Sean “Diddy” Combs walked into a New York City court room Friday, Nov. 22 hoping a judge will grant him an early release on bail. With this marking the third time Diddy has tried to get bail, there’s a lot at stake for the disgraced Hip-Hop mogul facing sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
A judge is expected to rule on the matter sometime this week. If Combs is released, this means he’ll be spending the holiday season with his family. According to his lawyers, Diddy is set to stay in a three-bedroom Manhattan apartment until his trial begins next year if released. If not, all that’ll be on Diddy’s Thanksgiving dinner plate are peanut butter sandwiches and chips in his jail cell, according to TMZ.
But here’s the issue... even though Combs has been in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his September indictment, there’s been ongoing concerns about potential witness tampering. Matter of fact, that’s partly why he was denied bond the first two times.
Prosecutors say Combs has made “relentless efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse who could provide powerful testimony against him.” Although his attorneys deny this, it’ll be up to Judge Arun Subramanian to decide Diddy’s fate this time.
During Friday’s two-hour bail hearing, Judge Subramanian told both the U.S. Attorney’s office and the defense to gather more details on the matter in which Combs has been communicating from his jail cell, according to PEOPLE. Both sides had to submit this information by 12 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25 for the judge to make his decision.
In addition to putting up $50 million for bail, Diddy would also have to follow strict protocols ahead of his trail. Now, we must wait and see what the judge comes up with. His decision is expected some time this week.