Diddy arrested
The music entrepreneur has been under fire when his former girlfriend, Cassie, filed a lawsuit in 2023 accusing him of sex trafficking and years of abuse. Mr. Combs' representatives described him as a "innocent man."
Sean Combs, the music entrepreneur whose career has been rocked by sexual assault lawsuits and a criminal inquiry, was detained at a Manhattan hotel on Monday evening following a grand jury indictment.
The indictment is sealed, and the allegations have not been disclosed, but Mr. Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, believes he is accused with racketeering and sex trafficking.
Mr. Combs' legal team issued a statement expressing disappointment with the decision to prosecute him, noting that he had cooperated with the investigation and "voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges."
"Sean 'Diddy' Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community," according to a statement. "He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal."
Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, stated in a social media post late Monday that "we expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time."
According to Mr. Agnifilo, Mr. Combs was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations personnel around 8:30 p.m. at the Park Hyatt New York on 57th Street. He is anticipated to be kept overnight and arraigned on Tuesday.
Mr. Combs, 54, is the highest-profile figure in the music industry to face criminal charges for sexual misconduct since R. Kelly, the R&B singer who was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for child sex crimes, sex trafficking, and racketeering following trials in New York and Chicago.
Mr. Combs, 54, also known as Diddy and Puff Daddy, was a pivotal figure in hip-hop's global ascent as a commercial force in the 1990s and 2000s, helping to make stars of rappers and R&B singers such as the Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige. However, he has come under heavy public scrutiny when a former lover, Casandra Ventura, filed a complaint against him in November, accusing him of years of sexual and physical abuse.
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Mr. Combs resolved the lawsuit with Ms. Ventura — an R&B singer known as Cassie who was signed to Mr. Combs' record label — in one day and denied all wrongdoing. However, legal pressure intensified over the next nine months, with five lawsuits filed by women alleging sexual assault and three other sexual misconduct suits, all of which Mr. Combs' lawyers are defending in court.
Mr. Combs' legal team said in a statement that "these are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court."
In March, federal investigators raided Mr. Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami Beach, Fla., apprehending him at a Miami-area airport and seizing his computer devices. The authorities made no pronouncements at the time, but a federal official confirmed that the probe was at least partially focused on human trafficking. According to a person familiar with the interviews, federal prosecutors in New York had already examined several witnesses regarding Mr. Combs' sexual misconduct charges.
Mr. Combs has categorically disputed the charges in the civil actions, describing them as "sickening allegations" made by persons looking for "a quick payday." His lawyers have strongly criticized the raids, which saw Homeland Security Investigations agents flashing guns, as a "gross overuse of military-level force."
That tone of defiance transformed after CNN released hotel security film in May showing Mr. Combs physically punching and kicking Ms. Ventura in 2016. Mr. Combs issued an apologetic video on social media, calling his actions "inexcusable" and stating that he had sought professional help.
Mr. Combs, a prolific producer and skilled promoter, helped bring hip-hop to the mainstream through his record label, Bad Boy Entertainment. In the mid-2000s, he also developed a raffish, larger-than-life media persona, throwing celebrity-filled parties and hosting a hit MTV reality competition show, "Making the Band." He also built a rich brand portfolio that included apparel, wine, and the cable TV network Revolt.
Mr. Combs has been accused of violence for decades, but this is the first time he has been subjected to such a thorough inquiry into his actions over the course of several years. In 2001, he was acquitted of gun and bribery charges during a highly publicized trial involving a nightclub incident.
In recent years, he has created a new image, requesting people to call him Love, naming his newest daughter Love, and titling his first solo studio album in 17 years "The Love Album: Off the Grid," which he published independently on a new label, Love Records.
Last year, Mr. Combs was fresh off a wave of favorable publicity around that album and his long career in music when Ms. Ventura filed suit with extensive and troubling allegations spanning more than a decade. Her complaint accused Mr. Combs of sex trafficking, alleging that he forced Ms. Ventura to have sex with male prostitutes in front of him and told her to use websites and escort services to obtain prostitutes for drug-fueled sessions he referred to as "freak offs."
Mr. Combs has decided to settle only Ms. Ventura's claim, while his legal team has fought the rest in court, portraying the charges as bogus stories created to secure settlements.
In court filings, his lawyers stated that a lawsuit alleging him of participating in a gang rape in 2003 had "singlehandedly irreparably damaged" Mr. Combs' reputation based on "rank, uncorroborated allegations." Following a lawsuit in which a male music producer accused Mr. Combs of initiating unwelcome sexual contact with him, a lawyer for Mr. Combs termed the plaintiff a "liar" whose charges were "pure fiction" intended to generate headlines.
Mr. Combs' brand portfolio has deteriorated significantly since the cases were filed.
He sold his position in Revolt as well as his half of DeLeón Tequila, a joint venture with the drinks company Diageo. A New York charter school network has ceased its collaboration with him.
This month, Mr. Combs' property in Los Angeles' ritzy Holmby Hills area, where federal officials conducted a raid in March, was advertised for $61.5 million.
During the #MeToo movement and its aftermath, prosecutors have increasingly used sex trafficking laws to trial sexual assault cases in federal court. Mr. Kelly's first conviction stemmed from charges of racketeering and violating the Mann Act, an anti-sex trafficking law.
Homeland Security Investigations, which frequently handles sex trafficking charges, oversaw the investigation into Mr. Combs. The March raids were announced to the world via television news footage of agents converging on Mr. Combs' sprawling Los Angeles mansion and carrying out electronics; the mother of one of his sons later shared footage of agents pointing guns at Justin and Christian Combs while they were detained inside their father's home.
Since then, federal prosecutors have remained silent, quietly serving subpoenas on prospective witnesses while building their case against Mr. Combs.
Mr. Combs' brand portfolio has deteriorated significantly since the cases were filed.
He sold his position in Revolt as well as his half of DeLeón Tequila, a joint venture with the drinks company Diageo. A New York charter school network has ceased its collaboration with him.
This month, Mr. Combs' property in Los Angeles' ritzy Holmby Hills area, where federal officials conducted a raid in March, was advertised for $61.5 million.
During the #MeToo movement and its aftermath, prosecutors have increasingly used sex trafficking laws to trial sexual assault cases in federal court. Mr. Kelly's first conviction stemmed from charges of racketeering and violating the Mann Act, an anti-sex trafficking law.
Homeland Security Investigations, which frequently handles sex trafficking charges, oversaw the investigation into Mr. Combs. The March raids were announced to the world via television news footage of agents converging on Mr. Combs' sprawling Los Angeles mansion and carrying out electronics; the mother of one of his sons later shared footage of agents pointing guns at Justin and Christian Combs while they were detained inside their father's home.