A federal judge has pushed a decision to release Sean Combs on bail Friday to next week.
In a nearly two hour long hearing, Judge Arun Subramanian went back and forth with counsel on the potential parameters for Combs’ release. His team initially put forth his home on Star Island in Florida, which they say only has one way in and out but has a dock, which the judge found objectionable. They also offered a three-bedroom Upper East Side apartment, where they said he’d be monitored by 24/7 security including two guards inside the apartment and one downstairs. The defense says that private security team, paid by Combs, would monitor his internet access and all of is communication.
The prosecution told the judge he could not trust Combs to follow the rules counsel laid out, considering they believe he continues to break them while inside jail.
The defense also brought up the now infamous tape showing him beating and kicking his then girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. Combs’ counsel accused the prosecution of trying to mislead the Court by submitting an edited version. They also say the video has nothing to do with the case because it just depicts a domestic dispute between two people in a relationship. The government contended that the video shows the breadth of Combs’ violent streak. They also maintain the video’s relevance because they say there was a male sex worker in the hotel room engaging in “freak offs.”
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Combs had his jail cell raided recently and investigators confiscated folders and legal pads his team deems part of attorney-client privilege. The initially said the items were marked “legal,” despite the word not appearing in photographs or the submission. His team walked back the idea Friday, stating they are not sure exactly when the word “legal” was added to the items.
Nearly a dozen members of Combs’ family, including his children, sat in the courtroom Friday. Combs looked thrilled to see them, waving and blowing kisses as he entered in a tan jumpsuit.
