Diddy kisses the family in court, where he asks the judge – again – to grant him bail in a sex-trafficking case

On By Littum

Sean “Diddy” Combs kissed relatives who packed a Manhattan courtroom Friday to hear his latest arguments about why he should be released on bail pending trial on charges of running a depraved criminal empire for more than a decade – including forcing women to take part in day-long drugged-out sex shows.

Combs, 55, entered the courtroom through a side door in a khaki prison-issued outfit, smiling and waving to his family members in the second row of the gallery, including his twin 17-year-old daughters, Jesse and D’Lila Kamme.

Federal prosecutors say Combs poses a danger to the community. Reuters

The disgraced music mogul’s lawyers plan to ask Judge Arun Subramanian to release him on $50 million bail while he prepares for his trial, scheduled for May 2025, on extortion and sex-trafficking charges.

The disgraced king of hip-hop is being held without bail at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center after failing in three previous attempts to convince courts to release him while he awaits trial.

Combs’ children attended the hearing to support their father, who is facing federal sex-trafficking charges. Reuters

Combs was given a fourth chance to argue for release after the case was turned over to Subramanian, who plans to oversee next year’s trial.

Subramanian could issue a ruling as soon as the end of Friday’s hearing.

Prosecutors at the Manhattan US Attorney’s Office have argued that Combs poses an “extreme danger to the community” and say he tampered with potential witnesses in the case.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to extortion and sex-trafficking charges stemming from allegations that he ran his label Bad Boy Records as a “criminal enterprise” for more than a decade, repeatedly physically abusing women in his circle and bullying bearing witness to his alleged crimes in silence.

Combs’ mother was present at the hearing. AP

Raids of his homes in Los Angeles and Miami uncovered reams of evidence — including bags of drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant that Combs allegedly planned to use during what he called “Freak Offs,” marathon sex sessions in which he would entice women to have sex with male prostitutes while he watched, US authorities say.

Combs has pleaded not guilty.

His lawyers have argued that the sexual encounters mentioned in the indictment were all consensual.