home detention and monitored rather than imprisoned, but prosecutors disagreed with that, arguing the proposal is “plainly insufficient” and “there is no condition, or combination of conditions, that will reasonably assure” Combs will appear in court and ensure “the safety of others and the community, not to mention the integrity of the proceedings.
