The bond hearing for Sean “Diddy” Combs following his conviction on two Mann Act charges was as contentious, unpredictable, and chaotic as the rest of the mogul’s nearly two-month-long federal trial — not least because of the man who had a seizure outside the courtroom immediately after it ended, sparking a 911 call from court personnel.
The hearing, originally scheduled for 1 p.m. on Wednesday (June 2), was pushed back for hours as the scene outside the courthouse turned into a party. Combs entered Judge Subramanian’s courtroom a few minutes after 5 p.m. to a packed gallery, full of an extra row of friends and family, including six of his children and his mother, Janice. Combs was attempting to be released on bond until his sentencing, while the government opposed the effort.
The judge entered the room at 5:16, and wasted almost no time announcing that bail was denied.
His reasoning was twofold. First, he said, barring exceptional circumstances, it was required by law that Combs be incarcerated until he is sentenced. Second, he continued, even if that wasn’t the case, the mogul could not prove, as required, that he wouldn’t be a danger to anyone.
“At trial, defense conceded the defendant’s violence in his personal relationships,” Subramanian said, referring specifically to Combs’ assault of Cassie Ventura at the Intercontinental Hotel in 2016; his attack on Jane Doe in June 2024, and a violent incident involving Cassie Ventura at the London Hotel in the late 2000s — all events his defense team conceded, at least in some form, during trial.
Subramanian said that the type of temper-instigated, interpersonal violence Combs engaged in would be “impossible to police with [bond] conditions.”
When it came to the incident with Jane, which happened at a time when the mogul knew he was already under federal investigation, Subramanian said the attack showed “disregard for the rule of law and a propensity for violence.”
While discussing the Jane incident, Combs’ lead attorney Marc Agnifilo said that the mogul was just defending himself.
“She attacked him first,” he declared.
He then revealed that Combs, before his September 2024 arrest, had attended meetings of what Agnifilo called a “batterer’s program” — Urban Resource Institute.
Agnifilo, in a long address to the judge, attempted to change his mind, and also asked for an expedited sentencing date. (The judge initially set it for Friday, October 3). The attorney pointed out that it is rare, if not unprecedented, for the person found guilty in a Mann Act case to be someone who received money in exchange for sex, not a “user of prostitution.”
Agnifilo continued singing the praises of his client, calling him “a man who is in the process of working on himself.”
“He did everything our justice system expects of him,” the lawyer continued. “I’m asking you to trust him, judge.”
Lead prosecutor Maureen Comey vehemently objected to Agnifilo’s attempt to win Combs’ freedom in advance of sentencing. She was contemptuous of the attorney’s effort to argue that the Bad Boy head’s case involved exceptional circumstances.
“The only thing exceptional about this defendant is his wealth, his brazenness, and his violence,” she retorted. She also called Agnifilo’s characterization of the Jane attack as self-defense “insulting.”
Subramanian was unswayed by Agnifilo’s efforts, and reiterated that Combs would be held in jail until sentencing. A hearing to settle details about the sentencing will be held remotely on Tuesday (July 8).
After the hearing ended, Agnifilo talked to the mogul’s friends and family, who met him with exclamations of, “Great work, Marc.”
As Combs left the courtroom and began the journey back to federal jail, he addressed his supporters.
“Love y’all,” he said. “I feel good. Stay in the light. See y’all when I get out.”
