Disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs has been slapped with charges amid a long-running federal investigation into sex trafficking, according to federal prosecutors. Combs, 54, was arrested at the Park Hyatt New York in Manhattan on Monday night, about six months after federal agents conducted raids on his mansions in Los Angeles and Miami as part of the probe.
The hip-hop mogul now faces a slew of federal charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals for prostitution, as detailed in a three-count indictment that was unsealed early Tuesday. The embattled music mogul is also expected to appear before a Manhattan federal judge to face these charges, according to reports.
Diddy Feels the Heat
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The mogul “for decades … abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” the indictment said.
“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.”
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Combs, 54, was staying at the Park Hyatt hotel in midtown Manhattan when he was taken into custody and is currently being held at an FBI field office.
Just hours before his arrest on Monday, Combs was seen walking around New York City with his son, Christian “King” Combs.
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said that Combs had willingly traveled to the city in anticipation of his arrest, although he slammed the situation as an “unjust prosecution.”
Combs’ arrest follows a series of lawsuits filed against him over the past year by people who claim he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse on them during his peak years as a producer in the 1990s and 2000s.
Long Rap Sheet
The first allegations against Combs came in a federal lawsuit filed by his former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura, last November. She accused him of a prolonged pattern of domestic and sexual violence, including trafficking.
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Although the case was settled swiftly out of court, it was followed by a series of other lawsuits alleging sexual assault, which Combs has firmly denied.
Combs has previously suggested that those bringing lawsuits against him were simply seeking a “quick payday.”
His lawyer has stated that the rapper is “disappointed” by the recent indictment.
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“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 said in the wake of Combs’ arrest.
“He is an imperfect person but 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,” he continued.
“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.”
