(NewsNation) — The New York federal judge overseeing Sean “Diddy” Combs’ criminal case ruled to deny bail Wednesday on the music mogul’s bond request.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian cited evidence showing him to be a “serious risk” of witness tampering and proof he has tried to hide prohibited communications with third parties while incarcerated.
He ruled in a five-page order following a bail hearing last week. “There is compelling evidence of Combs’s propensity for violence,” Subramanian wrote.
Combs has been detained for more than two months on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking by force and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He was denied bail in September and earlier this month when the judge deemed Combs a flight risk because of his money and connections. His attorneys again made their case for bail Friday. A redacted letter addressed to the judge claimed attorneys found “even more new information that warrants reopening the bail proceedings.”
Subramanian said evidence shows Combs to be a “serious risk of witness tampering,” particularly after he communicated over the summer with a grand jury witness and deleted some of his texts with the witness.
The judge also cited evidence showing that Combs violated Bureau of Prisons regulations during pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn when he paid other inmates to use their phone code numbers so he could make calls to individuals who were not on his approved contact list.
He said there was also evidence that he told family members and defense counsel to add other people to three-way calls so their communications would be more difficult to trace and that he made efforts to influence his trial’s jury pool or to reach potential witnesses.
Subramanian said his “willingness to skirt” jailhouse rules to conceal communications was “strong evidence” that any conditions of release would not prevent similar behavior.
The judge said defense claims that Combs stopped using one particular phone technique criticized by prosecutors was belied by the fact that Combs apparently used it again on Sunday, two days after his bail hearing last week.
Even a bail proposal that would include the strictest form of home confinement seemed insufficient, the judge said.
“Given the nature of the allegations in this case and the information provided by the government, the Court doubts the sufficiency of any conditions that place trust in Combs and individuals in his employ — like a private security detail — to follow those conditions,” Subramanian wrote.
Combs’ attorneys say the technology available to him in jail is inadequate for his preparation for a tentative May trial. They’ve proposed conditions, including using a GPS monitor and putting one of Combs’ mansions up as collateral.
Prosecutors said Combs has been attempting to intimidate witnesses from behind bars and worry he would continue to interfere with the case if he were released.
Diddy indictment
Combs’ indictment came after months of speculation about a possible federal investigation tied to civil lawsuits alleging abuse and sexual assault spanning more than 30 years.
The indictment alleges Combs lured in women with promises of a romantic relationship before using intimidation and threats to have them engage in prostitution at reported so-called “freak offs.” There, victims were allegedly drugged and told to engage in sex acts with male sex workers for an extended period, while someone filmed them.
Combs allegedly kept some of the videos, sometimes without the victims’ knowledge.
According to the indictment, Combs and the victims often required IV fluids afterward due to physical exertion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.