The rapper known as Sean “Diddy” Combs has had a history of inappropriate actions that trace back to 1999 (when an accusation of assaulting music executive Steve Stoute was made against him), but his legal challenges escalated significantly this week upon his indictment by a federal grand jury in New York. Below, review the full revelations that have emerged thus far regarding the 54-year-old music mogul’s detention—and the alleged series of abusive conduct that has led him to this juncture.
When and at what location was Sean “Diddy” Combs detained?
Combs faced detainment in a Manhattan hotel’s lobby late on the night of Monday, September 16, following his indictment by a federal grand jury that same day. The apprehension came after searches conducted in March at Combs’s residences in Los Angeles and Miami, during which Homeland Security Investigations agents uncovered several AR-15-style firearms, high-capacity magazines, and over a thousand containers of baby oil and lubricant at his premises.
Combs was denied bail by a judge on Tuesday, indicating he is anticipated to stay in detention until his trial.
What are the charges on which Combs was indicted?
The indictment, consisting of 14 pages and revealed on Tuesday, encompasses three counts of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting to partake in prostitution. It is alleged by prosecutors that Combs “abused, threatened, and manipulated women and others” to “satisfy his sexual desires” in a “consistent and well-known” abuse pattern from at least 2009. Several of the allegations currently directed at Combs originate from “freak offs,” which is Combs’s term for coerced acts of sex that he reportedly arranged and filmed.
Who has publicly addressed Combs’s alleged misconduct?
Cassie Ventura, a singer and past girlfriend of Combs, filed a lawsuit against him for sexual abuse in November, claiming that Combs was involved in sex trafficking by “forcing her into non-consensual sexual acts across various locations” and “holding [and transporting Ventura] for sexual purposes through force, deception, or duress.” (That legal action settled within one day, with Combs refuting any misconduct.) Six months later, footage emerged showing Combs physically assaulting Ventura in a hotel corridor in 2016. (Combs issued an apology for his actions following the video’s release.) After Ventura’s lawsuit, five women filed suits against Combs for sexual assault—including one who alleged that Combs raped her two decades ago when she was 17—and three other suits mention allegations of sexual misbehavior.
Has Combs made a public statement regarding the indictment?
No, but his legal representative has spoken on his behalf. “We are disheartened by the choice to initiate what we consider to be an unfair prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office,” Combs’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo stated on Monday, characterizing his client as a “devoted family man” and noting: “He is flawed, but he is not a criminal. Please withhold judgment until all facts are presented. These actions belong to an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he is eager to vindicate himself in the judiciary.”
