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Sean 'Diddy' Combs denied bail after arrest for conspiracy and sex trafficking
Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center on May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles.
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Willy Sanjuan
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Invision/AP
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Sean “Diddy” Combs has been charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution in a sweeping federal indictment.
Federal agents arrested the music mogul in the lobby of a midtown Manhattan hotel Monday night on charges of this sealed indictment, now unsealed. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams confirmed the 54-year-old record exec and artist was in custody. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in New York District Court.
The 14-page indictment alleges that Combs used his extensive music and business empire built upon his record label, Bad Boy Entertainment, as a criminal outfit in promotion of not only himself as an artist but in the fulfillment of his personal desires, “particularly those relating to sexual gratification, including through the exploitation of women and the use of commercial sex workers.”
This arrest comes amid an ongoing torrent of civil lawsuits against Combs dating back to last November alleging patterns of sexual misconduct, abuse and coercion, along with claims of trafficking across state lines. The avalanche of accusations started with a lawsuit filed by Combs’ former girlfriend, singer Cassandra Ventura, detailing decades of abuse. Within Ventura’s suit, she described how Combs would solicit male prostitutes and filmed her as he forced her to participate in sex with them for his own voyeuristic pleasure. The incidents, which he referred to as “freak offs,” allegedly took place in multiple cities. These encounters are laid out in the indictment.
In a separate civil lawsuit against Combs filed earlier this year, record producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones accused Combs of forcing him to solicit sex workers, take illegal drugs and more. Jones’ suit names others close to Combs, including Combs' son, Justin Dior Combs, and high-ranking members of Motown Records and Universal Music Group, as co-defendants. Earlier this month, another famous former employee of Combs, singer Dawn Richard, came forward with allegations in a civil lawsuit, adding to the chorus of claims of Combs’ bullying, assault and predatory violence.
Back in March, the mogul’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by federal investigators. Agents seized guns, computers and phones. At the time, Combs’ lawyer, Aaron Dyer, released a statement saying the warrants for these raids were served based on “meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”
At the time of Combs’ New York arrest, another one of Combs' lawyers, Marc Agnifilo said, “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.” Agnifilo characterizes Combs as an icon, a vital member of the community and added “he is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.”
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