By Luc Cohen, Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Sean “Diddy” Combs on Friday proposed a new $50 million bail package backed by his Florida mansion that the music mogul hopes will win his release from the Brooklyn jail where he has been held for eight weeks on criminal sex trafficking charges.
Combs has been denied bail three times since his arrest, with multiple judges citing a risk that he might tamper with witnesses. The rapper and producer on Sept. 17 pleaded not guilty to charges that he used his business empire including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment to transport women and male sex workers across state lines, to take part in recorded sexual performances called “Freak Offs.”
In another development on Friday, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who oversees the criminal case, denied Combs’ request for a gag order barring his accusers from speaking publicly about the matter. His lawyers had argued that the approximately 30 civil cases accusing Combs of misconduct or abuse were interfering with his right to a fair trial.
Combs, 55, has denied wrongdoing, and his lawyers have argued that the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual.
In a court filing on Friday, defense lawyer Alexandra Shapiro asked Subramanian to release Combs on the $50 million bond, which would be backed by his $48 million Miami home and co-signed by several of his family members.
Shapiro also proposed that Combs be monitored around the clock by security personnel, be subjected to home detention, and have no contact with alleged victims or witnesses. His trial is scheduled for May 5.
In seeking bail, Shapiro said new evidence undermined part of the prosecution’s justification for detaining Combs. She said the evidence shed new light on a 2016 hotel surveillance video of him physically assaulting former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie.
“The video is not evidence of a coerced ‘freak off,’ but rather a minutes-long glimpse into a complex but decade-long consensual relationship,” Shapiro wrote.
Shapiro also said it is impossible for Combs to prepare for trial from behind bars because of the “incredibly voluminous” amount of material to review, especially without a laptop computer. She also said his preparation has been stymied by conditions at the jail, including frequent lockdowns and even officers taking away the pens he uses to take notes.
Detention is stripping Combs of “any real opportunity” to be ready for trial, violating his rights under the U.S. Constitution, Shapiro said.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler and Will Dunham)
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