Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs latest: Rapper ‘put on suicide watch’ as he awaits trial behind bars
Sean “Diddy” Combs is “on suicide watch” in prison as he awaits trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, according to reports.
The rapper appeared in court on Wednesday to propose a $50 million bail package to avoid the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, but he was denied by the judge.
According to PEOPLE, Diddy has been placed on suicide watch as a “preventative measure”. On Wednesday Diddy’s lawyers argued he was not a flight risk or dangerous, but they failed to convince the judge.
The prosecution shared alleged text messages from Diddy to his ex, Cassie Ventura, following the attack on her in 2016 to argue he should remain behind bars until trial.
Diddy allegedly said: “Call me, the cops are here. I got six kids. You, please call. I’m surrounded. You gonna abandon me all alone.”
He pleaded not guilty to racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution and maintains he is "an innocent man."
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Key Points
Judge denies Combs request for bail, again
Next court appearance scheduled
Diddy ‘placed on suicide watch’ in prison, according to reports
When will Diddy’s trial take place?
Damning messages Diddy allegedly sent Cassie following brutal assault
RECAP: Diddy is a ‘serious flight risk’
Thursday 19 September 2024 09:40 , Rhian Lubin
On Wednesday, Diddy was refused bail for a second time.
A New York federal judge remanded the rapper into custody after prosecutors argued he was a “serious flight risk”.
Lawyers argued for Diddy to remain under house arrest, but yesterday he was sent back to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The bail package his lawyers put forward included: $50 million bond co-signed by the musician’s family members, the surrender of his passport, for him to undergo a weekly drug test, and a visitor log that would be submitted to pretrial services every night.
But Judge Andrew Carter slapped it down.
“My bigger concern deals with the danger of obstruction of justice and the danger of witness tampering,” he said. “That is a real concern that I have here.”
Video shows grim conditions inside prison where Diddy is held
Thursday 19 September 2024 10:15 , Rhian Lubin
Video gives a glimpse of the grim conditions inside the notorious Metropolitan Center in Brooklyn.
The rapper is being held in the prison on pretrial detention.
The footage, obtained by Spectrum News NY1, shows cockroaches in the cereal and mold growing in the showers.
Watch here.
Damning texts Diddy allegedly sent his ex Cassie following brutal assault
Thursday 19 September 2024 10:45 , Rhian Lubin
Damning text messages Diddy allegedly sent his ex, Cassie Ventura, following the brutal assault in 2016 were revealed in court.
At Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutor Emily Johnson shared alleged messages from Diddy to Ventura in a bid to strengthen her argument that he should remain behind bars until trial.
While Ventura’s name was not mentioned in court, the attack on her was referenced by the date - March 5, 2016 - which was made public by CNN earlier this year.
Diddy allegedly text Ventura: “Call me, the cops are here. I got six kids. You, please call. I’m surrounded. You gonna abandon me all alone.”
She replied: “I have a black eye and a fat lip. You are sick for thinking it’s okay to do what you’ve done. I still have crazy bruising.”
Legal win in one of Diddy’s sexual assault lawsuits
Thursday 19 September 2024 11:28 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy and his team can celebrate one legal win amid the drama in New York.
Yesterday a judge in Michigan dismissed a default judgement that required Diddy pay $100 million to a Michigan inmate who is suing him over sexual assault.
Last week Diddy was ordered to pay $10 million a month to accuser Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, starting in October, after the rapper failed to show up for a civil court hearing.
The judgement was set aside after Diddy’s legal team filed a 83-page motion to vacate it. His attorneys argued Cardello-Smith did not properly serve Diddy in accordance with Michigan law, the LA Times reported.
Cardello Smith, who is serving time for a number of criminal sexual offenses, sued Diddy in June. He alleged the music mogul drugged and sexually assaulted him in 1997 while at a gathering at a Michigan Holiday Inn.
What is Diddy’s net worth?
Thursday 19 September 2024 12:00 , Rhian Lubin
In 1999 Diddy said in an interview he “wanted to be very, very rich”. He accomplished that, but his millions couldn’t keep him out of jail.
According to Forbes, Diddy’s estimated net worth is approximately $400 million. As the string of shocking allegations have come out against him in the last year, his wealth has dropped. In 2019 his net worth was an estimated $740 million.
His lawyers said he was trying to sell his private jet - dubbed “Combs Air” - which set him back $60 million.
He purchased his sprawling Miami mansion - which he has now switched for the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn - for $14.5 million in 2003. It is now worth upwards of $48 million, his lawyers said.
When will Diddy’s trial take place?
Thursday 19 September 2024 12:41 , Rhian Lubin
No trial date has been set for Diddy yet and he could be waiting a while behind bars.
Diddy faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution for allegedly running a decades-long “criminal enterprise” that forced victims to carry out sex acts. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said he wants the case to go to trial as soon as possible, but his team is considering the next steps following Wednesday’s bail denial.
Text messages from other alleged victims revealed in court
Thursday 19 September 2024 13:17 , Rhian Lubin
In court yesterday, prosecutor Emily Johnson read out text messages from other alleged victims.
The prosecution used the messages to argue that Diddy should not be granted bail.
Johnson read a text message from a woman who claims Diddy dragged her down a hallway by her hair.
“You always want to show me that you have the power, and you knock me around. I’m not a rag doll, I’m someone’s child,” the woman allegedly told the rapper.
Another alleged victim messaged Diddy after reading the allegations made in Cassie Ventura’s lawsuit in November, the prosecutor said.
“I feel like I’m reading my own sexual trauma,” the message, read aloud by Johnson, said.
“It makes me sick how three solid pages word for word is exactly my experiences and my anguish.”
Diddy has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
Diddy’s first meal behind bars revealed
Thursday 19 September 2024 13:47 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy’s first meal behind bars at a notorious New York prison has now been revealed.
The music mogul has switched his sprawling multi-million-dollar mansions in LA and Miami for the comfort of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, an infamous facility that has previously counted Ghislaine Maxwell and R Kelly among its inmates.
As he awaits trial in the facility, the disgraced rapper will be served three meals a day which will be delivered to his cell.
Read more here.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s first meal behind bars at notorious New York jail revealed
Kesha takes a swipe at Diddy
Thursday 19 September 2024 15:00 , Rhian Lubin
Kesha has teased a new version of her hit song “Tik Tok”, which contains a reference to the disgraced music mogul.
The 37-year-old singer, who originally released the 2009 track with the opening lyric “Wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy”, has shared a new version with the alternative line, “feeling like f*** P Diddy”.
Kesha first teased the lyric change when singing the alternative version onstage with Reneé Rapp at Coachella in March, and has since promised fans she will officially release the song on streaming platforms when she secures the legal rights.
Ellie Muir reports.
Kesha teases changed P Diddy reference in hit song
Fox News host peddles wild conspiracy connecting Trump and Diddy
Thursday 19 September 2024 16:00 , Rhian Lubin
A Fox News host has peddled the wild theory that the timing of Diddy’s arrest was purposely coordinated to distract from news of the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
Anchor Maria Bartiromo said: “The timing of the P Diddy arrest, please. They must’ve had the P Diddy arrest on the shelf waiting to take it off-the-shelf for when they needed it.”
Watch here.
Lauren Boebert compares government funding bill to a Diddy ‘freak-off’
Thursday 19 September 2024 17:00 , Rhian Lubin
Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert tried to articulate her opposition to a government spending package bill by comparing it to “Freak Offs” – the alleged sex acts where Diddy coerced and drugged women to get them to participate for his pleasure.
“This CR, this continuing resolution, that we’re going to vote on today, it’s going to screw our country more times over than a Diddy Freak Off,” Boebert said on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast Wednesday.
The resolution the far-right congresswoman was referring to, is a piece of legislation that would prevent a fast-approaching government shutdown by continuing to fund the federal government at current spending levels.
Ariana Baio has the story.
Lauren Boebert compares government funding bill to a Diddy ‘freak-off’
Diddy should prepare for ‘long trial process'
Thursday 19 September 2024 18:00 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy should prepare himself for a long trial process that may result in a minimum of 15 years in prison and most certainly will hurt his reputation, a former federal and state prosecutor forewarned.
Elie Honig, an attorney with experience trialing “complex international sex trafficking rings” and who worked in the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, said his review of the indictment wasn’t great for Combs.
“Given what I know about the SDNY and its racketeering and sex trafficking prosecutions – the outlook for Combs is bleak,” Honig said.
Ariana Baio reports.
Ex-prosecutor says Diddy’s defense may paint rapper as ‘sex freak’ not a criminal
FBI raids found narcotics, AR-15s and 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant
Thursday 19 September 2024 19:00 , Rhian Lubin
The FBI raided Diddy’s home in March, which at the time his lawyers said was “a gross overuse of military level force.”
Tuesday’s indictment, however, revealed some of what authorities recovered in those raids: narcotics, three AR-15s with “defaced serial numbers,” ammunition, a drum magazine, and “more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant”.
Here’s a video of the moment the property was raided.
Thursday 19 September 2024 20:00 , Rhian Lubin
A woman who claims Diddy shot her in the face in a New York City nightclub back in 1999 has described the news of his arrest as “one of the best days ever.”
Natania Reuben was at Club New York in Manhattan in December 1999 when gunfire broke out, injuring three people. She miraculously survived, but the bullet scarred her brain.
Diddy was acquitted in 2001, but Reuben is hopeful that the latest charges against him - which he denies - means he might finally face justice, even if it’s not in her own case.
Reuben described the moment that her teenage daughter, Nirvana, broke the news of Diddy’s arrest to her on Monday. Reuben told The Daily Beast: “I said, ‘Are you kidding me, really?’ She said, ‘Yes!’ I just screamed out to God, ‘Thank you, merciful father!’”
“One of the best days ever,” she added.
Read the full story here.
Woman who claims Diddy shot her in face in NYC club celebrates arrest
Diddy’s daily routine in prison
Thursday 19 September 2024 21:00 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy will remain in jail until his case goes to trial.
He is staying in the Special Housing Unit of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which has previously been home to Ghislaine Maxwell and R Kelly to name a few.
Diddy’s day will begin at 6am, when he will be expected to mop and clean his cell.
The rapper will be given three meals a day and is allowed to take a shower three times a week.
Recreational time is limited to one hour per day.
His laywer, Marc Agnifilo, who tried to persuade a judge to let his client wait for trial under house arrest, said: “I’m not going to let him sit in that jail a day longer than he has to.”
What happens next?
Thursday 19 September 2024 22:00 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy’s lawyers have said they want the case to move to trial “as soon as possible.”
A trial date has not yet been set and legal experts say he faces potentially “a long wait.”
The 14-page indictment released this week charges Diddy with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, to which he pleaded not guilty.
If the musician is convicted on all three counts, he could be handed a sentence of 15 years up to life imprisonment.
Old footage of Trump praising Diddy resurfaces
Thursday 19 September 2024 23:00 , Rhian Lubin
Donald Trump’s former praise of Diddy has resurfaced after Jimmy Kimmel referenced the news of the charges against the rapper in his show.
Referring to Diddy, Kimmel said: “In the meantime, he’s getting his character references lined up.”
Kimmel then played a clip from Trump’s days hosting The Celebrity Apprentice (a spin-off of his original show The Apprentice) where Trump claims: “Diddy is a good friend of mine.”
Watch here.
50 Cent mocks Diddy for '1,000 bottles of lube’
Friday 20 September 2024 00:01 , Rhian Lubin
50 Cent mocked Diddy in an Instagram post following the charges against him.
In the indictment federal prosecutors allege Diddy threatened and abused women “to fulfill his sexual desires” by forcing them to engage in recorded sexual activity which he referred to as “Freak Offs.”
Diddy denies all the allegations against him and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Among the details released by the FBI are that searches of Diddy’s homes in Miami and Los Angeles led to officers seizing “more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.”
In a post on Instagram, 50 Cent captioned a photograph of himself during a recent appearance on Drew Barrymore’s talk show with the message: “Here I am keeping good company with @thedrewbarrymoreshow and I don’t have 1,000 bottles of lube at the house.”
Kevin E.G Perry reports.
50 Cent mocks P Diddy after 1,000 baby oil and lube bottles seized in FBI arrest
RECAP: How events unfolded this week
Friday 20 September 2024 01:00 , Rhian Lubin
It has been a dramatic week for the rapper.
On Monday night Diddy was arrested at a Manhattan hotel on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He reportedly knew the charges were coming down the track and headed to New York last week, his lawyer said.
On Tuesday he appeared in court for the first time, where he was denied bail and sent to jail for pre-trial detention.
His lawyers appealed the decision, arguing he should be allowed to remain under house arrest.
On Wednesday Diddy appeared in court again at an appeal hearing. A judge ruled against him and ordered he must stay behind bars until trial.
Diddy’s legal team maintain he is innocent and will “fight the charges”.
Diddy flew to New York 12 days before arrest
Friday 20 September 2024 09:45 , Rhian Lubin
One of Diddy’s attorneys revealed the rapper flew to New York 12 days before his arrest in anticipation of the charges coming against him.
Teny Geragos told NewsNation’s CUOMO show: “12 days ago, when we thought there’s an indictment that may be coming, he flew to New York the very next day, he got on a plane and he came here.
“And that’s an extraordinary move for a defendant who’s been under investigation that he’s been aware of for at least six months.
“He came to the very jurisdiction that is investigating him, and he said, ‘I’m here. I want to surrender. Let me surrender.’”
Diddy ‘put on suicide watch’ according to reports
Friday 20 September 2024 10:15 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy has been put “on suicide watch” at the Metropolitan Detention Center as he awaits trial, according to reports.
According to PEOPLE, the rapper has been placed on suicide watch as a “preventative measure”.
In their motion to grant Diddy bail, his lawyers cited the conditions inside the prison. “Several courts in this District have recognized that the conditions at Metropolitan Detention Center are not fit for pre-trial detention,” they wrote.
The judge sided with the prosecution and sent Diddy back to pre-trial detention.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
‘Diddy ruined my life’ - former rapper Shyne caught up in 1999 nightclub shooting speaks out
Friday 20 September 2024 10:45 , Rhian Lubin
Former rapper Shyne has described how Diddy “destroyed” his life following a New York nightclub shooting in 1999.
Shyne, now known as Moses Barrow, signed to Diddy’s label Bad Boy Records in 1998.
The following year, Diddy and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were with Barrow at a Manhattan nightclub called Club New York.
Witnesses said there was a heated argument between Diddy and another man, Matthew “Scar” Allen. A scuffle broke out, guns were drawn and three bystanders were injured.
At the resulting trial, Barrow was convicted of assault and reckless endangerment while Diddy was acquitted of all charges. Barrow spent nine years in maximum security prison.
Kevin E.G Perry reports.
Former Bad Boy rapper Shyne says Diddy ‘destroyed my life’ over nightclub shooting
What’s in the indictment?
Friday 20 September 2024 11:15 , Rhian Lubin
A reminder of the charges and allegations detailed in the indictment against the rapper.
Diddy, who has been accused of rape and sexual abuse in at least nine civil lawsuits this past year, was arrested in New York on Monday night and charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
On Tuesday morning, Diddy appeared in a Manhattan federal court to plead not guilty to the charges.
“For decades, Sean Combs… abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” federal prosecutors said in the indictment.
In the 14-page indictment, prosecutors allege Diddy coerced and drugged women to participate in recorded “highly orchestrated performances” of sexual activity – which he called “Freak Offs” – that would sometimes last days and often included male commercial sex workers.
His lawyers maintain he is “an innocent man”.
Cassie spotted for the first time since Diddy arrest
Friday 20 September 2024 11:45 , Rhian Lubin
Cassie Ventura has been spotted for the first time since her ex was arrested.
She was seen having fun with friends out for dinner in New York City two days after Diddy was arrested, PEOPLE reports.
Text messages Diddy allegedly sent the singer following his brutal attack on her in 2016 were read out in court.
While Ventura was not mentioned by name, prosecutors referred to the footage of the incident, which was made public by CNN earlier this year.
Diddy allegedly said: “Call me, the cops are here. I got six kids. You, please call. I’m surrounded. You gonna abandon me all alone.”
Ventura replied: “I have a black eye and a fat lip. You are sick for thinking it’s okay to do what you’ve done. I still have crazy bruising.”
Reminder of why two judges denied bail
Friday 20 September 2024 12:15 , Rhian Lubin
Two judges refused to grant Diddy bail this week.
The $50 million proposed bail package his lawyers put forward, including the surrender of his passport, was not enough to convince them to release him from custody until trial.
On Tuesday, Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky voiced concern about Diddy contacting potential witnesses as the government continues to investigate the allegations of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution, which he strongly denies.
“The alleged victims are people with whom there is a power imbalance,” Judge Tarnofsky said. She added they are “susceptible to coercion”.
On Wednesday, District Court Judge Andrew Carter issued a similar ruling.
“I’ve heard from the parties, I find that the government has proven the defendant is a danger,” Carter said.
Diddy pleaded not guilty to the charges.
First meal in prison revealed
Friday 20 September 2024 12:49 , Rhian Lubin
The music mogul has switched his sprawling multi-million-dollar mansions in LA and Miami for the comfort of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, an infamous facility that has previously counted Ghislaine Maxwell and R Kelly among its inmates.
As he awaits trial in the jail, the disgraced rapper will be served three meals a day which will be delivered to his cell.
The first meal Diddy tucked into behind bars was Swedish meatballs, according to MDC’s menu obtained by The New York Post. He also had the option of a vegetarian black bean burger.
Read the full story here.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s first meal behind bars at notorious New York jail revealed
Diddy’s next court appearance
Friday 20 September 2024 13:20 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy’s next court appearance is reportedly scheduled for October 9.
CNN reports his lawyer plans to appeal the ruling to deny bail again. “I’m not going to let him sit in that jail a day longer than he has to,” Agnifilo said.
No trial date has been set for Diddy yet and he could be waiting a while behind bars.
He faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution for allegedly running a decades-long “criminal enterprise” that forced victims to carry out sex acts. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Agnifilo said he wants the case to go to trial as soon as possible, but his team is considering the next steps following Wednesday’s bail denial.
Legal team asked if Diddy could move prisons
Friday 20 September 2024 13:50 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy’s legal team have requested whether the judge would consider transferring their client from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a facility in Essex County, New Jersey.
His legal team had tried to keep the rapper out of the notorious New York facility, but a judge ruled he must stay there until trial.
The case against Diddy in numbers
Friday 20 September 2024 14:25 , Rhian Lubin
In court this week, the prosecution said there is “a massive amount of evidence” against the defendant, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges again him.
Here’s a breakdown of some of the figures:
More than 50 alleged victims and witnesses interviewed
300 grand jury subpoenas served
20 search warrants obtained
100 seized phones, tablets and iCloud accounts
1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant seized in the raid on his home earlier this year
Footage shows grim conditions inside prison where Diddy is held
Friday 20 September 2024 15:10 , Rhian Lubin
Video gives a glimpse of the grim conditions inside the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The rapper is being held in the prison on pretrial detention.
The footage, obtained by Spectrum News NY1, shows cockroaches in the cereal and mold growing in the showers.
Watch here.
In depth: The epic fall from grace of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
Friday 20 September 2024 15:45 , Rhian Lubin
More than three decades after Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs named his label Bad Boy Records, he’s been arrested on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges, accused of everything from arson to kidnapping.
He has pleaded not guilty and denies the allegations against him.
As authorities outline the shocking activities allegedly carried out at Diddy’s direction by his “criminal enterprise,” Sheila Flynn charts the star’s epic fall from grace.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and the rise of his ‘criminal enterprise’
Diddy ‘on procedural suicide watch' - reports
Friday 20 September 2024 16:30 , Rhian Lubin
More details on Diddy reportedly being placed “on suicide watch” now.
A source told NBC the move was “procedural with high profile clients” and Diddy “remains strong and focused on his defense” as he awaits trial.
His lawyers are hoping to get him out of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn before trial, they said.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Watch: Diddy’s lawyer says his client ‘is a fighter’
Friday 20 September 2024 17:30 , Rhian Lubin
How the week unfolded for Diddy
Friday 20 September 2024 18:30 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy and his legal team knew that serious charges against him were coming.
One of his attorneys, Teny Geragos, told NewsNation how the rapper traveled to New York 12 days before his arrest and was ready “to surrender”.
Since he arrived in the city, he was holed up in the Park Hyatt New York before his arrest on Monday night by Homeland Security Investigations.
He appeared in court on Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Diddy was refused bail by a judge on Tuesday, and his lawyers argued against this at an appeal hearing on Wednesday.
They ultimately failed to convince another judge to bail their client and he was sent back to pre-trial detention.
Kesha takes a swipe at Diddy
Friday 20 September 2024 19:30 , Rhian Lubin
Kesha has teased a new version of her hit song “Tik Tok”, which contains a reference to the disgraced music mogul.
The 37-year-old singer, who originally released the 2009 track with the opening lyric “Wake up in the morning feeling like P Diddy”, has shared a new version with the alternative line, “feeling like f*** P Diddy”.
Kesha first teased the lyric change when singing the alternative version onstage with Reneé Rapp at Coachella in March, and has since promised fans she will officially release the song on streaming platforms when she secures the legal rights.
Ellie Muir reports.
P Diddy lyric in hit song ‘Tik Tok’ changed by Kesha
What is Diddy’s net worth?
Friday 20 September 2024 20:30 , Rhian Lubin
In 1999 Diddy said in an interview he “wanted to be very, very rich”. He accomplished that, but his millions couldn’t keep him out of jail while he awaits trial.
According to Forbes, Diddy’s estimated net worth is approximately $400 million. As the string of shocking allegations have come out against him in the last year, his wealth has dropped. In 2019 his net worth was an estimated $740 million.
His lawyers said he was trying to sell his private jet - dubbed “Combs Air” - which set him back $60 million.
He purchased his sprawling Miami mansion - which he has now switched for the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn - for $14.5 million in 2003. It is now worth upwards of $48 million, his lawyers said.
Jimmy Kimmel brings up Trump’s glowing past comments about Diddy
Friday 20 September 2024 22:30 , Rhian Lubin
Jimmy Kimmel has reminded Donald Trump of the glowing comments he previously made about Diddy following the charges against him this week.
After the judge denied the rapper bail on Tuesday, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host said on his show: “In the meantime, he’s getting his character references lined up.”
Kimmel then played a clip from Trump’s days hosting The Celebrity Apprentice (a spin-off of his original show The Apprentice).
Watch the clip here.
Diddy’s future looks ‘bleak’ former prosecutor says
Saturday 21 September 2024 00:30 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy should prepare himself for a long trial process that may result in a minimum of 15 years in prison and most certainly will hurt his reputation if he is found guilty, a former federal and state prosecutor has forewarned.
Elie Honig, an attorney with experience trialing “complex international sex trafficking rings” and who worked in the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, said his review of the indictment wasn’t great for the rapper.
“Given what I know about the SDNY and its racketeering and sex trafficking prosecutions – the outlook for Combs is bleak,” Honig said.
Diddy has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Ariana Baio reports.
Ex-prosecutor says Diddy’s defense may paint rapper as ‘sex freak’ not a criminal
Recap: What the prosecution argued to prevent bail
Saturday 21 September 2024 02:30 , Rhian Lubin
At the appeal hearing on Wednesday, federal prosecutors convinced the district court judge that Diddy poses a danger to the community and should be jailed while awaiting trial, accusing the music mogul of extorting his victims.
Diddy pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies the allegations against him.
Prosecutors cited examples from victims who allege he filmed “Freaks Offs” and then used them as blackmail.
They said the “investigation is ongoing” and believed the rapper should be held in jail while they continue to investigate the allegations. They added they feared his associates or witnesses would refuse to speak about the alleged crimes they witnessed if he was not behind bars.
“Half a dozen escorts is just the tip of the iceberg of the number of escorts that have participated in ‘Freak Offs’,” federal prosecutors told the judge.
Diddy’s legal team want to request a transfer to a facility in New Jersey instead of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The bail package Diddy’s attorneys put forward
Saturday 21 September 2024 05:30 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy’s lawyers submitted a $50 million bail package that included the surrender of his passport and selling his private plane.
His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said the package was put together in response to the “strenuous and unusual conditions to address the court’s concern.”
Another measure he put forward was hiring private security to monitor Diddy 24 hours a day.
Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to persuade the judge who remanded the rapper into custody.
After court on Wednesday, Agnifilo told reporters: “The fight continues. We’re not giving up by a long shot.
“I’m going to do everything that I can to move his case as quickly as possible. We’re going to fight this case with all of our might until we don’t have to fight any longer.”
FBI raids found narcotics, AR-15s and 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant
Saturday 21 September 2024 08:30 , Rhian Lubin
The FBI raided Diddy’s home in March, which at the time his lawyers said was “a gross overuse of military level force.”
Tuesday’s indictment, however, revealed some of what authorities recovered in those raids: narcotics, three AR-15s with “defaced serial numbers,” ammunition, a drum magazine, and “more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant”.
Here’s a video of the moment the property was raided.
Next steps in the case
Saturday 21 September 2024 11:30 , Rhian Lubin
Diddy’s next court hearing is reportedly scheduled for October 9.
CNN reports his lawyer plans to appeal the ruling to deny bail again. “I’m not going to let him sit in that jail a day longer than he has to,” Marc Agnifilo said.
No trial date has been set for Diddy yet and he could be waiting a while behind bars unless his legal team can get him out.
His lawyers also requested he be relocated from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a facility in New Jersey’s Essex County, but the judge said the decision would fall to the Bureau of Prisons.
Diddy faces charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution for allegedly running a decades-long “criminal enterprise” that forced victims to carry out sex acts. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
‘Barbaric’ conditions inside jail where Diddy is awaiting trial
Saturday 21 September 2024 13:30 , Rhian Lubin
Deadly stabbings, “barbaric” living conditions and maggots in the food: this is the state of the New Yorkprison where Diddy is currently being held.
The rapper is currently being housed in pretrial detention in the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and will stay there until he faces trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges. He has pleaded not guilty.
It’s a facility that is no stranger to famous faces, having previously housed sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, Fyre Festival fraudster Billy McFarland and rapper R Kelly, who was found guilty of child sexual abuse.
His legal team argued that “several courts in this District have recognized that the conditions at Metropolitan Detention Center are not fit for pre-trial detention.”
Read the details in our report.
Inside jail where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is being held, once home to Ghislaine Maxwell