PUNCH
Sean Combs, known as P Diddy or Puff Daddy, the rapper and music mogul credited with launching the careers of major stars, has been in the spotlight recently for legal troubles.
Combs was arrested on Monday, September 16, by federal agents in New York after facing months of civil lawsuits alleging sex trafficking, sexual abuse and rape.
Combs, who was denied bail twice, is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
According to The Independent, federal prosecutors in a newly unsealed indictment accuse Combs and his associates of coercing and abusing women to fulfil his sexual desires, including forcing victims into recorded sexual activities, which he allegedly called “Freak Outs.”
Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, called the rapper “an innocent man.”
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Agnifilo told The Independent via email.
Sky News reports that the charges relate to sex trafficking, drug possession and firearms offences.
The three major charges outlined by the Southern District of New York in a legal indictment are racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The indictment, as reported by Sky News, alleges the following:
- Combs is alleged to have “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” dating back to at least 2008.
- The 54-year-old is accused of leveraging his employees, resources, and industry influence to establish a “criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice”.
- He is accused of coercing female victims and male sex workers into participating in drug-fueled sexual acts, referred to as “Freak Offs,” according to the legal document.
- According to Sky News, the document mentions “Freak Offs” 16 times, describing them as elaborate, staged sexual performances that Combs orchestrated, directed, and often recorded, while also engaging in the acts.
- Prosecutors claim that victims were administered controlled substances during events that sometimes lasted for days, keeping them “obedient and compliant.” Combs allegedly subjected them to “physical, emotional, and verbal abuse” to compel their participation.
- The indictment further alleges that Combs and his business associates “engaged in acts of violence, threats of harm, both physical and reputational and verbal abuse.” These acts reportedly included kidnapping and arson when individuals who witnessed the alleged abuse challenged his authority or reputation.
The Independent also published all the allegations against Sean Combs, noting that lawsuits against the rapper began on November 16, 2023, when he was sued by singer and dancer Casandra Ventura, also known as Cassie, his former partner, who alleged years of abuse.
Allegations
- Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura
R&B singer Casandra Ventura, also known as Cassie, filed a 2023 lawsuit accusing Combs of subjecting her to a decade-long pattern of trafficking, rape, and physical abuse.
A 2016 surveillance footage, obtained by CNN on May 17, 2024, appeared to validate aspects of Ventura’s allegations, capturing Combs chasing and violently assaulting her in a Los Angeles hotel corridor.
In a swift resolution, Ventura settled the lawsuit with Combs for an undisclosed sum just one day after filing, stating she preferred to “resolve this matter amicably.”
