Hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and other charges in a New York federal court on Tuesday.
He has been accused of running a criminal enterprise that relied on drugs and violence to force women to “fulfill his sexual desires”, according to prosecutors.
Mr Combs appeared in court after he was arrested on Monday evening in New York, roughly six months after federal agents raided his residences in Miami and Los Angeles.
The 14-page indictment, released on Tuesday morning, charged Mr Combs with racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Prosecutors have asked the judge to keep Mr Combs in custody until trial begins, arguing that he could be “a serious” flight risk.
Mr Combs’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside court on Tuesday that he was “disappointed” with the indictment. He said Mr Combs is the target of “an unjust prosecution”.
“His spirits are good. He’s confident,” Mr Agnifilo said.
In court documents, federal prosecutors said that Mr Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct”.
Prosecutors accused Mr Combs of “creating a criminal enterprise” whose members – under his direction – engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery.
“On numerous occassions”, the documents said, Mr Combs assaulted women by “striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking them”.
Mr Combs has faced many of the accusations before.
In late December, Mr Combs’s then-girlfriend, singer Casandra Elizabeth Ventura, filed a civil lawsuit against Combs that included graphic descriptions of violent abuse. He denied the accusations and settled the case a day after suit was filed.
However, in May, Combs released a public apology after video footage from a Los Angeles hotel appeared to show him beating Ms Ventura in the hallway.
The recent indictment against Mr Combs accuses him of similar violence with additional details about his intimate behaviours and relationships.
Ms Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, declined to comment on Mr Combs’s arrest.
According to court documents, Combs “wielded the power” of his status to “lure female victims… to engage in extended sex acts” called “Freak Offs”.
“During Freak Offs, Combs distributed a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant,” the indictment said.
In a press briefing after the indictment was unsealed, US prosecutor Damian Williams said officials found firearms, ammunition and more than 1,000 bottles of lubricant during the raids on Mr Combs’s homes.
Mr Williams said federal agents also found three semi-automatic rifles with defaced serial numbers, and a drum magazine.
Mr Williams told reporters that further charges were not off the table, but he did not offer specific details.
The charges follow a string of sexual assault allegations against Mr Combs, one of the most successful music moguls in the history of rap.
Four women, including Ms Ventura, have filed lawsuits accusing him of sexual and physical abuse.
In a statement issued last December, Mr Combs defended himself against what he described as “sickening allegations” made by “individuals looking for a quick payday”.
His reputation has taken a hit, however.
In June, Mr Combs returned a ceremonial “Key to the City of New York”, given to him by Mayor Eric Adams just nine months prior.
Days later, Howard University announced it was revoking Mr Combs’s 2014 honorary degree.
Source Agencies
