Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain incarcerated ahead of his May 2025 trial, Judge Arun Subramanian ruled on Wednesday.
The Southern District of New York judge’s written ruling cited the rapper’s potential witness tampering and evident violations of jail regulations as his reasons for denying bail, according to court documents obtained by TheWrap.
“The court finds that the government has shown by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community,” Subramanian determined.
The music mogul has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn following his September arrest. Diddy has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
His previous attempts at getting bail were also denied by multiple judges, who similarly believed there was a risk of Diddy intimidating potential witnesses on the outside. TMZ was first to report the news, stating that the rule violations are in relation to him attempting to communicate outside of the building.
The news came after Diddy’s legal team accused federal prosecutors last week of being in possession of “attorney/client-privileged material, including the defendant’s own written notes.”
A letter from Combs’ defense lawyers, obtained by TheWrap, explained, “This search and seizure are in violation of Mr. Combs’ Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights,” which they say amounts to “outrageous government conduct amounting to a substantive due process violation.”
Friday’s bail hearing also reportedly featured much discussion between Judge Subramanian and both sides juxtaposing Diddy’s case opposite the similar sex trafficking case against former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries — specifically, why the defendants have been treated differently (Jeffries was let out on $10 million bail, while Diddy offered as much as $50 million).
Diddy, his children and his mom were present in the Downtown New York courtroom for Friday’s bail hearing. However, he was notably allowed to sit in the courtroom without constraints, which his team argued implied guilt to potential jury members.
At last Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Subramanian subsequently ruled prosecutors could not use the 19 pages they photographed while raiding Diddy’s jail cell for Friday’s bail hearing, as they constitute trial prep. The judge has yet to determine if they can be included in the upcoming trial itself. Friday was also Subramanian’s first time officially hearing the case, which extended into this current week.
Elsewhere last week, Diddy faced a new batch of unrelated lawsuits for violent sexual assault.
His federal trial is set for May 5, 2025.
