Diddy Denied Bail For A Third Time As Judge Cites 'Serious Risk Of Witness Tampering'

Embattled music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has been denied bail for a third time by a judge who claims he poses a serious risk of "witness tampering."

Before the judge's bail decision, the rapper was accused by federal prosecutors of initiating "media campaigns" to influence potential jurors.

Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested on September 16 and was charged with racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

According to reports, Diddy has been denied bail for a third time despite presenting a hefty bail package.

Judge Arun Subramanian made the decision on Wednesday after the rapper's bail hearing last week Friday, noting that Diddy is a risk to the "safety of the community."

"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," Subramanian wrote in his bail ruling, per People Magazine.

The judge further stated that Diddy's release could pose a "serious risk of witness tampering," citing the rapper's alleged numerous attempts to contact an unidentified grand jury witness.

Subramanian also took into account the charges brought against the rapper, weapons seized from his homes during the raids earlier this year, and past alleged acts of violence as part of the reason why Diddy was denied bail.

Before Subramanian's ruling, federal prosecutors had filed a motion that Diddy poses a "serious risk of obstruction, danger, and flight" in a bid to get his fourth bail attempt denied.

They stated that the embattled rapper has attempted to obstruct his sex crimes case by making efforts "to publicly leak materials he views as helpful to his case" and initiating "media campaigns that are, in his own words, aimed at tainting the jury pool."

The filing also alleged that Diddy violated rules prohibiting contact with individuals not on his approved contact list, including witnesses relevant to his case.

Page Six earlier reported that prosecutors accused Diddy of trying to "corruptly influence" his trial by evading how his calls are monitored and "blackmailing victims" from his prison cell.

In a filing, prosecutors claimed Diddy "repeatedly" communicated with others in ways that violated the prison's regulations.

They noted that Diddy had used the telephone accounts of "at least eight other inmates" in an effort to avoid prosecutors monitoring his calls with people who aren't on his contact list.

He also allegedly got the other person on the call, including those on his contact list, to "add other individuals via three-way call."

"This practice is also not authorized by BOP [Federal Bureau of Prisons] as it helps conceal the identities of the contacted individuals," the court documents read. "The defendant's repeated circumvention of BOP regulations—starting almost immediately after arriving at MDC—speaks volumes about his ability to comply with any conditions of release."

In a Monday court filing, Diddy's legal team made a shocking comparison between the rapper's case and ex-president Donald Trump's legal battles in an attempt to secure his release from jail before Thanksgiving.

Diddy's lawyers referenced a ruling from the billionaire businessman's election interference case, highlighting the protection of free speech under the First Amendment.

"Only a significant and imminent threat to the administration of criminal justice will support restricting Mr. Trump's speech," the rapper's lawyers noted per the Daily Mail.

They argued that Diddy has "a greater constitutional claim than other trial participants...to speak out against the prosecution and the criminal trial process that seek to take away his liberty."

The lawyers then urged the court to apply "Trump's heightened standard when considering Mr. Combs' speech here."

Diddy's latest bail package came with a huge figure and heightened restrictions in an attempt to convince the judge to release him.

One strategy the rapper has used is to offer an extremely substantial, comprehensive bail package that supersedes what he offered in his previous attempts.

As part of the recent package, Diddy offered a "$50 million bond secured by the equity in Combs and his mother's Florida homes, implementation of a 24/7 monitoring service by approved security personnel."

The rapper also reportedly included additional conditions, such as prohibiting himself from having "internet or phone access outside of meetings with legal counsel, a pre-approved visitor list consisting of select family members, and surrendered passports belonging to the rapper and his family members."

Unfortunately, none of this was enough to sway the judge in Diddy's favor, hence the rapper's bail request being denied for a third time.