Mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing a litany of charges, including sex trafficking by force, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy, allegedly ran an “enterprise that he engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor or, kidnapping, arson and other crimes,” according to an indictment that was unsealed Tuesday.
According to ABC News, federal prosecutors said Diddy “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”
Combs, with the assistance of Combs Enterprise, is alleged to have transported commercial sex workers across state lines and internationally, according to the indictment.
Combs allegedly “manipulated women to participate in highly orchestrated performances of sexual activity with male commercial sex workers,” the indictment said, and he allegedly coerced the women into participating by giving them drugs, “controlling their careers, leveraging his financial support and threatening to cut off the same, and using intimidation and violence.”
“Sometimes unbeknownst to the victims, Combs kept videos he filmed of victims engaging in sex acts with commercial sex workers,” prosecutors said.
Diddly is also accused of verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, per the indictment, which stated Combs’ alleged victims were entangled in a web of control through “physical violence.” He also promised career advancement and “granting and threatening to withhold financial support, and by other coercive means, including tracking their whereabouts, dictating the victims’ appearance, monitoring their medical records, controlling their housing, and supplying them with controlled substances.”
Prosecutors mentioned the hotel surveillance video from 2016 that showed Combs allegedly physically assaulting former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
“When a member of the hotel security staff intervened, Combs attempted to bribe the staff member to ensure silence,” per the indictment.
Combs was placed under arrest at the Park Hyatt hotel in Midtown Manhattan Monday night and he stayed in custody throughout the night, sources told ABC News.
A federal grand jury in Manhattan returned an indictment against Combs. This set his arrest in motion, per ABC News sources.
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said Combs “knew this was coming. We brought him to New York two weeks ago because, sure, we knew this day would come and it’s here.”
His Florida and California homes were raided in March.
“He’s dealing with this head on the way he has dealt with every challenge in his life,” Agnifilo said.
“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. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community,” Agnifilo said.
“He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo said. “To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
