Sean “Diddy” Combs has been indicted on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering as he allegedly hit and abused women for over a decade.
The rapper-turned music mogul, 54, was arrested by officers at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York, yesterday.
The indictment detailed allegations dating to 2009 and accused Combs of abusing, threatening and coercing women for years “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct”.
He is accused of inducing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes days-long sexual performances dubbed “Freak Offs” in the indictment.
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse on Tuesday morning that Combs would plead not guilty and that he would “fight like hell” to try to get his client released from custody.
Combs, formerly known as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, was recognised as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop until November, when former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, filed a lawsuit saying he had beaten and raped her for years.
Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fuelled settings.
The suit was settled in one day but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her on a floor.
After the video aired, Combs apologised, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it.”
Combs has faced several civil lawsuits by women and men who accused him of sexual assault and other misconduct.
His lawyers have been fighting those cases in court. Federal agents raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami
Beach, Florida six months ago.
Singer Dawn Richard, formerly of Danity Kane, last week accused Combs in a lawsuit of sexual assault, battery, sex
trafficking, gender discrimination and fraud.
Read more:
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs abuse allegations: A timeline of key events
Cassie breaks silence after video showed Diddy attacking her
Combs’ son, King, at the United States Court in Manhattan.
Pic: Reuters
A Michigan judge this month ordered Combs to pay $100 million to Derrick Lee Smith, who said Combs drugged and
sexually assaulted him at a party almost 30 years ago, after Combs failed to show up to defend himself in court.
A lawyer for Combs said he would seek to dismiss that judgment.
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Combs has also rejected claims in a February sex trafficking lawsuit by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, who Combs employed as a producer on his 2023 release “The Love Album: Off the Grid.”
The indictment is not Combs’ first brush with the law.
He was acquitted in March 2001 of bribery and weapons charges in a criminal trial stemming from a nightclub shooting that left three people wounded.
Following the indictment on Tuesday, Combs’ lawyer, Mr Agnifilo, said his client’s “spirits are good” and he was “confident”.
