Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ charges have been revealed following his arrest amid his ongoing sexual abuse lawsuit
The US federal court confirmed that the rapper was arrested by federal agents in Manhattan.
At the time, no further details of the charges had been given about the charges against Diddy.
Now, the federal indictment detailing the charges was unsealed at Diddy’s arraignment confirming he has been charged with sex trafficking.
Diddy was accused of alleged rape and physical abuse by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a lawsuit earlier this year
The rapper vehemently denied the allegations, and one day later the pair confirmed that they had settled the lawsuit.
However, Diddy was still met with a wave of sex trafficking accusations and assault lawsuits.
A lawsuit was filed by producer Lil Rod, who claimed the rapper sexually assaulted and harassed him.
Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones, a former producer and videographer for the rapper, filed a lawsuit in New York federal court alleging that for more than a year, Diddy allegedly sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him.
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the record producer is seeking $30 million in damages.
Mr. Jones who produced nine songs on Diddy’s most recent album, Love from September 2022 to November 2023, said that while working on the project, he lived with the Bad Boy founder in various U.S. cities, and would also vacation with the 54-year-old outside of the country.
Mr. Jones claimed that during this time, he: “witnessed, experienced, and endured many things that went far beyond his role as a producer on the Love album.”
Damian Williams, Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement that the arrest came from a sealed indictment filed by his office.
“We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”
Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in a statement that the rapper had voluntarily moved to New York anticipating the charges.
They continued to say they are “disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr Combs by the US Attorney’s Office.”
In March, three of the rapper’s properties were searched in connection to an alleged sex trafficking investigation following a string of allegations dating back to the 90s.
Following the raids of his properties, Diddy’s attorney Aaron Dyer at the time insisted the rapper would clear his name.
In a statement, he said: “There was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences.
“There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”
“This unprecedented ambush — paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” he continued.
“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
Dyer also insisted Diddy “was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities”, and clarified he was free to travel after his private jet was spotted at St John’s Airport in Antigua on Tuesday.
The rapper has faced numerous allegations of sexual harassment and assault over the past few months.
Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie was the first to speak out against the 54-year-old, accusing him of rape, assault and repeated physical abuse in a lawsuit filed in November 2023.
The former couple dated on and off from 2007 until 2018.
At the time, Diddy vehemently denied her “offensive and outrageous allegations”.
A statement from his lawyer Ben Brafman said: “For the past six months, Mr. Combs has been subjected to Ms. Ventura’s persistent demand of $30 million, under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship, which was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail.”
“Despite withdrawing her initial threat, Ms. Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’s reputation and seeking a payday.”
The following day, Cassie dropped the suit and announced that they had settled “amicably”.
Since then, four more alleged victims have come forward accusing Diddy of sexual assault.
Diddy has denied all the accusations, and claimed they are “looking for a quick payday.”
