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Rapper 'Diddy' Combs denied multimillion-dollar bail after pleading not guilty to sex trafficking charges

The mogul proposed a $50 million bail as part of a legal offer made by his team on Tuesday, but a judge rejected it.

El rapero Sean 'Diddy' Combs permanecerá bajo custodia

Rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs to Remain in CustodyAngela Weiss / AFP

Manhattan Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky denied bail to rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, whose legal team proposed an offer of $50 million as part of a bail package rejected Tuesday.

The bail rejection comes after Combs pleaded not guilty to several charges, including conspiracy to commit racketeering and sex trafficking. The case sent the music mogul straight into the eye of the storm following a brutal federal indictment against him, which was unsealed in New York.

According to Judge Tarnofsky, the weight of the evidence against the rapper is so significant that there were "no conditions" she could impose on Combs to secure his arraignment and bail.

In her rationale for denying bail, the judge detailed that sex trafficking is a crime that is committed behind closed doors and that it would be difficult to monitor the rapper even with pretrial monitoring services.

Tarnofsky said she evaluated other alternatives to detention, but all of them she considered insufficient for the case. As a result, the rapper will remain in custody, at least for the time being.

Combs' team will appeal

Combs' legal team announced it would appeal the judge's decision, promising they would clear the rapper's name.

"Mr. Combs is a fighter. He's going to fight this to the end," his lawyer said outside the courthouse after the arraignment. "He's innocent. He came to New York to establish his innocence. He's not afraid. He's not afraid of the charges."

"There's nothing that the government said in their presentation today that changes anyone's mind about anything. He's been looking forward to this day. He's been looking forward to clearing his name. And he's going to clear his name. And we're going to stand by his side as as he does. We believe in him wholeheartedly. He didn't do these things," he stressed.

The U.S. district attorney's office asked the judge to deny Combs' bail before his arraignment, arguing that the singer poses a possible flight risk.

Specifically, the prosecution feared that Diddy could obstruct justice or threaten witnesses. This could alter the legal battle in a case where the singer is accused of coercing and sexually abusing several victims.

The prosecution pointed to the singer's alleged history of violence and his alleged pattern of abuse to argue in its petition that no bail condition could address these potential problems. The judge ultimately sided with prosecutors.

According to Fox News Digital, Combs' bail proposal had been quite generous, offering $50,000,000 and surrendering of his passport, which had been in his lawyer's possession since last April 1.

His mother, Janice, and his children Chance, Jessie, D'Lila and Love Combs also surrendered their passports as part of the bail proposal.

"Mr. Combs' travel will be restricted to the Southern District of Florida and the Southern District of New York (to attend Court, meet with his counsel, and attend medical appointments, which we will address to the Court in a separate, sealed, submission) as well as the Eastern District of New York or the District of New Jersey (only to the extent that his travel to and from New York involves an airport in those Districts)," the proposal cited by Fox News Digital read.

In the proposal, Combs' legal team also promised that the singer would not visit any state where his private plane, which is for sale but has not yet been purchased, was parked.

"Obviously Mr. Combs agrees to not go to any state – in this case, New Jersey – in which his airplane is located pending its sale, which is actively being pursued," the proposal read.

The disturbing indictment against Combs

This Tuesday, prosecutors unveiled the harsh and disturbing indictment against Combs.

According to authorities, the rapper ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global.

Prosecutors said Combs used "firearms, threats of violence, coercion, and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse," to satisfy his sexual desires.

In particular, they noted that the rapper and his employees would "intimidate, threaten, and lure female victims into Comb's orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship. Combs allegedly then used force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs referred to as, among other things, 'Freak Offs.'"

At a press conference, Prosecutor Damian Williams affirmed that his office will work to prosecute anyone, regardless of status, who engages in sex trafficking.

"Now I want to be clear about two things. First, this office is determined to investigate and prosecute anyone who engages in sex trafficking, no matter how powerful or wealthy or famous you may be," the prosecutor said. "No one should doubt our commitment on that."

"Second, we are not done. This investigation is ongoing, and I encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly," he stated.

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