Diddy wants out

SEAN “Diddy” Combs has formally requested release from federal custody, months before his scheduled sentencing on October 3. 

In a motion filed on Tuesday, July 29, Combs’ legal team is seeking a $50 million bond to secure his release until sentencing, arguing that the music mogul poses neither a flight risk nor a danger to the public. 

The filing proposes several conditions for his release, including home confinement at his Miami mansion, strict travel restrictions and participation in mental health and substance abuse treatment programmes. 

His attorneys emphasised that Diddy is willing to surrender his passport, remain under supervision and only travel within Florida and New York for court-related matters.

According to the motion, Combs’ lead attorney Marc Agnifilo argued that the conditions inside the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn - where Diddy has been held since his September 2024 arrest - are “dangerous and inhumane.” 

Agnifilo also noted that many individuals convicted of comparable offences are typically released before sentencing.

“Sean Combs should not be in jail for this conduct,” the attorney stated. “In fact, he may be the only person currently incarcerated in the US for being a john - and certainly the only one jailed for hiring adult male escorts for himself and his partner.”

Diddy was acquitted earlier this month of more serious charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering, but was found guilty on two counts of violating the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting individuals across state lines for illicit purposes.

The convictions relate to his use of private transportation services to fly adult male sex workers for personal engagements. 

The defence contends that Combs’ actions, including his widely publicised “freak-off” parties and unconventional relationships, have been mischaracterised. They argue that the behaviour in question took place between consenting adults and should not be grounds for incarceration.