Diddy Arrested in NYC After Grand Jury Indictment

Diddy was arrested Monday night (September 16) in New York after being indicted by a grand jury on unknown charges, Billboard has confirmed.

In a statement issued to BillboardMarc Agnifilo, attorney for Diddy (real name Sean Combs), said: “We are disappointed with the decision to prosecute the U.S. Attorney for what we believe to be an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the past 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and working to improve the black community. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal. To his credit, Mr. Combs has done nothing but cooperate with this investigation and voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve judgment until you know all the facts. These are the actions of an innocent man with nothing to hide and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

According to TMZCombs was taken into custody Monday at the FBI office in Manhattan.

The rap mogul has faced at least eight civil sexual assault lawsuits in the past year, including the lawsuit that started it all, from ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, which was later followed by a video of him assaulting her. Even before the video surfaced, that lawsuit was privately settled in less than 24 hours. Combs is also facing a federal criminal investigation after authorities raided his home in March.

The most recent lawsuit against him comes from Dawn Richard, played by Danity Kane, who filed a complaint in federal court in Manhattan last week, saying Diddy “manipulated” her into thinking “abuse and exploitation were necessary for female artists to succeed in the music industry.” Richard alleges she witnessed Combs abusing Ventura on multiple occasions — and that recent lawsuits from Cassie and others prompted her to speak out.

“As more women courageously come forward, Plaintiff is empowered by this collective strength and now adds her voice to the growing chorus of victims bravely sharing their harrowing stories,” Richard’s attorneys wrote. “Together, they seek justice and stand in solidarity as the latest victims of the music industry’s #MeToo movement.”

In a statement issued Wednesday in response to Richard’s claim, Combs’ attorney Erica Wolff said her client was “shocked and disappointed” by the new allegations.