Rap star Diddy pleads not guilty to charges
Sean 'Diddy' Combs has denied charges of sex trafficking and racketeering at a court in New York.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs has pleaded not guilty to allegations of sex trafficking.
The 54-year-old rap star appeared in a court in Manhattan on Tuesday (09.17.24) after being charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Asked during a court hearing how he pleaded to the charges, Combs replied: "Not guilty."
The hip-hop mogul's lawyers subsequently requested that Combs be freed on bond, pending trial, after paying a sum of $50 million.
However, following a a lengthy debate between legal teams on whether Combs represents a flight risk, Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky announced that the rap star will remain in detention until his sex trafficking trial begins.
Combs was arrested at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York, on Monday.
The accusations he's facing were later made public.
An indictment reads: "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 (sic)"
According to the indictment, Combs' alleged crimes "relied on employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled - creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice."
Damian Williams, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, also alleged during a press conference that the rapper maintained control over his victims by "giving them drugs, by giving and threatening to take away financial support or housing, by promising them career opportunities, by monitoring their whereabouts, and even by dictating their physical appearance".
