Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail after pleading not guilty in a sex trafficking case.
A federal judge in New York remanded the musician in custody after prosecutors argued he posed a “serious flight risk.”
Mr. Combs, 54, was arrested Monday night on charges that he ran a criminal enterprise since at least 2008 that used drugs and violence to coerce women into “fulfilling his sexual desires,” prosecutors said.
A 14-page indictment charges him with racketeering, forcible sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution.
If convicted on all three counts, the rapper and record producer faces a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
He wore a black T-shirt and gray sweatpants when he appeared in Manhattan court on Tuesday.
Asked by U.S. District Judge Robyn Tarnofsky how he wished to plead, Combs stood and said, “Not guilty.”
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said the defense team had already appealed the judge’s bail decision, with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
“We believe in him with all our hearts,” Mr. Agnifilo told reporters at the Manhattan courthouse.
“He didn’t do these things. There was no coercion or crime. He’s not afraid of accusations.”
Mr. Agnifilo said Mr. Combs was the target of “unfair prosecution.”
In court documents, federal prosecutors said Combs “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to gratify his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct.”
Prosecutors accuse Mr. Combs of “creating a criminal enterprise” whose members — under his direction — engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery.
“On numerous occasions,” the documents state, Mr. Combs assaulted women by “hitting, punching, dragging, throwing objects at them and kicking them.”
The indictment does not specify how many women were allegedly victims of the violence. Nor does it accuse Combs himself of directly engaging in unwanted sexual acts with women.
Mr. Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, has faced numerous such charges before.
Last November, his ex-girlfriend, singer Casandra Elizabeth Ventura, filed a lawsuit against him, in which she graphically described the violence he suffered. He denied the accusations, but reached an out-of-court settlement the day after the complaint was filed.
In May, Mr. Combs issued a public apology after video from a Los Angeles hotel showed him beating Ms. Ventura in a hallway.
Tuesday’s indictment against Mr. Combs accuses him of similar violence.
Ms. Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, declined to comment on Mr. Combs’ arrest.
According to court documents, Mr. Combs “exercised the power” of his position to “lure female victims…to engage in prolonged sexual acts” called “Freak Offs.”
“During the Freak Offs, Combs distributed a variety of controlled substances to the victims, in part to keep them obedient and compliant,” the indictment states.
At a news conference after the indictment was unsealed, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said authorities found guns, ammunition and more than 1,000 bottles of lubricant during raids on Mr. Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles about six months ago.
Mr. Williams said federal agents also found three semi-automatic rifles with defaced serial numbers and a drum magazine.
He told reporters that further charges were not ruled out, but did not provide specific details.
The indictment follows a series of sexual assault allegations against Mr. Combs, one of the most successful music moguls in rap history.
Four women, including Ms Ventura, have filed complaints against him, accusing him of sexual and physical abuse.
In a statement released last December, Mr. Combs defended himself against what he described as “sickening allegations” made by “individuals looking for a quick buck.”
However, his reputation has taken a hit.
In June, Mr. Combs returned a ceremonial “Key to New York City,” which had been presented to him by Mayor Eric Adams nine months earlier.
Days later, Howard University announced that it was revoking Mr. Combs’ honorary degree, awarded in 2014.
