Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is currently in federal custody, awaiting trial on serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. His arrest in New York came amidst a wave of civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and physical violence, with some claims dating back to the 1990s.
More than a dozen individuals have filed lawsuits against Combs, accusing him of exploiting his influence in the entertainment industry to engage in drugging, assaulting, and raping victims. Among the recent allegations is a lawsuit from a man who claims that, at 16, Combs instructed him to undress at a party in New York in 1998.
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Combs has denied all criminal wrongdoing. On September 16, he was arrested at a New York hotel on multiple charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, and transportation for prostitution purposes. Federal prosecutors allege that Combs “created a criminal enterprise” to abuse, threaten, and coerce women to satisfy his sexual desires while safeguarding his reputation and hiding his actions.
They further claim that he used drugs, violence, and his status to lure women into extended sexual encounters, referred to as “Freak Offs.” In March, law enforcement raids on Combs’s residences in Miami and Los Angeles uncovered firearms, ammunition, and over 1,000 bottles of lubricant. Prosecutors are reportedly in contact with several witnesses who worked with Combs, as well as some of the accusers involved in the lawsuits, leaving open the possibility of additional charges.
The 54-year-old singer-producer has pleaded not guilty to the three felony counts against him, with his attorney stating that Combs is a “fighter” unafraid of the allegations. He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which is notorious for its violence and inadequate care for inmates.
Combs’s legal team requested his release pending trial due to the “horrific” conditions in jail, but prosecutors argued that he poses a “serious flight risk,” leading to two denials of bail. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence ranging from 15 years to life.
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His former girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, was the first to expose the alleged abusive behavior in a lawsuit filed last November, where she claimed Combs had “trapped” her in a “cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking” for over a decade. Combs “vehemently” denied the allegations, and shortly after the suit was filed, both parties announced they had “amicably” settled the case, with Combs’s attorney clarifying that the settlement did not imply any admission of guilt.
In May, surveillance footage obtained by CNN showed Combs assaulting Ventura in a 2016 incident mentioned in her lawsuit. He later acknowledged the event in an Instagram video, expressing disgust at his behavior and taking full responsibility.
Since Ventura’s lawsuit, ten others have come forward with their own allegations. Joi Dickerson-Neal, inspired by Ventura’s courage, accused Combs of drugging and raping her in 1991 while she was a student at Syracuse University, claiming he filmed the assault and showed it to others. Combs’s representatives dismissed her lawsuit as a “money grab.”
Liza Gardner alleged that Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall forced her to have sex when she was 16. Combs’s attorney described the accusations as “bogus.”
Three initial lawsuits were filed under New York state’s Adult Survivors Act, which allowed adult victims to bring claims against their abusers regardless of any statutes of limitations. One anonymous woman claimed that Combs and his associates gang-raped her at a New York City studio when she was 17.
Combs responded on social media to the allegations, labeling them “sickening” and asserting that they were from individuals seeking quick financial gain. His legal team is pursuing dismissals of what they call “baseless and time-barred” claims.
Further allegations have come from individuals who worked closely with Combs, including accusations of running an illegal enterprise that involved drug procurement and solicitation of sex workers. Accusers have claimed that he created a hostile environment filled with sexual misconduct and that he assaulted them during various encounters.
Representatives for Combs continue to deny the accusations, stating that he has never sexually assaulted anyone, regardless of age or gender.
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