Sean “Diddy” Combs pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon to charges of organized crime and sex trafficking, charges that could carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Prosecutors are asking a federal judge in New York to keep Combs in custody without bail pending the outcome of the trial.
In a detention brief, prosecutors argued that the severity of the charges and Combs’ extraordinary wealth made him a flight risk. They also argue that Combs obstructed the investigation by pressuring witnesses to lie to police and that if released, he could tamper with the case.
“The defendant is dangerous and poses a continuing threat to community safety,” prosecutors say.
Combs’ lawyers said the charges were “unjust” and that he had cooperated with authorities.
“He is an imperfect human being, but not a criminal,” attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement. “To Mr. Combs’ credit, he has been consistently cooperative with this investigation and voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve judgment until you know all the facts.”
According to the indictment, Combs engaged in violent, abusive and coercive behavior toward women for years. He is accused of organizing multi-day orgies, known as “freak offs,” in which women were forced to have sex with male sex workers, sometimes on camera. The women were also given ketamine and other drugs and then given intravenous fluids to help them recover, the documents say.
Combs is also accused of hitting, kicking, pulling women’s hair and committing other acts of violence. According to the documents, he and an accomplice kidnapped one person at gunpoint in 2011 and set another person’s car on fire with a Molotov cocktail.
If convicted, the defendant faces at least 15 years in prison.
