Diddy performs at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in a special one night only event at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on November 07, 2023 in London, England. Credit – Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Sean Diddy Combs
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the music mogul who has been embroiled in multiple legal battles over allegations of physical or sexual abuse, has been indicted on three counts of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs was arrested on Monday night in New York, and the federal indictment was unsealed on Tuesday. The indictment alleges that Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” It accuses Combs of “creating a criminal enterprise” that included sex trafficking, forced labor, and kidnapping, among other crimes.
Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse on Tuesday that Combs would plead not guilty to the charges, the Associated Press reports.
Combs allegedly manipulated women to participate in sexual activity with male sex workers, forcing them to participate by giving them narcotics, controlling their careers, and using violence, among other tactics, according to the indictment. The indictment describes various incidents of alleged abuse dating back to 2008, including one apparent reference to an attack on his ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. Combs’ arrest came after federal agents raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March as part of the investigation, officials confirmed Tuesday.
Since November 2023, Combs has been sued by multiple people who have accused him of abuse, including Cassie, born Casandra Ventura. Ventura and Combs reached a settlement in November, just one day after she filed her lawsuit, although Combs denied the allegations at the time. But in May, CNN released CCTV footage that showed Combs punching and kicking Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016, prompting Combs to release a video statement on Instagram in which he admitted to assaulting Ventura.
Two other women filed lawsuits in November, accusing the music mogul of sexual assault, beatings, and forced drugging in the early 1990s. Another women sued Combs in December, alleging that he and two other men raped her when she was 17 in 2003.
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