Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers are seeking to have the bail denial overturned

Lawyers for hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs will appear in court on Wednesday to challenge a judge’s decision to deny Mr. Combs bail after he pleaded not guilty in a trafficking case sexual

A New York federal judge remanded the musician into custody on Tuesday after prosecutors argued he was a “serious flight risk.”

Mr. Combs, 54, was arrested Monday night, accused of running a criminal enterprise since at least 2008 that relied on drugs and violence to force women to “satisfy their sexual desires,” according to prosecutors.

A 14-page indictment accuses him of racketeering, forced sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

If convicted on all three counts, the rapper and record producer faces 15 years to life in prison.

He wore a black T-shirt and gray pants during a court appearance Tuesday in Manhattan.

Asked by United States Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky how he wanted to plead, Mr. Combs stood up and said, “not guilty.”

Mr Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, later said the musician’s defense team had already launched an appeal against the bail judge’s decision.

“We believe it with all our hearts,” Mr. Agnifilo told reporters outside the Manhattan courthouse. “He didn’t do those things.”

According to court documents, Mr. Combs “exercised the power” of his position to “lure female victims … to engage in extended sexual acts” called “Freak Offs.”

“During Freak Offs, Combs distributed a variety of controlled substances to the victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant,” the indictment said.

In a news briefing, US Attorney Damian Williams said officials found firearms, ammunition and more than 1,000 bottles of lubricant during raids on Mr. Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles about six months ago.

Mr. Williams said federal agents also found three semi-automatic rifles with defaced serial numbers, and a drum magazine.

He told reporters that more charges were possible, without offering details.

Mr. Agnifilo, the musician’s lawyer, said that “there is no coercion or crime.”

“He is not afraid of the charges,” he said, adding that he believed Mr. Combs was the target of “an unfair prosecution.”

In court documents, federal prosecutors said that Mr. Combs had “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct “.

Prosecutors accuse Mr Combs of “creating a criminal enterprise” whose members – under his direction – engaged in sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson and bribery.

“On numerous occasions,” the documents say, Mr. Combs assaulted the women by “hitting, punching, dragging, throwing objects and kicking.”

The indictment did not specify how many women were alleged victims. It also does not accuse Mr. Combs himself of directly engaging in unwanted sexual acts with women.

The founder of Bad Boy records, who was also known during his career as P. Diddy and Puff Daddy, faced many of the accusations before.

Last November, his ex-girlfriend, singer Casandra Elizabeth Ventura, filed a civil lawsuit against him that included graphic descriptions of violent abuse. He denied the charges, but settled the case a day after it was filed.

In May, Mr. Combs issued a public apology after video footage from a Los Angeles hotel appeared to show him beating Ms. Ventura in a hallway.

Tuesday’s indictment against Mr. Combs alleges similar violence.

Ms. Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, declined to comment on Mr. Combs’ arrest.

The indictment follows a series of sexual assault allegations against Mr Combs, one of the most successful music moguls in rap history.

Four women, including Ms. Ventura, filed lawsuits accusing him of sexual and physical abuse.

In a statement issued last December, Mr Combs defended himself against what he described as “disgusting allegations” made by “individuals looking for a quick payday”.

In June, he returned a ceremonial “Key to the City of New York” at the request of Mayor Eric Adams, who had given him the honor just nine months earlier.

Days later, Howard University announced it was revoking Mr Combs’ 2014 honorary degree.

The musician is credited with helping turn rappers and R&B singers like Usher, Mary J Blige and Notorious BIG into stars in the 1990s and 2000s.