Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Picture: Image Press Agency / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP
Sean 'Diddy' Combs had a proposal to avoid jail with a $50 million bond denied.
The 54-year-old rap mogul was remanded in custody to await trial after pleading not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution during a court hearing on Tuesday, September 17, and it has been revealed he had submitted a request to New York judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky that would allow him to retain his freedom.
The letter, obtained by E! News, offered a proposed package that would allow the disgraced rapper to "fight this case in Court effectively", and included the $50 million bond, which was co-signed by his family, including mother Janice Combs, sister Keisha Combs and three of his sons, several of whom had surrendered their own passports when the Bad Boy Records founder's homes were raided in March.
The proposal offered equity in Diddy's Miami home, as well as his mother's, and limited his travel to within certain areas of Florida, New York and New Jersey.
As well as making a proposal for bond, the letter - which was signed by Diddy's lawyers, Marc Agnfilo and Teny R. Geragos - also sought to "walk the Court through a series of actions taken by Mr. Combs over the past six months that prove that he is not a risk of flight or a danger to anyone in the community."
It stated: "These actions prove that Mr. Combs is eminently trustworthy, that he is demonstrably committed to showing his innocence in Court in the context of this case, and that he should be released, on the conditions proposed, in order to do so...
"When it became apparent to his counsel that Mr. Combs would at some point soon be formally charged, he did something extraordinary: He left his home in Miami and travelled to New York, the very location of the prosecutors and agents investigating him."
However, NBC News reported prosecutors requested in a memo that the 'Finna Get Loose' hitmaker remain in jail until his trial, with US Attorney Damian Williams branding him a flight risk who "poses a significant danger to the community" and arguing his "disposition to violence cannot be reasonably prevented through bail conditions."
The judge denied Diddy's request, citing among other reasons his substance abuse and anger issues.
The next hearing in the case will take place on 25 September, and Diddy has vowed to fight the allegations.
His lawyer told reporters outside the court in Manhattan: "He's going to fight this. He's innocent. He came to New York to establish his innocence.
"We believe in him wholeheartedly. He didn't do these things. There's no coercion and no crime."