A federal judge has denied rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs bail for the third time, ahead of his trial for sex trafficking crimes.

Since the rapper's September arrest in New York, Combs' lawyers had requested that he be released on $50 million bond and monitored in his New York apartment on the Upper East Side, where he would pay for constant security monitor.

District Judge Arun Subramanian denied the request in a Wednesday ruling, on the grounds that Combs would pose a "risk to witness tampering."

Subramanian wrote in his ruling:

“The Court finds that the government has shown by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure the safety of the community."

Prosecutors argued that if released, Combs would continue attempts to tamper with the case, citing the rap mogul's "relentless efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse who could provide powerful testimony against him."

In a recent court filing, prosecutors accused Combs of misusing jail communications by attempting to arrange three-way calls and buying other inmates' phone privileges while he remained in a Brooklyn jail, in an attempt to influence witnesses and coerce allies to sway public opinion and strengthen his defense through social media.

“The defendant has demonstrated an uncanny ability to get others to do his bidding — employees, family members, and M.D.C. inmates alike.”

Prosecutors alleged that the Bad Boy Records owner also used a third-party communications service, sending hundreds of text messages through ContactMeASAP, to contact "unauthorized" individuals.

While several of the prosecutors' claims in their filing have since been redacted, they cited a call made to one of his sons as an instance that "provides the clear inference that the defendant’s goal is to blackmail victims and witnesses either into silence or providing testimony helpful to his defense."

Prosecutors alleged that Combs has encouraged his sons to use social media to sway public opinion, including an Instagram video posted by his son, Justin, featuring his children singing happy birthday to their imprisoned father, who turned 55 on 4 November, over the phone.

Prosecutors claimed that Combs "monitored" the Instagram post's analytics and engagement from jail as well as "explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video had his desired effect on potential jury members in this case."

Combs was indicted in September on incidents the rapper refers to as "freak-offs," with prosecutors alleging that Combs used his influence and business empire to abuse women.

"The 'Freak Offs' sometimes lasted days at a time, involved multiple commercial sex workers, and often involved a variety of narcotics, such as ketamine, ecstasy, and GHB, which Combs distributed to the victims to keep them obedient and compliant," said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.

"In addition to the violence, the indictment alleges that Combs threatened and coerced victims to get them to participate in the freak-offs. He used the embarrassing and sensitive recordings he made of the freak-offs as collateral against the victims. And the indictment alleges that he maintained control over the victims in several ways including by giving them drugs, by giving and threatening to take away financial support or housing, by promising them career opportunities, by monitoring their whereabouts, and even by dictating their physical appearance because of all of this, the indictment alleges that the victims did not believe they could refuse Combs without risking their security or facing more abuse."

Two previous requests for bail were denied, with judges citing concerns of witness tampering in their decisions.

Williams added that authorities "seized evidence" of the incidents at a conference, including "electronic devices that contain images and videos of the freak-offs with multiple victims... cases and cases of the kinds of personal lubricant and baby oil that Combs’ staff allegedly used to stock hotel rooms for the freak off," surmounting to over "1,000 bottles altogether."

Combs, in his indictment, is charged with "one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison; and transportation for purposes of prostitution, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison."

An investigation into Combs took off when the rapper's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, came forward in November 2023 with a 35-page lawsuit alleging years of physical and sexual abuse, coercion, and sexual trafficking, including over a decade of forced participation in the rapper's "freak-offs."

Ventura addressed the lawsuit in an Instagram post, asking readers to "open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Casandra Fine (@cassie)

Combs' trial is scheduled for May 2025.