Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested in New York City following home raids in response to lawsuits alleging he trafficked in sex
In response to recent sex trafficking and sexual assault claims, the rapper was taken into custody on Monday.
Following his grand jury indictment, Sean “Diddy” Combs was taken into custody at a Manhattan hotel on Monday, September 16, sources confirm to PEOPLE.
It’s unclear what the indictment charges.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams released a statement saying, “Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY.” “We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”
The 54-year-old rapper was accused of sexual assault and sex trafficking for several months before being brought into custody by Homeland Security Investigations on Monday night at a Manhattan hotel, sources tell PEOPLE.
Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, issued a statement to PEOPLE stating, “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.” “Over the past thirty years, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has built an empire, loved his family, and worked to uplift the Black community. He is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, and proven philanthropist. Although he is not a criminal, he is an imperfect person.”
“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,” Agnifilo said. “Please wait to make a decision until you have all the information.
These actions are those of an innocent man who has nothing to conceal and is eager to have his reputation cleared in court.The rapper is the subject of seven allegations. Combs has refuted every accusation.
Singer Cassie sued Diddy, whom she intermittently dated from 2007 to 2018, in New York on November 16. Throughout their ten-year relationship, she claimed the musician had raped and mistreated her. The two came to an agreement the day after she filed the case.
According to court documents PEOPLE was able to access, Joi Dickerson-Neal, a woman, accused Diddy shortly after on Nov. 23 of drugging and raping her in 1991 while she was a college student at Syracuse University.
A lady accused Combs and his friend Aaron Hall of raping her in turns the next day, on Nov. 24. Liza Gardner, the plaintiff, disclosed in an updated lawsuit filed in February that she was just sixteen years old at the time of the alleged 1990 attack in New York City. In 1990, 17 was the legal age of consent for sexual activity in New York.
According to records obtained by PEOPLE, on December 6, a woman alleged that the rapper, his longtime partner Harve Pierre, and a third guy who is yet unidentified had gang-raped and sex-trafficked her when she was 17 years old in 2003.
Later that day, Diddy gave a statement to PEOPLE in which he refuted the accusations made against him. “A certain amount is sufficient. I have watched passively for the past few weeks as people have attempted to undermine my legacy, my reputation, and my character,” he remarked.
“Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday,” he said. To be very clear, I did not do any of the horrible things that are being accused. I’ll stand up for the truth, my family, and my name.
Combs’s team asked on March 1st to stop the “Jane Doe” plaintiff from being anonymous during the legal proceedings. The complainant was found not to have “more specific support” to keep her identity private by the court.
Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones filed a complaint in federal court in New York on February 27, just before the judge’s decision on the anonymity of the fourth accuser. According to court records acquired by PEOPLE, Combs’ former producer and videographer said that for over a year, Combs drugged, harassed, and threatened him sexually.
Jones claimed that he “saw, felt, and endured many things that went far beyond his role as a producer on the Love album” during this period. (From September 2022 until November 2023, love was created.)
Federal authorities then conducted a raid on the rapper’s houses in Miami and Los Angeles on Monday, March 25.
A security footage that CNN made public on May 17, over two months later, showed the rapper grabbing, pushing, and kicking singer Cassie during an argument in 2016. Cassie had made similar accusations in a lawsuit that was settled last November.
April Lampos and her legal team sued Combs, his record label Bad Boy Records, Arista Records, and other parties on May 23, two days later. The lawsuit included claims of battery, sexual assault, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and breach of the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law.
She described her four “harrowing” experiences with Combs, one of which she claimed involved the rapper pressuring her to take “ecstasy” and have sex with his then-girlfriend Kim Porter. She further claimed that Combs and Porter “retaliated” against her, getting her removed from her position.
The rapper’s honorary degree was revoked by historically black Howard University (HBCU) on June 7. Mayor of New York City Eric Adams asked the musician to give back his key to the city three days later.
