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Niamh Shackleton
Sean 'Diddy' Combs will remain behind bars until his October sentencing, a judge has ruled.
Combs has been behind bars since his September arrest. He faced federal charges of coercing girlfriends into having drug-fuelled sex marathons with male sex workers while he watched and filmed them.
He was acquitted last month of the top charges – racketeering and sex trafficking – while being convicted of two counts of a prostitution-related offence.
The conviction carries the potential for up to 10 years in prison, meaning that Combs could find himself behind bars until he's in his 70s. But there are complicated federal guidelines for calculating sentences in any given case, and prosecutors and Combs’ lawyers disagree substantially on how the guidelines come out for his case.
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The guidelines are not mandatory, and Judge Arun Subramanian will have wide latitude in deciding Combs’ punishment.
During his weeks-long trial prosecutors claimed he used his fame, wealth, and violence to force and manipulate two now-ex-girlfriends into days-long, drugged-up sexual performances he called 'freak-offs'.
In contrast, his lawyers argued that the government tried to criminalise consensual, if unconventional, sexual tastes that played out in complicated relationships. The defence acknowledged that Combs had violent outbursts but said nothing he did came amounted to the crimes with which he was charged.
Combs' legal team have tried several times to have the rapper released on bail, but their latest efforts have proven unsuccessful once more.
Per court records, Judge Subramanian ruled that Combs doesn't prove that he is not a flight risk and that there's are no 'exceptional reasons' to justify his release.
"As for risk of flight or danger, Combs fails to meet his burden by clear and convincing evidence for the reasons set forth on the record at the July 2, 2025, hearing. Increasing the amount of the bond or devising additional conditions doesn’t change the calculus given the circumstances and heavy burden of proof that Combs bears," the judge penned.
"Even if the flight-or-danger requirement was satisfied, there are no 'exceptional reasons' warranting a departure from what Congress has required," the documents adds.
Exceptional reasons are defined as 'a unique combination of circumstances giving rise to situations that are out of the ordinary'.
Aside from the judge's recent ruling, prosecutors have long opposed releasing the music mogul. They wrote that his 'extensive history of violence — and his continued attempt to minimise his recent violent conduct – demonstrates his dangerousness and that he is not amendable to supervision'.