54-year-old Sean "Diddy" Combs had been arrested earlier this week in a s*x trafficking case. He, however, had pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence regarding all the counts.
For the unversed, the mogul was accused of running a criminal enterprise that engaged in forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice. Meanwhile, he has been held without a bond at the Special Housing Unit at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center as per USA Today. His legal team, however, had offered a bail package, which was worth $50 million.
Atlanta Blackstar reported that the rapper's legal team also proposed the sale of Combs' and his mother's' houses in Miami to secure a bond. The judge had denied the bail, claiming that Combs could end up tampering with the witnesses. As per HotNewHipHop, Janice Combs had co-signed the property paper.
The package reportedly proposed by the defense also included the following,
"Mr. Combs' travel will be restricted to the Southern District of Florida and the Southern District of New York (to attend Court, meet with his counsel, and attend medical appointments, which we will address to the Court in a separate, sealed, submission) as well as the Eastern District of New York or the District of New Jersey (only to the extent that his travel to and from New York involves an airport in those Districts)"
In addition, the bail package also proposed surrendering Combs' passports as well as those of his family members, including children Chance and Jessie Combs and mother Janice Combs.
The mogul was already in the middle of selling his private jet, as further confirmed by the outlet. When the sealed indictment was opened on Tuesday, September 17, it contained charges such as racketeering conspiracy, s*x trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution against Diddy.
If convicted on all counts, Diddy could face a sentence of 15 years to life in prison
As mentioned before, the music mogul was taken into custody on Monday, September 16, under charges which were not revealed until Tuesday. He could face a lengthy sentence if he gets convicted on all the counts. The Guardian had reported snippets from the indictment, one of which read:
"For decades, SEAN COMBS, a/k/a ‘Puff Daddy,’ a/k/a ‘P Diddy,’ a/k/a ‘Diddy,’ a/k/a ‘PD,’ a/k/a ‘Love,’ the defendant, abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct."
According to the indictment, the mogul had taken assistance from several of his employees to allegedly run the criminal enterprise. It further stated that he would often ask his employees to get things for him that ranged from drugs to lubricants.
The arrangements were done for alleged "freak offs." The indictment further denied what "freak offs" meant.
"Freak Offs occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial s*x workers. During Freak Offs, Combs distributed a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant," the indictment stated.
The arrest happened a few months after the federal authorities raided Diddy's luxurious residences in Miami and Los Angeles. At the time, they reportedly discovered three semi-automatic rifles with defaced serial numbers, and a drum magazine. Other items seized from the venues were drugs, more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.
As of now, it is unclear as to which direction the case might go. Despite the allegations, Diddy has maintained his innocence. Since Cassie Ventura sued the mogul last year, several other lawsuits have also involved him.