Sean Combs' Lawyers File Appeal Seeking Pretrial Release.
Sean Diddy Combs' legal team has submitted an appeal seeking his release from jail prior to his trial. On Tuesday, October 8, attorney Alexander A.E. Shapiro filed the appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, according to court documents.
The filing states that Combs "was not granted release pending trial, despite his willingness to adhere to strict conditions that would eliminate any potential risk of flight or danger."
In the filing, Shapiro says the court "rejected a plainly sufficient bail package" for Combs and "violated its obligations under the Bail Reform Act."
"Mr. Combs is presumed innocent. He travelled to New York to surrender because he knew he was going to be indicted," the filing reads. "He took extraordinary steps to demonstrate that he intended to face and contest the charges, not flee. He presented a bail package that would plainly stop him from posing a danger to anyone or contacting any witnesses. Under the Bail Reform Act, 'liberty is the norm, and detention prior to trial or without trial is the carefully limited exception.' "
Combs, 54, was taken into custody at a hotel in Manhattan on Sunday, September 16. He faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution. Currently, he is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Denied Bail
On Tuesday, an appeal was filed contesting the Southern District of New York's ruling to deny Combs bail, citing claims of witness tampering and obstruction of justice. His legal representatives are requesting his immediate release under suitable bail conditions.
Related: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Accused of Sexual Abuse of 9-Year Old
Combs was initially denied bail by a federal judge on September 17. His legal team promptly filed an appeal and went back to court the following day, September 18. Once again, SDNY's Judge L. Carter denied bail, stating, "There is no condition or combination of conditions to ensure he will not obstruct justice or tamper with witnesses." Shapiro's appeal was submitted a week after he indicated his intention to appeal on September 30, which was two weeks after Combs' arrest.
Combs, who has entered a not guilty plea, faces allegations of pressuring women into participating in elaborate sexual performances referred to as "freak offs." It is claimed that he exploited his fame, influence, and substances like cocaine, oxycodone, and ketamine to coerce women into engaging in these acts with male sex workers, subsequently administering IV treatments to help them recover.
Additionally, Combs is accused of physical abuse and reportedly recorded the "freak offs" without the consent of the victims. In March, authorities conducted searches at his residences in Los Angeles and Miami, where they confiscated various items related to the "freak offs," including drugs and over 1,000 bottles of lubricant and baby oil.
Combs' Mother
Combs' mother has expressed that she is "devastated and profoundly saddened" by the accusations made against her son, asserting that they are "lies."
The artist, famous for his 1997 hit "I'll Be Missing You," was arrested last month on charges related to sex trafficking and racketeering. He is currently being held in a detention center in Manhattan after being denied bail. In a statement, Janice Small Combs stood by her son, acknowledging that while he has "made mistakes in the past, as we all have," he is "not the monster they have portrayed him to be." "It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies," she stated.
This statement was released by her lawyer, Natlie G Figgers, on behalf of Ms. Small Combs and the Combs family. The statement followed news that Mr. Combs could potentially face lawsuits from over 100 additional accusers, both men and women, alleging sexual assault, rape, and sexual exploitation.
His legal team has denied these and all previous allegations, labeling them as "false and defamatory." Since last year, he has been involved in several legal cases, including one initiated by his former partner, Cassie Ventura, who accused him of rape and abuse. Mr.
Combs denied those allegations, and the case was settled out of court just a day after it was filed. However, he was later sued by 12 other women, many of whom claimed that the rapper drugged and assaulted them. In March, federal agents conducted raids on his properties as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
In May, a video surfaced showing Mr. Combs physically assaulting Ms. Ventura in a hotel room back in 2016. In her statement, Ms. Small Combs acknowledged the video, clarifying that she is "not here to portray my son as perfect because he is not."
"My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel’s surveillance showed otherwise," she said.
Janice Small Combs argued that one lie did not make him guilty of all the other "repulsive allegations and the grave charges leveled against him".
"It is truly agonizing to watch the world turn against my son so quickly and easily over lies and misconceptions, without ever hearing his side or affording him the opportunity to present his side," she said, adding that she believed some of his accusers were motivated by money.
P Diddy is next due in court on Wednesday, 9 October, when his lawyers will argue for him to be released on bail.
Related: P Diddy Jail Hell
