Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Arrested on Conspiracy and Sex Trafficking Charges

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The federal charges are extensive.

Federal agents arrested the music mogul last night (Sept. 16) in the lobby of a Midtown Manhattan hotel on charges stemming from the sealed indictment, which has now been made public. District Attorney Damian Williams confirmed that the 54-year-old record executive and recording artist was in custody. He is expected to appear in New York Superior Court today.

The 14-page indictment alleges that Combs used his vast music and business empire, built on his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, as a criminal enterprise to not only promote himself as an artist, but also to fulfill his personal desires, “particularly those relating to sexual gratification, including through the exploitation of women and the use of commercial sex workers.”

In addition to the allegations against Combs, the indictment also alleges that he used his businesses to create a complex support system for his violent acts, naming the many staff members who enabled or participated in the abuse.

The arrest comes amid a continuing flood of civil lawsuits against Combs dating back to November of last year, alleging patterns of sexual misconduct, abuse and coercion, along with allegations of human trafficking across state lines. The avalanche of allegations began with a lawsuit filed by Combs’ former girlfriend, singer Cassandra Ventura, detailing decades of abuse. In Ventura’s lawsuit, she described how Combs solicited male prostitutes and filmed her while he forced her to have sex with them for his own voyeuristic pleasure. The incidents, which he described as “freak offs,” allegedly occurred in multiple cities. These encounters are outlined in the criminal complaint as the trigger for the criminal investigation.

Though Ventura’s lawsuit was quickly settled out of court for an undisclosed amount, the singer’s coming forward set off a chain reaction of civil lawsuits, filed by women and men, dating back to the 1990s. In a December 2023 lawsuit, Combs was accused, along with his former Bad Boy Records president, Harve Pierre, and a third unidentified man, of gang-raping an unnamed 17-year-old victim at a Manhattan recording studio.

In a separate civil lawsuit filed against Combs earlier this year, record producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones accused Combs of coercing him to solicit sex workers, use illegal drugs and more. Jones’ lawsuit names others close to Combs, including Combs’ son, Justin Dior Combs, and senior executives at Motown Records and Universal Music Group, as co-defendants.

Earlier this month, another high-profile former employee of Combs, singer Dawn Richard, came forward with allegations in a civil lawsuit, joining the chorus of claims of Combs’ harassment, sexual assault and predatory violence. In her civil suit, Richard alleges that she was the target of Combs’ abuse for years when she was a member of the girl group Danity Kane and the musical trio Dirty Money. Richards also claims to have witnessed Combs “gang-banging” a young female assistant with members of his Bad Boy staff, and alleges that she saw him hit Ventura on multiple occasions, including at a Hollywood party attended by R&B singer Usher and record executive Jimmy Iovine.

In March, the mogul’s Los Angeles and Miami homes were searched by federal investigators. Agents seized weapons from the home, electronics that the indictment alleges contained evidence of the recorded “freak-offs,” and supplies for the encounters, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.

At the time, Combs’ attorney, Aaron Dyer, released a statement saying the warrants for the raids were issued based on “unfounded allegations in civil lawsuits.”

At the time of Combs’ arrest in New York, another of Combs’ attorneys, Marc Agnifilo, said, “We are disappointed with the decision to prosecute Mr. Combs, which we consider an unjust prosecution by the United States Attorney’s Office.” Agnifilo characterizes Combs as an icon, an important member of the community, adding, “he is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” and maintains that Combs is innocent and plans to plead not guilty to all charges.

During a press conference to discuss the unsealing of the indictment, Damian Williams of the U.S. Attorney’s Office said they believe Combs attempted to contact many of the witnesses and victims involved in this indictment in order to pressure or bribe them into remaining silent in the lead-up to his arrest. Williams also noted that as a billionaire with many powerful connections, Combs is a flight risk and the office is requesting that he be held without bail.

If found guilty on all counts in the indictment, Combs faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.

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