For the third time, Sean “Diddy” Combs, the music mogul charged with federal sex-trafficking, will get a chance to plead for his release from jail. The star, arrested in September and held without bail in Brooklyn, is for the first time offering to submit to strict home confinement and continuous GPS monitoring. US District Judge Arun Subramanian set a bail hearing for November 22nd, a chance for Combs to be free ahead of his May 5th trial date.
This is the third hearing in which a federal judge will decide whether Combs should be granted bail. The request was denied by the previous judges, including the federal prosecutors who said his release may cause risks to the community and an obstruction to justice. Combs’s lawyers said his sexual activities were consensual, and the accusers had financial motives. But the prosecutors said Combs’ disturbing pattern of coercive behavior stretches all the way back to 2009.
Combs made an offer of a $50 million bond, backed by his Miami home, and pledged to remain under house arrest in exchange for bail. Heated arguments over the bail began Tuesday, with prosecutors granted until Friday to respond to this new motion and Combs’ team allowed to reply by the 20th of November, with a hearing pending his trial over serious charges including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
