Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles - October 30, 2023 - Source: Getty — Judge denies Diddy's third bail request (Image via Hollywood To You/Star Max/GC Images)

Did Diddy get bail? Judge halts rapper's $50 million bail hearing on November 22

Modified Nov 22, 2024 22:57 GMT

Sean "Diddy" Combs didn't get the bail he'd been asking for some time now as the judge postponed the decision until next week. The rapper has been pushing to get out of jail on bail as he awaits his s*x trafficking trial scheduled on May 5, 2025. He appeared in his third bail hearing on Friday, November 22, 2024, at 2:00 pm ET, but didn't get the good news he's been hoping for.

Combs entered the courtroom in his tan inmate uniform but was unshackled. Diddy, along with his lawyers, proposed a $50 million bail, secured by his mansion in Miami Beach, which his attorneys mentioned is worth around $48 million.

Two previous judges have denied the bail requests, deeming him a flight risk. And on Friday, his lawyers made a case that if he gets out on bail, he would be held in a "restrictive" environment. His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, painted a picture of what Diddy's security would be, saying:

"There'd be two security guards in the apartment and one downstairs, so a total of three. No access to phones or the internet, except, for calls with counsel arranged by the security personnel. This is more restrictive than in the [Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn]."

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However, after an almost 2-hour hearing, US District Judge Arun Subramanian said he needed more time to consider whether to release the rapper ahead of his trial. Sean "Diddy" Combs will remain in the notoriously rough MDC Brooklyn where he's been held for several weeks now, as he awaits the judge's decision coming next week.

Prosecutors accused Diddy of blackmailing witnesses from jail before getting denied in a third bail request

On the Friday hearing, US District Judge Arun Subramanian postponed deciding on whether to release Diddy from MDC Brooklyn while awaiting his trial next year. Besides saying that he needs more time to consider his decision, he also told both the defense team and the US Attorney's office that he wants clarification about how the rapper has been communicating behind bars.

The judge's request was in line with the federal prosecutor's accusation that Combs has been contacting and blackmailing witnesses from jail. A week prior to his third bail request hearing, on November 15, prosecutors filed a motion claiming that Diddy contacted people who were not on his approved contact list.

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In the court documents, the prosecutors accused him of using telephone access codes, aka PAC numbers, to contact potential witnesses. If proven true, the motion noted that it violates the Bureau of Prisons regulations and will also "corruptly influence witness testimony" in Diddy's case. The prosecutors gave several examples backing their allegation, including the October 4 call he made to one of his adult sons. They argue that:

"[It] provides the clear inference that the defendant's goal is to blackmail victims and witnesses either to silence or providing testimony helpful to his defense."

They also noted that he called his family on his birthday, alleging that he had them launch a social media campaign to help sway the jury's decision on their side.

Per the details on the Friday hearing, both the defense and feds team have until November 25, 2024, 12 pm ET to submit all information the presiding judge has requested.