lawyer Sean “Daddy” Combs The appeal against a judge’s decision to refuse bail said the “sensationalism” of the case led the judge to rule based on “purely speculative” concerns about witnesses’ implications.
In opening briefs filed late Tuesday, the rapper’s lawyers urged the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to grant him bail, the third time they have secured his release from a Brooklyn jail while awaiting trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges. try.
Combs’ attorneys argued that lower judges relied on “exaggerated rhetoric” and “conjecture” in ruling that Combs posed a flight risk and could threaten witnesses.
“The sensationalism surrounding his arrest has distorted bail analysis,” wrote Alexandra AE Shapiro and Jason A. Driscoll. “Mr. Coombs is presumed innocent … and offered a bail package that would apparently prevent him from posing a danger to anyone or contacting any witnesses.
Combs, also known as Diddy and Diddy, was once one of the most powerful men in the music industry. But last month, he was charged by federal prosecutors with sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery. If convicted of all charges, he could face life in prison.
Prosecutors allege Combs ran a massive criminal enterprise designed to satisfy his need for “sexual gratification.” The charges detail “bizarre behavior” by Combs and others who allegedly provided drugs to victims and then forced them to have sex with male sex workers, as well as alleged acts of violence and intimidation to silence the victims. .
“For decades, Sean Combs … abused, threatened and coerced the women and others around him to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” prosecutors wrote in the indictment. “To do this, Combs relies on the employees, resources and influence of the multifaceted business empire he leads and controls. “
One day after the indictment was unsealed, Judge Andrew L. Carter The rapper was denied bail. Combs’ legal team has proposed a $50 million bail and strict monitoring that would allow him to remain under house arrest at his Miami mansion.
But Carter, who has since been replaced by another judge, ruled that Coombs must remain at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal correctional facility long criticized for dysfunctional and dangerous conditions, until trial. He was swayed by prosecutors’ arguments that, if Coombs was released, he could use his considerable wealth and power to pressure witnesses and hinder the government’s investigation of the case.
In Tuesday’s briefing, Combs’ attorneys argued there was little hard evidence to support that conclusion. They said the government’s warning was based on “unsubstantiated accusations” from contacts with witnesses involved in the civil lawsuit against him, as well as his public denials of some of the accusations.
“The Bail Reform Act and the Constitution’s liberty protections — not to mention the First Amendment — will be meaningless if denying a civil plaintiff’s allegations can justify pretrial detention,” he said. the lawyer wrote.
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