Last November, Cassie filed a federal lawsuit against Sean “Puffy” Combs. Her lawsuit was devastating – Combs violently abused Cassie for years, he trafficked her to other men, he exploited her, he medically and emotionally abused her. Combs settled out of court with her within 24 hours, but Cassie’s lawsuit got the ball rolling. Suddenly, multiple investigations popped up, and Combs’ other victims began speaking out and getting lawyers. In March of this year, federal authorities raided Combs’ properties in Florida and California. Months ago, we also heard that a federal grand jury was being impaneled. Well, the grand jury indicted, and Combs was arrested in Manhattan last night.
Sean Combs, the music mogul whose career has been upended by sexual assault lawsuits and a federal investigation, was arrested at a Manhattan hotel on Monday evening after a grand jury indicted him.
The indictment is sealed and the charges were not announced but Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Mr. Combs, said he believed he was being charged with racketeering and sex trafficking.
A statement from Mr. Combs’s legal team said they were disappointed with the decision to prosecute him and noted that he had been cooperative with the investigation and had “voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.”
“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,” the statement said. “He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal.”
Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement posted on social media late Monday that “we expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”
Mr. Agnifilo said Mr. Combs had been arrested by officers with Homeland Security Investigations at about 8:30 p.m. at the hotel where he was staying, the Park Hyatt New York on 57th Street. It is expected he will be held overnight and then arraigned on Tuesday.
Arrested by Homeland Security, not FBI. Interesting. It feels like the indictment is very heavy on human trafficking and interstate sex crimes, although I’m sure the raids on Combs’ homes uncovered a wealth of crimes across the board. The arraignment should be interesting and I actually have some faith that Combs won’t be able to wriggle out of this. It feels like the feds did everything by the book and they built a strong case. But we’ll see. I hope Cassie is having a beautiful and peaceful day.
Update: The indictment has been unsealed. Combs has been charged with “sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.”
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.
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- Sean Diddy Combs arrives at The Recording Academy And Clive Davis’ 2020 Pre-GRAMMY Gala held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 25, 2020 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 563118679, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Xavier Collin / Avalon
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- North America Rights Only – New York, USA -20180127- Celebrities at the Clive Davis and Recording Academy Pre-GRAMMY Gala and GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Jay-Z. -PICTURED: Cassie Ventura and Sean Combs -PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded Featuring: Cassie Ventura and Sean Combs Where: New York, New York, United States When: 27 Jan 2018 Credit: INSTARimages.com **North America Rights Only**
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- 2022 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena Featuring: Sean Combs Where: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States When: 15 May 2022 Credit: BauerGriffin/INSTARimages/Cover Images
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- -Las Vegas, NV -20220515 2022 Billboard Music Awards Red Carpet Arrivals at MGM Grand Garden Arena. -PICTURED: Sean Combs -PHOTO by: startraksphoto.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Startraks Photo for licensing fee and rights information at sales@startraksphoto.com or call +1 212 414 9464 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Startraks Photo reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing Featuring: Sean Combs Where: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States When: 15 May 2022 Credit: startraksphoto.com
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- MTV Video Music Awards 2023 held at the Prudential Centre in Newark. Featuring: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Where: New Jersey, United States When: 12 Sep 2023 Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Hmm, I don’t know much about Homeland Security but if they are involved its VERy serious sh!t indeed. What else is about to drop about him that warrants their involvement?
They certainly have had time to work on all the other people they arrested or pursued in relation to this.
If it’s DHS and not FBI, he was bringing in victims from other counties.
What a POS!
That was my reaction too! POS sorry excuse for a man. The allegations are horrific and disgusting. I hope he rots in a prison for the rest of his pathetic life.
It’s not enough-it’ll never be enough-but I hope we see these powerful, terrible men fall, one after the other
I love this for him.
His fall feels both very quick and too slow. It is weird to read about all the famous artists he disrespected at some point either by throwing his drink onto them or hitting them and these are only men. Almost nobody dared to go against him, which shows these women had no chance. I hope finally getting justice helps them to heal. Also, what about the men he trafficked Cassie to? I want to see them getting punished as well. I hope this doesn’t end with just him.
I hope those men and others like them are very nervous today.
@Sevenblue and Giddy: Agreed. Because I wonder if Diddy will go down quietly. Like, I think, because of the law enforcement involved, it may be hard for him to squirm out of this one. So I wonder if he’ll start naming other people. His thinking might be like, “if MY life is ruined*, I’m not gonna let this person and that person still keep living a good life…”
However, that would be snitching, so I’m not sure he’d do that. But still, maybe. They all need to go DOWN.
*I just want to make sure it’s clear that his life is ruined by his own actions, so…
Federal agencies have a very high conviction rate because they build their cases slowly and only indict if they’re sure they can win. Obviously there are flaws in that model but once they indict you… you’re screwed. Couldn’t happen to a better person!
Plus the Southern District of New York does not mess around. They tackle cases other Districts of New York won’t. They were the ones that finally took down Nexivm, after their crimes were ignored for years in Albany, which is where they resided.
Rapist assclown love this for him! Apparently he was supposed to be arrested today but they moved in earlier.
He will die in prison.
Also wishing Danyel Smith a beautiful day.
Anybody else notice that weird passive voice from the NY Times: “the music mogul whose career has been upended by sexual assault lawsuits and a federal investigation”?
yes, exactly, thank you!
I also saw in People online, they used an extremely passive voice and listed all of his accomplishments before getting into what the indictment is about. And he is not just “accused” of these things. There is evidence legally obtained from his house, numerous credible witnesses, and videos. So saying accused just makes it sound like “someone is saying he did something but we don’t really know.”
@jj
Most people use words like “accused” “Allegedly” or “someone is saying he did something, but we don’t know.” To keep from being sued or their account suspended. There was a big thing a couple of years ago where many people on social media got their accounts taken away and hit with lawsuits, so now people are protecting themselves by using these phrases.
That why Wendy Williams was on the air used Allegedly all the time .
It’s about time!
That statement his lawyer put out is nauseating. I hope he gets what he deserves.
Like Epstein, Weinstein, and R Kelly, all of Diddy’s horrific behavior has been an open secret for years. Karma moves at a snail’s pace sometimes.
There are many more that need to get exposed that are still hiding in plain sight.
Tyler Perry.
It’s more difficult though because the victims are men that are too embarrassed to come forward, & they know he has endless money and intimidation tactics in his war chest to keep them quiet – and it’s not across state lines, just Georgia.
It was the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) who raided his homes and have been leading this investigation. DHS handles sex trafficking cases, immigration etc but I think RICO charges are also included in his indictment and if so, Diddy is done! There’s a reason why the feds have a 98% conviction rate.
His legal team has a lot of nerve claiming Diddy has done a lot for the Black community when some of us are old enough to remember all of the crap we heard that he was doing to various music artists that he suspiciously kept getting away with, along with his alleged connection to Tupac’s murder, and lately, rumors of him allegedly being connected to Biggie’s murder as well. It will be great to see him finally be held accountable for his actions!
Charges have been revealed, they include sex trafficking and racketeering. Dude’s gonna burn
I hope he never sees the light of day and his victims are having the best day.
Also happy that this is taking attention away from Trump off Broadway play “Assassin Attempt act two” .
Really distasteful and dated lead from the NY Times on how the charges have “upended” Combs’ career. For far too long, society has focused on the “damage” charges of sexual assault/abuse can do to a man’s career and reputation. The Times just did it again. You know what got upended? The lives and well-being of Combs’ victims.
Finally! It took how many decades now? The lawyer statement is outrageous, does he mean exploiting, abusing and trafficking women is not a crime?
I hope they investigate Puffy’s sons and business partners as well.
I tried reading the indictment but it’s just horrendous. What is one planning to do with 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lube?
Here’s the link to the full indictment (if that’s okay):
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25147296-combs-indictment-24-cr-542
Ugh. I hope Cassie is okay.
I have the same hope. Cassie needs to be protected as does the other victims. Their safety is paramount.
Oh damn they threw the book at him. Sex-trafficking is serious AF and he’ll probably get the Epstein treatment, which is obviously well-deserved.
From the indictment: “Instead, members and associates of the Combs Enterprise helped conceal the violence and abuse by, among other things, assisting COMBS in monitoring and preventing victims from leaving locations, such as hotels or COMBS’ residences. These occasions included instances in which a victim was required to remain in hiding-sometimes for several days at a time-to recover from injuries COMBS inflicted, without being publicly observed.”
How is this any different than a sexual predator locking their victim(s) in a sex dungeon and torturing them??? The indictment alone is incredibly damning but once we hear the victim’s testimonies, I think it will be even more shocking.
This disgusting predator needs to be locked up.
The judge who handed down the indictments also denied bail to Combs and r, and his lawyer practically twisted himself into a Gordian knot with his arguments against it. The best one was admitting Combs “isn’t a perfect person” who “needs therapy” and wouldn’t be able to get it in jail. Gee – ya think? His lawyer offered up Combs’s passport and those of 6 of his relatives, his plane, the deeds to all his property, while also begging for house arrest and electronic surveillance and promising to “watch over” Combs 24/7 himself. No record of the judge laughing hysterically at this, but she did rule that as Combs has ample resources to leave the country illegally and due to the nature of the charges there was no expectation that he wouldn’t avail himself of these resources to due to his great wealth, so the remand would stand. His lawyer vowed to fight the bail ruling.
JFC. What the hell is wrong with Combs? Was all this horror the only way left for him to make money? What a monster.
I hope his victims are in a safe place now. I read the indictment and……it is horrendous. I cannot imagine what these victims had to endure. I hope they lock the jail cell and throw away the key on this scumbag! Let’s hope he has to face his crimes and isn’t given the Epstein treatment. I want this predator to face his crimes. Death is too generous.
I want to also say that I hope the enablers and people that aided and abetted him in these crimes, are charged soon. As the indictment states, Diddy didn’t do these crimes alone. He had lots of help and enablers. They need to be held to account too….and soon!
From the charges I saw, he should be in prison for life.
How can things like this go on for years before LE does their damn job.
The details of what they found in his home and what he did to Cassie is awful. I am so sorry for his victims, and I hope this arrest and hopefully his conviction gives them some measure of peace.
Oh. My. God. Look, I’m a trauma therapist and there are definitely narratives that have churned my stomach over the years. Proceed very, very carefully if you look into this case and more information comes out about the “freak offs”. This will stay with me, and I hope everyone who suffered will get the absolute best help possible. They’re going to need it.
Just reading through the comments here from people who read the indictment was more than I could take. The only additional thing I want to know is when he’s found guilty & what his prison sentence will be.