‘He’s an Extremely Violent Man’: How Prosecutors Convinced a Judge To Keep Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Behind Bars To Await Sentencing on Prostitution Charge

Sean “Diddy” Combs is back in the forbidding Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, despite hoping to have been allowed to go home. A judge denied Mr. Combs bail after he received a mixed verdict in his high-profile sex-trafficking trial on Wednesday and sent him back to the Brooklyn jail, where he has been incarcerated since his arrest last year. The judge scheduled a remote conference for July 8 to discuss a sentencing date. “It is impossible for the defendant to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he poses no danger,” the presiding district judge, Arun Subramanian, said on Wednesday afternoon. “Domestic violence is violence,” the judge added later, reasoning that Mr. Combs would not be released because his proven violent behavior posed a threat to the community. Judge Arun Subramanian is presiding over the case. Twitter / XThe judge reminded the defense that it had admitted to the violence during the trial, acknowledging during its opening and closing statements that Mr. Combs had committed acts of violence against his former girlfriends and others, and that if he had been charged with domestic violence, he would have pleaded guilty. Prosecutors had charged Mr. Combs with two counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering conspiracy, of which the jury acquitted him earlier in the day. But the jury did convict Mr. Combs on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, a crime laid out in the Mann Act, a federal law that prohibits the interstate or foreign transportation of individuals for prostitution or other “immoral” purposes.The relevant allegation in the case accused Mr. Combs of hiring male prostitutes to have sex with his then-girlfriends during hours-long, drug-fueled sex sessions he called “Freak Offs,” which Mr. Combs would watch and film while he pleasured himself, sometimes while wearing a mask. Prosecutors alleged that Mr. Combs coerced his then-girlfriends into having sex with the male escorts by using violence, blackmail, threats, and other coercion tactics. Mr. Combs, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, denied the allegations, saying that the sexual encounters were always consensual. The jury believed him. Attorney Maurene Ryan Comey arrives for the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sex-trafficking trial at Manhattan federal court on May 22, 2025. Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesHowever, flight records and bank statements, which were shown during the trial, had convinced the jury that consensual or not, Mr. Combs had booked flights for and paid the male prostitutes for their sexual services. Prosecutors even presented a text message that Mr. Combs had sent to a manager of an escort site, Cowboys 4 Angels, in which he said he did not want to pay the escort because the man had not ejaculated during the Freak Off. The manager replied that Mr. Combs was paying for his time (standard policy for escort services, to avoid running afoul of vice laws), and needed to pay him regardless. But that message clearly proved Mr. Combs’s intent to book these men for sex, possibly leading to the conviction. Shortly after the forewoman read the verdict out loud in the courtroom, the lead defense attorney, Marc Agnifilo, asked the judge to release his client on bail. Mr. Agnifilo said that it would be appropriate considering that his client had been acquitted on the two most serious charges, racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and sex trafficking, which carries a mandatory sentence of 15 years behind bars. “My proposal would be that he be released today, that he be permitted to live at his home in Florida,” Mr. Agnifilo said. “It would be a bond of whatever size your honor sees fit, maybe $1 million?”Janice Combs, mother of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, leaves Manhattan federal court following the music mogul’s sex-trafficking and racketeering trial on July 2, 2025. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty ImagesThe judge asked, “Is your proposal that he leave this courtroom and walk outside?” Mr. Agnifilo confirmed it was. An assistant United States attorney, who was the lead prosecutor in the case, Maurene Comey, the daughter of a former FBI director, James Comey, opposed the defense’s request, saying, “There is serious, serious conduct here that will mandate a lengthy period of incarceration.”The prostitute transportation charge can carry a sentence of up to 10 years per count, though many legal observers do not expect Mr. Comb to be sentenced to anywhere near that amount of time. But Ms. Comey, who became visibly angry during rebuttal arguments at the defense attorneys’ dismissive attitude toward her case, seemed ready to seek a long prison sentence. In this courtroom sketch, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs reacts after he was convicted of prostitution-related offenses but acquitted of sex-trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life, July 2, 2025, in Manhattan federal court in New York. Elizabeth Williams via APThe judge gave the attorneys until 1 p.m. to submit letters and arguments for and against the release, which he said he would review and consider before he made his decision. After the judge left the courtroom, Mr. Combs got down on his knees, and in a dramatic gesture placed his head and arms on the seat of his chair and prayed. Mr. Combs had also prayed before he received the verdict. After being granted permission, he turned to his family, his mother and six of his children, who were seated in the front rows of the gallery directly behind the defense table. Mr. Combs then lowered his head and led the prayer. The New York Times reported that he carried with him into the courtroom a print-out of Psalm 11, a poem from the Old Testament that calls for trust in God during times of adversity. Teny Geragos, center, attorney for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, gives a brief statement next to lawyers Marc Agnifilo, right, and Brian Steel at Manhattan federal court after Combs’s bail hearing following his sex-trafficking and racketeering trial on July 2, 2025 in New York City. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty ImagesWhile there were cheers and applause inside the courtroom after the verdict, the afternoon conference was much more somber. Both parties had submitted letters to the judge. The defense, asking for Mr. Combs to be released on bail, proposed travel restrictions, regular drug testing, and a $1 million bond co-signed by himself, his mother, his sister, and the mother of his oldest daughter. The defense also submitted letters, written by his children. This was the fourth bail request made by the defense since Mr. Combs’s arrest in September. Before the trial began, the attorney had even taken the bail matter to an appeals court and offered a $50 million bond. But multiple judges cited the risk of him either escaping or tampering with witnesses, and kept him behind bars. Sarah Chapman, the mother of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s eldest daughter, departs Manhattan federal court following his sex-trafficking and racketeering trial on July 2, 2025. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty ImagesOn Wednesday, prosecutors strongly argued against the release and submitted a letter by Cassandra Ventura, Mr. Combs’s former long-time girlfriend and a key witness in the case. Ms. Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor, best known for pursuing multiple sex harassment lawsuits against Fox News, repeatedly asked the judge to deny the bail request, writing that Mr. Combs could be a threat to others and that his ongoing detention is required under a federal law, the Bail Reform Act.“Ms. Ventura believes that Mr. Combs is likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community,” Mr. Wigdor added.A stylist for Mr. Combs and Ms. Ventura, Deonte Nash, who testified during the trial about violent behavior by the defendant, also submitted a letter, urging the judge “to prioritize the safety of victims and witnesses.” A defense attorney for Cassie Ventura, Douglas Wigdor, arrives at court on July 2, 2025, in New York. AP/Yuki Iwamura“I feel compelled to be unequivocal about the danger he poses to the public and to the individuals who have risked everything by coming forward,” Mr. Nash wrote. “It will also endanger those who cooperated with this investigation under subpoena, who are already living in fear of retaliation.” The judge sided with prosecution and denied the request. As he read his ruling out loud, he cited passages of the defense’s opening and closing statements. In her opening statement, Teny Geragos, the daughter of a celebrity attorney, Mark Geragos, told the jury that if Mr. Combs was “charged with domestic violence, we wouldn’t all be here having a trial, because he would have pled guilty, because he did that.” “The defendant’s concession was unnecessary,” the judge said, “because the defendant’s violence was starkly depicted in the 2016 video of the Intercontinental Hotel incident involving Cassie Ventura.” The judge was referring to the now infamous video that shows Mr. Combs chasing Ms. Ventura through a hotel hallway before throwing her on the ground and kicking her. An attorney for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Xavier Donaldson, gives a brief statement at Manhattan federal court after Comb’s bail hearing following his sex-trafficking and racketeering trial on July 2, 2025. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images“And that wasn’t the only incident of violence the defense referenced,” the judge said, adding that “this type of violence … in personal relationships, sparked by unpredictable bouts of anger, is impossible to police with conditions.” Mr. Agnifilo tried in vain to convince the judge to change his ruling. He told the judge that Mr. Combs has been a “model prisoner” and not gotten into any fights, even though “he’s been [held] in a unit where there’s fights, people get in trouble and go to the SHU,” referring to the Special Housing Unit.The attorney also said that Mr. Combs “is a man who is in the process of working on himself,” and reminded the court that before he was arrested in New York, he had applied to enter a program to tackle his violent behavior“Mr. Combs made efforts to get into a batterer’s program, and I know of them, because Ms. Geragos and I were the ones who got him into the batterer’s program. And I believe Jane helped him write the letter to get into the batterer’s program,” the attorney said, referring to one of the alleged victims in the case, a woman who had testified under the pseudonym Jane and dated Mr. Combs between 2021 and 2024 and engaged in multiple Freak Offs. “He came to New York. He went to meetings. He participated.” A supporter and family friend of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Charlie Lucci, holds up a shirt as he arrives at Manhattan federal court for Combs’s bail hearing following his sex-trafficking and racketeering trial on July 2, 2025. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty ImagesHe went on to argue that in the one violent incident against Jane, which prosecutors had argued was an example of his physical abuse tactics to coerce his girlfriend into participating in the Freak Off sessions, Jane had started the fight, and Mr. Combs had acted in self-defense. The lead prosecutor, Ms. Comey, called that statement “insulting.” “The suggestion that that was self-defense is insulting. He was not engaging in self-defense when he was kicking her and hitting her after she ran away from him and went into a ball. He was not engaging in self-defense when he slapped her three times while she was naked in the shower until she collapsed to the ground. That was not self-defense. That was violence. It was brutality, and it was brazen,” Ms. Comey argued. She described Mr. Combs’s brazenness as “unmatched” and said that he had shown no remorse. Marc Agnifilo, attorney for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, gives a brief statement at Manhattan federal court after Combs’s bail hearing following his sex-trafficking and racketeering trial on July 2, 2025. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images“He’s an extremely violent man with an extraordinarily dangerous temper, who has shown no remorse and no regret for his violence toward multiple victims, not just Cassie and Jane but multiple other victims, who showed courage coming here and testifying about it.” Ms. Comey said, visibly enraged. The judge stuck to his decision, denied the bail application, and proposed a sentencing date for October 3. But Mr. Agnifilo asked to speed up the process. “We would like the sentencing as soon as we can get the sentencing,” Mr. Agnifilo said.The judge then scheduled a remote conference for July 8 during which the parties could discuss the sentencing schedule. People react outside Manhattan federal court as verdicts are announced during Sean Combs’s sex-trafficking and racketeering trial on July 2, 2025. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty ImagesOutside the courthouse, Mr. Combs’s mother, 84, was greeted with cheering fans, who were spraying baby oil on each other and yelling, “Freak Off, freak off,” while pumping their fists. One of the many fans who was gathered outside wore a T-shirt that said, “A Freako is not a R.I.C.O,” referring to the racketeering conspiracy charge, which is based on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act passed by Congress in 1970 to facilitate the prosecution of organized criminal organizations such as the mafia.But amid all the celebration, Mr. Combs still faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as each of the two transportation for the purpose of prostitution counts carries a maximum of 10 years. Analysts have said most people convicted of this charge receive between 51 and 63 months in prison. Judge Subramanian will decide the sentence at a hearing, during which defense attorneys can make arguments and even call witnesses. Prior to that the judge will review reports by parole officers and arguments by both parties. Cassie Ventura and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs appear at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’ on May 4, 2015. Charles Sykes/Invision/APAfter the judge adjourned the proceeding, the attorneys addressed reporters outside of the courthouse. “It’s a great victory for Sean Combs. It’s a great victory for the jury system,” Mr. Agnifilo said. “You saw that the Southern District of New York prosecutors came at him with all that they had.” He added, “One one thing stands between all of us and a prison, and that is a jury of 12 citizens.” Another defense attorney, Xavier Donaldson said that, “We need good people to serve on juries. … We need good people to come and say a person is not guilty.”Ms. Geragos told reporters that the jury had proven that Mr. Combs “has not sexually assaulted anyone” and that the media had been falsely reporting allegations as facts for nearly two years.Cassie Ventura takes an oath before testifying in Manhattan federal court, May 13, 2025. Elizabeth Williams via APMr. Combs is facing multiple civil lawsuits brought by plaintiffs who did not testify during this trial. The lawsuits came in a deluge after he swiftly settled, in November 2023, a suit brought by Ms. Ventura. The suit, even though it was settled in a day, put in writing the lurid and disturbing accusations against Mr. Combs, providing a blueprint for prosecutors and inspiring many other lawsuits. It came out during the trial that Mr. Combs paid Ms. Ventura $20 million.Prosecutors did not agree with Ms. Geragos’s assertion that the jury had found Mr. Combs wasn’t violent. The United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and the special agent in charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations, Ricky Patel, released a statement saying, “Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society,” “Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma,” the statement said. “New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to justice.”

‘He’s an Extremely Violent Man’: How Prosecutors Convinced a Judge To Keep Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Behind Bars To Await Sentencing on Prostitution Charge

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