17 September 2024 , 21:49
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, according to multiple media reports.
The 54-year-old rapper was arrested in New York on Monday night after facing several sexual abuse and trafficking allegations.
Multiple US outlets report that the federal indictment was unsealed this morning.
TMZ reports that the music mogul was charged with three counts – racketeering conspiracy, transportation to engage in prostitution, and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.
Combs has denied all allegations against him. His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said via the outlet that he will ‘fight like hell’ to get his client released and insisted that he is innocent.
‘He’s not guilty. He’s innocent of these charges,’ he told reporters on his way into a courthouse in Manhattan.
Diddy was seen at Central Park the day before his arrest (Picture: / SWNS)
He was detained at New York’s five-star Park Hyatt hotel, where rooms start from $980 (£740) per night.
On the day before his arrest, Combs was spotted spending time in Central Park. He appeared relaxed while sitting on a small hill amongst other parkgoers enjoying the sunshine, in pictures captured of the outing.
He walked through New York with his son King Combs, 26. Along the way, Combs stopped to greet fans and take photos, according to TMZ.
Agnifilo told the outlet they were ‘disappointed’ by the arrest of an ‘innocent man’.
He issued a statement saying: ‘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 added that Combs ‘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.
‘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.’
Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, confirmed the arrest with a statement.
‘Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY,’ it said. The prosecutor added they have plans to unseal the indictment on Tuesday morning, and they’ll ‘have more to say at that time.’
In recent months, serious allegations have surfaced against Combs. Police raided properties belonging to him in Los Angeles and Miami earlier this year.
Ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit against him in November 2023, which accused him of raping and physically abusing her over a period of 10 years – something he denied at the time.
It was also claimed that the Me & U singer, who was 19 when they met, was raped ‘in her own home after she tried to leave him’ and ‘endured over a decade of his violent behaviour and disturbed demands’. Two other women came forward with their own allegations, claiming abuse and assault.
Ventura’s lawsuit was settled shortly after it was announced, but others remain ongoing.
In May, CCTV footage of him attacking Ventura in a hotel was obtained by CNN. Two days after the footage was first published, Combs issued a sombre video, apologising for his actions.
Ventura, 38, later issued a lengthy statement on her Instagram page, thanking those who had rallied around following a tough time.
Combs is also facing claims of sex trafficking, raping an underage woman and trying to ‘groom’ a producer, and has fiercely denied all allegations against him. He has been accused of to have sex with another man.
The most recent lawsuit against him was filed last week by former Danity Kane singer, Dawn Richard, who claimed Combs ‘manipulated’ her into thinking that ‘abuse and exploitation were required for female artists to succeed in the music industry.’ She also claims she witnessed the singer abuse Ventura on multiple occasions.
The star alleged she and her Diddy-Dirty Money bandmate Kalenna Harper were threatened by the rap mogul after witnessing him abuse Ventura, but she has disputed the claims.
Kalenna told TMZ she wasn’t aware of ‘any behaviour that could be considered abusive or unlawful’ while working with the Bad Boy Records founder.
Amongst the other claimants is April Lampros, who is suing him for sexual assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, alleging that he plied her with alcohol at a bar in 1995 before raping her in a hotel room.
She also claimed that he forced ecstasy down her throat after meeting his then girlfriend, the late Kim Porter, and demanded that the two women have sex while he masturbated before he allegedly raped her again.
Crystal McKinney has also come forward, accusing the Victory rapper of forcing her to perform a sex act on him after allegedly promising her a career boost, in 2003.
In a previous statement, Combs said: ‘Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.’