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Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested in New York City on Monday night following a grand jury indictment.
According to the indictment, which was unsealed Tuesday morning, Combs faces federal charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
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. To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled—creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”
In addition to the criminal charges, Combs is facing civil lawsuits from at least six women who have accused him of sexual abuse.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ attorney, said in a statement confirming his client’s arrest.
“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,” Agnifilo added in his statement. “He is an imperfect person but he Is not a criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Combs’ former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, is among his accusers. In 2023, she filed a lawsuit accusing him of rape and years of repeated physical abuse. The lawsuit was settled the following day, but earlier this year, CNN obtained surveillance footage from 2016 showing Combs repeatedly assaulting Ventura in a hotel.
Last week, Dawn Richard, a former member of Danity Kane who were signed to Combs’ Bad Boy Records, filed her own sexual abuse lawsuit against him.
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