Charges of sex trafficking and extortion

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday (Sept. 17) unsealed a criminal complaint against Sean “Diddy” Combs alleging wide-ranging sexual abuse. The once-powerful rapper is accused of leading a conspiracy that included sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery.

Less than a day after the rapper was arrested in New York City on Monday, federal prosecutors in Manhattan unveiled the substance of their case against Combs, accusing him of running a criminal enterprise focused on his “pervasive pattern of abusing women.”

“For decades, Sean Combs abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” the complaint, obtained by Billboard“To accomplish this, Combs relied on the employees, resources and influence of his multifaceted business empire that he led and controlled.”

Combs, 54, is expected to be arraigned later Tuesday in a federal court in Manhattan.

The charges against Combs follow a flurry of civil lawsuits in which at least eight victims have sued him alleging sexual abuse, beginning with a high-profile case filed last year by his girlfriend Cassie Ventura. That case was quickly settled but was later cemented by a widely shared video of Combs attacking her in a hotel.

The criminal charges against Combs were not unexpected. Federal agents raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March, and multiple news outlets reported that he was the subject of an ongoing investigation that included possible sex trafficking allegations.

In a statement Monday, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo said: “We are disappointed with the decision to prosecute Mr. Combs, which we believe is an unjust prosecution by the United States Attorney’s Office. 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 uplift the black community.”

In Tuesday’s unsealed indictment, prosecutors allege that Combs violated the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a law known as RICO that is often used to target mobsters and drug cartels. The government alleges that Combs ran a similar criminal ring beginning in 2008, but that it was focused on “fulfilling Combs’ personal desires, particularly those related to sexual gratification.”

“Combs … used Combs’ business, including certain employees, to conduct, facilitate, and cover up his abuse and commercial sex trafficking,” prosecutors wrote.

Much of the case revolves around events that Combs allegedly called “freak offs,” which prosecutors describe as “elaborate and produced sexual performances” between victims and male sex workers during which Combs would masturbate. They allege that Combs and his associates used “the power and prestige” of his fame to “intimidate, threaten and lure female victims” into his employment, then used “force, threats of force and coercion” to get them to participate.

Prosecutors allege that during the freak-offs, Combs and others kept the victims “obedient and compliant” by giving them drugs, then subjected them to “physical, emotional and verbal abuse,” including hitting and kicking, threatening them with career consequences and blackmailing them with images.

“Victims believed they could not refuse Combs’ demands without risking their financial or job security,” prosecutors wrote. “Combs also used the sensitive, embarrassing, and incriminating recordings he made during freak-offs as collateral to ensure victims’ continued compliance and silence.”

When faced with the risk that someone would reveal his behavior, Combs and others used similar tactics to keep witnesses and victims quiet, prosecutors say, including bribery, kidnapping and arson. The indictment alleges that members of the organization carried firearms and that “Combs himself carried or brandished firearms to intimidate and threaten others.”

In addition to the RICO charges, the indictment also charges Combs with violating federal sex trafficking laws and a federal law prohibiting the transportation of sex workers.