Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, is clarifying recent reports that the disgraced music mogul has been placed on suicide watch in prison.
This course of action is routine procedure for “new, high-profile inmates,” the attorney told TMZ in a statement on Friday, September 20. Diddy, 54, is “not at all suicidal,” Agnifilo added, noting that he’s “strong, healthy, confident and focused on his defense.”
Diddy will remain in jail pending his trial, a New York judge ruled on September 17, denying the rapper bail. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
People was first to report on Thursday, September 19, that Diddy was placed on suicide watch in jail. The publication did not speculate on his mental state while behind bars but did refer to his status as a preventative measure.
A Timeline of Diddy’s Legal Troubles, Accusations and Arrests
The musician was arrested and taken into custody on September 16. Diddy allegedly “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him,” a 14-page indictment released the following day revealed. He has since pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Marc Agnifilo
One of the most shocking parts of the indictment was the detailed description of “Freak Offs,” which were allegedly sex parties, often held in hotel rooms, hosted by Diddy and his business associates. The group would allegedly “lure female victims” into rooms “often under the pretense of a romantic relationship” where Diddy would allegedly use “force, threats of force and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.”
Diddy’s attorney, Agnifilo, has since stated that his client will be found innocent of all charges once the case goes to trial.
Breaking Down the 5 Most Shocking Claims From Diddy’s 14-Page Indictment
“He’s innocent. I believe he’s innocent. I believe he’s innocent of the charges,” the lawyer said during an appearance on CNN’s The Source With Kaitlan Collins on September 17. “He is going to go to trial. And I believe he’s going to win.”
A trial date for Diddy has not yet been set, Deadline reported earlier this week.
Agnifilo also shared during an arraignment hearing on September 17 that Diddy is getting “treatment and therapy for things that most respectfully he needs treatment and therapy for.” It’s unclear why exactly he’s being treated.
“Mr. Combs is not a perfect person,” Agnifilo added. “There’s been drug use, there’s been toxic relationships – which I think were mutual in their toxicity as these things often are.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).