Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain in jail as his s3x trafficking case is scheduled to begin on May 5, 2025.
Less than a month after the rapper’s arrest at a New York City hotel on charges of racketeering, s3x trafficking, and using transportation to engage in prostitution, he appeared before a judge during a status hearing on October 10.
During the hearing, Judge Arun Subramanian, who recently took over the case from Andrew L. Carter Jr., set the trial date for May 5, 2025.
This hearing follows a recent appeal filed by Combs’ lawyers seeking bail for the rapper, who has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, for three weeks. They argued that concerns about him potentially “intimidating” witnesses were “unfounded,” according to court documents.
The appeal, submitted on October 9, contended that Judge Carter’s previous denial of bail was based on “speculation” rather than solid evidence of interference with the criminal investigation. Combs’ attorneys, Alexandra A.E. Shapiro and Jason A. Driscoll, further asserted that his willingness to travel to New York to face charges last month and their proposal for strict monitoring measures—such as limited access to phones and the internet—demonstrated their client’s intention to contest the charges rather than flee. They emphasized that he is “presumed innocent.”
“He took extraordinary steps to demonstrate that he intended to face and contest the charges, not flee,” the filing stated. “He presented a bail package that would plainly stop him from posing a danger to anyone or contacting any witnesses.”
Despite the appeal, Judge Subramanian ruled during the October 10 hearing that Combs would remain in custody.
According to the federal indictment released after his September 16 arrest, Combs is accused of participating in s3xual performances referred to as “Freak Offs,” which allegedly lasted for hours or even days. Prosecutors claim that the 54-year-old “arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded” these events.
He is also accused of distributing various controlled substances to keep the victims “obedient and compliant” and using “force, threats of force, and coercion” to compel victims into extended s3xual acts with male commercial s3x workers.
Combs has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence. He will remain in Brooklyn jail until his trial on May 5.
