Thursday, September 19

Diddy Zvaendwa Yaa

Hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has been denied bail after pleading not guilty in a sx-trafficking case.

A New York federal judge remanded the musician in custody after prosecutors argued he was a "serious flight risk".

Mr Combs, 54, was arrested on Monday

 

 

 

 

evening, accused of running a criminal enterprise from at least 2008 that relied on drugs and violence to force women to "fulfill his sexual desires", according to prosecutors.

A 14-page indictment charges him with racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation to engage in prostitutionconvicted on all three counts, the rapper and record producer faces a sentence of 15 years up to life in prison.

He was wearing a black T-shirt and grey sweatpants during Tuesday's court appearance in Manhattan.

Asked by US Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky how he wished to plead, Mr Combs stood up and said: "Not guilty."

'Freak Offs'

According to court documents, Mr Combs "wielded the power" of his status to "lure female victims... to engage in extended sx acts" called "Freak Offs".

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During Freak Offs, Combs distributed a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant," the indictment said.

In a news briefing, US prosecutor Damian Williams said officials found firearms, ammunition and more than 1,000 bottles of lubricant during raids on Mr Combs's homes in Miami and Los Angeles, about six months ago.

Mr Williams said federal agents had also found three semi-automatic rifles with defaced serial numbers, and a drum magazine.

 

 

 

 

 

He told reporters that further charges were possible, without offering specific details.

Mr Combs's lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said the defence team had already launched an appeal against the judge's bail decision, with a hearing set for Wednesday.

"We believe in him wholeheartedly," Mr Agnifilo told reporters at the Manhattan court.

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He didn't do these things. There's no coercion and no crime. He's not afraid of the charges."

Mr Agnifilo said Mr Combs was the target of "an unjust prosecution".

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