Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs charged with racketeering, sex trafficking

NEW YORK — Sean "Diddy" Combs has been indicted on criminal charges for what US prosecutors called the music mogul's years-long orchestration of a sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

The indictment was unsealed after Combs, 54, was arrested in Manhattan by federal agents on Monday night, following a year in which his career was derailed by several lawsuits accusing him of physical and sexual abuse.

Combs, a rapper and producer who was a major figure in hip-hop in the 1990s and 2000s, faces three criminal charges including: racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Combs, did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the indictment was made public, but on Monday night expressed disappointment with the decision to pursue an "unjust" prosecution of his client.

According to the 14-page indictment, Combs turned his business empire into a criminal enterprise in which he and associates engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor and other crimes.

The indictment said Combs threatened and coerced women to "fulfill his sexual desires," and on numerous occasions starting around 2009 assaulted women by "striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking them."

Prosecutors said Combs gave women drugs and financial support in exchange for their participation in sexual activity with male sex workers in "highly orchestrated performances."

Combs is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.

He is the highest-profile person in the music industry to face criminal charges for sexual misconduct since R. Kelly, the R&B singer. Kelly was sentenced to a combined 31 years in prison after being convicted in New York in 2021 and Chicago in 2022 on charges including sex trafficking, racketeering and child sex crimes.

Combs, who has also been known during his career as P. Diddy and Puff Daddy, founded the label Bad Boy records, and is credited with helping turn rappers and R&B singers such as Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars.

But his reputation came under fire last November when former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, an R&B singer known as Cassie, accused him in a lawsuit of serial physical abuse, sexual slavery and rape during their decade-long relationship.

She agreed to an undisclosed settlement one day after suing, even as Combs denied her allegations.

Combs has since faced several other civil lawsuits by women and men who accused him of sexual assault and other misconduct.

His lawyers have been fighting those cases in court. Federal agents raided Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami Beach, Florida six months ago.

"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 on Monday night. "He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal."

Power and fame

According to the indictment, Combs used his power and fame to lure women in his orbit under the pretense of romantic relationships, only to later use force and threats to coerce them into sexual activity with male sex workers while he watched and masturbated.

Combs called such events "Freak Offs," which could last for multiple days and he sometimes secretly filmed, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Combs' employees helped arrange the events by booking hotel rooms and buying controlled substances and other items used during sex. Prosecutors said authorities found drugs and 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant during searches of Combs' homes.

Other lawsuits

The civil lawsuits that Combs faces include a case filed last week by the singer Dawn Richard, formerly of Danity Kane, who accused him of sexual assault, battery, sex trafficking, gender discrimination and fraud.

Also this month, a Michigan judge ordered Combs to pay a $100 million default judgment to Derrick Lee Smith, who said Combs drugged and sexually assaulted him at a party almost 30 years ago. A lawyer for Combs said he would seek a dismissal.

Combs has also rejected claims in a February sex trafficking lawsuit by Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, who Combs employed as a producer on his 2023 release "The Love Album: Off the Grid."

The indictment is not Combs' first brush with the law.

He was acquitted in March 2001 of bribery and weapons charges in a criminal trial stemming from a nightclub shooting that left three people wounded. — Reuters