Sean Combs will stay in jail as he awaits sentencing for prostitution-related crimes, a court has ruled.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian on Monday denied Combs’ bid to be released, finding that this history of violence shows that he could pose a dangers to others.
“Increasing the amount of the bond or devising additional conditions doesn’t change the calculus given the circumstances and heavy burden of proof that Combs bears,” the judge wrote.
The order comes after a former girlfriend of Combs — who was at one point set to participate in the government’s case against him as “Victim-3” — urged the court on Sunday to grant bail. The woman, Viginia Huynh, said Combs is a “family man” committed to becoming “a better person” and “address the harm he had caused.”
“To my knowledge, he has not been violent for many years, and he has been committed to being a father first,” the letter read. “I am writing because I do not view Mr. Combs as a danger to me or to the community.”
The filing was part of the defense’s latest effort to release Combs, this time on a $50 million bond, after he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges but found guilty of prostitution-related offenses under the Mann Act, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.
In Monday’s order, the court stressed extensive evidence of Combs assaulting two former long-term girlfriends, among other things indicating his inclination toward violence, coercion and subjugation. It said the rap mogul needs to present exceptional circumstances requiring his immediate release.
The judge also rebuffed arguments that Combs should be allowed to await sentencing at home because of the dangerous conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center.
“The public outcry concerning these conditions has come from all corners,” Subramanian wrote. “But as Combs acknowledges, MDC staff has been able to keep him safe and attend to his needs, even during an incident of threatened violence from an inmate.”
Combs is set to be sentenced in October.