One of hip-hop’s richest and acclaimed artists, Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs, has been plunged into legal hot water.
The 54-year-old music icon was cuffed last week in New York and faces accusations of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and involvement in prostitution. Throughout the previous year, multiple individuals have hauled him to court alleging he committed physical or sexual harm, including his ex-flame, RandB singer Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Elizabeth Ventura.
Ventura has lobbed charges against Combs for alleged rape and prolonged mistreatment that reportedly kicked off when she was just 19. In the face of these claims, Diddy ‘vehemently denied’ them last year and has maintained a not guilty plea to the federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges levelled against him, reports the Mirror.
Speaking outside the court on September 17, his solicitor Marc Agnifilo stated: “Mr Combs is a fighter, he’s going to fight this to the end. He’s innocent. He came to New York to establish his innocence. He’s not afraid, he’s not afraid of the charges.”
Here are the allegations against the 54-year-old music mogul in full.
Searches of Estates
The crisis deepened for the US record producer as Homeland Security made their presence felt at his properties in Beverly Hills, California, and Miami, Florida. The two abodes owned by Diddy were subjected to raids by officers in March, with security personnel donning weapons at the ready as they engaged those present.
Authorities seized over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, three AR-15 rifles, and narcotics during searches of Diddy’s homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March 2024, according to grand jury indictment documents obtained by The Mirror.
Diddy’s lawyer, Aaron Dyer, released a statement at the time, saying: “Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”
He added: “This unprecedented ambush – paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence – leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits. There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
‘Freak offs’ and tapes
At the time of the busts, sensational claims were made about Diddy’s clandestine “freak off” gatherings. These raucous soirees reportedly featured contraband drugs, covert cameras, sex trade professionals, and underage females.
Reports suggest that rooms in Diddy’s Miami estate were seemingly allocated “dedicated to sex”, equipped with cameras throughout.
Allegations have surfaced that these parties, described by Diddy as “freak offs”, involved drugged individuals, “either barely legal, or barely illegal women”, compelled into sexual acts with hired men.
The indictment further claimed that during these events, Diddy supposedly “hit, kicked, threw objects at, and dragged victims, at times, by their hair,” inflicting “victims to physical, emotional, and verbal abuse to coerce them into engaging in Freak Offs.”
It is alleged Combs and victims received intravenous fluids to recover.
A purported insider tip to The New York Post alleges that Diddy would often spectate the escapades from a separate chamber. “He also was able to watch the action remotely on his phone, cast it onto a TV in another part of the house. He didn’t have to be in the room when the sex was happening, although he frequently was,” the source described.
According to this police informant, the 54-year-old reportedly retained recordings of the “sensitive, embarrassing and incriminating” liaisons as leverage “as collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims”.
Forced labour and kidnapping
The indictment unleashed a flurry of serious accusations against the singer, asserting that he abused, threatened, and manipulated individuals to satisfy his sexual urges, safeguard his notoriety, and hide his actions.
It suggests that he relied on the manpower, resources, and clout of his flourishing business empire to run a criminal operation, where members participated in or attempted a litany of offences including sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.
Racketeering and abuse
Racketeering and exploitation charges have hit the musician hard with the initial count being racketeering conspiracy. The charge sheet accuses him of decades-long misconduct, detailing: “For decades, the defendant abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”
Reports of verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse date back as far as 2008 according to the document.
Allegedly commanding his underlings, the music star organised for women and professional escorts to be flown to wherever Diddy was. The papers claim that Combs guaranteed cooperation from the women by various means, including handing out drugs, wielding control over their careers, threatening to withdraw financial support, and using force and fear tactics.
Victim transportation is another aspect of the indictment’s grim portrait.
The document alleges that from around 2009 to 2024, Diddy knowingly transported an individual across state and international borders with the intention of them engaging in prostitution. It is further claimed that he facilitated the transportation of female victims and commercial sex workers on several occasions with the same intent.
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