NEW YORK — A judge declined Wednesday to set Sean “Diddy” Combs free on bond to await sentencing in his sex crimes case.
The bond decision came after a jury convicted one of hip-hop’s celebrated figures of federal prostitution-related offenses but acquitted him of sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Combs, 55, sat stoic, hands at his lap, as he heard the bond decision. He has been behind bars since his arrest in September.
The Grammy-winning impresario stands convicted of two counts of a crime – transportation to engage in prostitution – that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. But jurors cleared him of charges that could have put him behind bars for life.
His lawyers argued that the acquittal on those counts changed the legal landscape enough that he should be freed on $1 million bond. Prosecutors said he remained a flight risk.
Judge Arun Subramanian said