The federal judge overseeing Sean Combs’ third bond hearing has pushed back the hearing until next week. Judge Arun Subramanian is considering Combs’ third request for bail after 2 judges previously rejected his $50 million bond proposal.
According to reports, Combs’ attorneys sent a private security firm to his Upper East Side apartment building to install more cameras. Judge Subramanian said in a letter that the bond proposal “does not come close to ensuring the security of the community.”
Combs hoped to be released from jail before Thanksgiving. He reportedly told family members the food in jail gave him indigestion.
In court on Monday, Combs’ lawyers compared the music mogul to his friend President-elect Donald Trump, who was convicted of dozens of crimes before he won re-election.
Trump routinely used social media to speak out against local district attorneys and federal prosecutors. Trump constantly defied gag orders put in place by judges.
Combs’ lawyers said the same standards should apply when it comes to free speech. They said his phone calls from jail fall under freedom of speech.
Combs is accused of using an app banned by the Bureau of Prisons called ContactMeASAP.com. He also allegedly used phone privileges of other inmates to contact people he should not be speaking to.
State prosecutors said Combs should stay in the MDC federal lockup in Brooklyn until his trial in May 2025. They said his release on bond raised concerns about the safety of witnesses and his accusers.
The state cited an alleged “pattern of violence” toward women and his own staff. In their own letter, defense attorneys argued Combs has been unconstitutionally held in jail and silenced since he was first arrested in September.
