Embattled hip-hop mogul, Diddy, has filed an appeal against a judge’s decision to deny his release in his sex trafficking case.
Diddy has promised to submit to weekly drug testing and to bar any women apart from family members from visiting him. This comes after the 54-year-old was led out of court on Tuesday afternoon following New York Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky’s agreement with prosecutors, who argued that Combs was a significant flight risk and a danger to the community after his arrest on Monday night.
In a letter to the judge released on Tuesday, prosecutors claimed that in the months leading up to his arrest, Combs had contacted both victims and witnesses in the sex trafficking case, asking for their “friendship and support,” and sometimes “gaslighting” them into believing “false narratives.” Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, presented a significant bail package proposal to the court, including a $50 million bond secured by his $48 million Miami mansion, the equity in his mother’s Florida condo, and Combs’ passport along with those of his four daughters.
Agnifilo asked the court to “trust” Combs, emphasizing the steps the Bad Boy Entertainment founder had taken prior to his arrest to demonstrate that he wasn’t a flight risk in this sex trafficking case. However, Judge Tarnofsky referred to the severity of the charges against Combs and his apparent “anger issues” in denying his release. “Your lawyer asked us to trust you – [I don’t think] you can trust yourself,” she said. “Your lawyer can’t control you.”
Agnifilo filed new paperwork on Wednesday seeking an appeal of the decision in this ongoing sex trafficking case. Combs is now set to appear in front of Judge Andrew Carter on Wednesday afternoon. In addition to the original bail package proposal, Agnifilo presented new restrictions to address the court’s concerns that Combs presents a danger to the community and would attempt to contact victims and witnesses involved in the sex trafficking case.
Combs agreed to weekly drug testing after his alleged substance abuse was repeatedly mentioned by prosecutors, who claimed police found a pink powdery substance in his five-star hotel room following his arrest. While the results of the substance had not been confirmed, officials noted that it was similar in appearance to drugs confiscated from his Miami mansion during a March raid that later tested positive for ecstasy and other illicit substances.
If Combs is granted release on house arrest in this sex trafficking case, visitors to his Miami compound would be restricted, allowing only “family, property caretakers, and friends who are not considered to be co-conspirators,” according to Agnifilo’s letter to the judge. Additionally, no women outside of family members and the mothers of his children would be allowed to visit Combs. Combs’ personal security would also require “any person who enters the property to sign a visitor log,” which would then be provided to the court nightly.
Speaking to members of the press after Combs was remanded into custody, Agnifilo stated that he would fight the decision to hold his client without bail in this sex trafficking case. “Mr. Combs is a fighter. He’s going to fight this until the end. He is innocent,” the lawyer said. “We’re going to fight this case with everything we have.”
