Sean 'Diddy' Combs will stay in jail after second judge denies bail over witness tampering concerns

Hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs on Wednesday lost another bid to get out of jail pending his trial on charges he forced women to engage in drug-fueled sex parties through blackmail and threats of violence.

After a nearly two-hour hearing, Manhattan federal Judge Andrew Carter determined that "no condition or set of conditions" would protect the victims or the community at large from the billionaire business owner "or ensure he won’t obstruct justice."

"I’m denying bail," the judge told Combs, the architect of a sprawling music, liquor and entertainment empire.

On Tuesday, the Harlem-born founder of Bad Boy Records, which produced mega stars like the late Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige, pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of using the significant resources of his global business empire since 2008 to hold "Freak Offs" — dayslong, drug-fueled orgies in which he enlisted women with whom he had a romantic attachment to have sex with male prostitutes.

Combs was indicted for racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted.

The recording star entered the courtroom Wednesday dressed in the same black T-shirt, tan sweatpants and high-tops that he wore Tuesday. He touched his chest, kissed his hand and pointed to family members in the audience before touching his chest again.

In a 15-page bail application, defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo echoed many of the same arguments he made the day before during his client's arraignment.

Combs attorneys assured the judge that he would be under "24-hour, seven days a week" surveillance by a newly hired security agency. Combs and his attorney proposed that he would not have access to cellphones or a computer and have limited contact with his employees. Visitors would be limited to relatives and house staff. He also agreed to surrender his passport and those of family members. A plane owned by Combs has also been put up for sale, Agnifilo said, to alleviate the threat of flight.

Federal prosecutors again referred to a March 2016 video from a hotel hallway, in which Combs was recorded beating and kicking a former girlfriend, as an example of the mogul's aggression toward one of the victims and an overall issue with anger-control.

"He has a problem with drug addiction and he has a problem with anger," Agnifilo told the judge of Combs, before adding that the relationship with the former girlfriend was mutually toxic.

The defense lawyer also sought to dismiss the accusations around the "Freak Offs" as part of Combs outré sexual appetite.

"The sex and the violence were totally separate," Agnifilo said. "The way that the couple chose to be intimate was to bring a third person in — not only was it with consent, it was sought after."

The judge questioned how to explain the violence seen in the hotel video.

"What’s love got to do with hitting her — kicking her?" Carter said. "What’s love got to do with that?"

In acknowledging that sex workers were employed to gratify Combs' sexual needs, the judge also asked if Agnifilo wasn’t conceding one count of the charges.

"If someone is a sex worker and that person is paid to cross state lines, isn’t that a problem regarding count three of the indictment?" the judge asked.

Combs' new residence in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn is a far cry from his Miami Beach home. Agnifilo said the jail has had a host of issues, including the recent killing of an inmate.

Agnifilo asked the judge to recommend his client be housed in an Essex County, New Jersey lockup.

The lawyer said that while he would seek to take the case to trial as soon as possible, he also vowed to appeal Carter's denial of bail.

"He believes he's innocent," Anifilo said. "I believe he's innocent, and we're going to fight this case."