
The spotlight-loving music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who helped launch the careers of some of the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B, was charged in a three-count federal indictment with abusing, threatening, and trafficking women through his vast business empire to “fulfill his sexual desires” and preserve his reputation. On Tuesday, Combs was denied bail and taken to jail.
In the indictment released on Tuesday, prosecutors in the Southern District of New York charge Combs with sex trafficking, racketeering, and providing transportation for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.
Combs, 54, is accused of “establishing a criminal organization whose members and affiliates participated in, or sought to participate in, crimes such as forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, sex trafficking, and obstruction of justice,” along with members of his security and household staff, personal assistants, and other associates in his businesses.
The indictment focuses on Combs’ alleged planning of elaborate sex parties, dubbed “freak offs,” which involved drug distribution, sex workers being transported across state and international borders, and force and threats being used against coerced women.
In front of his three adult sons and numerous supporters, he entered a not-guilty plea and was refused bail during his sad arraignment hearing on Tuesday in Manhattan. The maximum penalty for two of the counts is life in prison.
His incarceration until trial had been requested by the prosecution.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams labeled Combs a flight risk who “poses a significant danger to the community” and stated that his “Bail restrictions are not a reasonable way to stop someone from being violent” in a memo he wrote in support of that request.
According to the memo, Combs should be detained because of decades of alleged physical abuse against women, including those he had romantic relationships with, and the alleged kidnapping of a person known only as “Individual-1” in 2011. The memo also claims that the government spoke with more than 50 victims and witnesses.
The letter also states that during a search of Combs’ Miami residence in March, authorities found three AR-15s in his bedroom closet, two of which had magazines loaded into them and were disassembled. According to Williams, the AR-15s’ serial numbers were vandalized.
Combs should be detained until his trial, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson, who made this claim during the hearing. Combs has a history of substance misuse. She stated that after his detention on Monday night at the Manhattan hotel where he was staying, police discovered a pink powder in his room that they thought to be narcotics.
Combs’ lawyers have suggested that he be freed on a $50 million bail, claiming that it is backed by equity in his Miami mansion, which is worth $48 million. They maintained that Combs was not a flight risk and that his passport, together with the passports of his mother and his four daughters, was in the care of his legal counsel in a letter to Judge Robyn Tarnofsky. However, Tarnofsky turned down their plea, noting Combs’ history of drug misuse and rage management problems, among other factors.
Though it doesn’t name any specific assets or amounts, the indictment demands that Combs relinquish any property and money used to carry out the crimes he is accused of.
Williams gave some thought to Combs’ downfall on Tuesday.
“A key to New York City was handed to Sean Combs a year ago when he stood in Times Square,” he remarked. “He’s been charged today and will go to court in the Southern District of New York.”
One of Combs’ lawyers, Marc Agnifilo, stated outside the courtroom on Tuesday morning that Combs is innocent and would enter a not guilty plea.
Agnifilo told reporters, “With all of his might, all of his energy, and the unwavering support of his attorneys, he will fight this.” “And I anticipate a protracted battle that ends well for Mr. Combs.”
Since R&B singer R. Kelly, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, was sentenced to more than 30 years in jail in 2022 for sexually abusing fans, some of whom were children, racketeering, and sex trafficking, Combs is the most well-known musician to be accused of sexual misconduct.
Combs, who aided in the rise of several of the biggest artists in hip-hop and R&B, such as Usher, Mary J. Blige, and the Notorious B.I.G., has seen his fame wane after his long-term partner Casandra Ventura filed a shocking lawsuit in November.
Cassie Ventura, an R&B singer, accused him of years of sexual and physical abuse. Without sharing the specifics of the settlement, Combs denied any wrongdoing and the two resolved the lawsuit in a single day.
Many of the accusations in the indictment are similar to those Ventura made in her complaint; among them are the charges that he coerced women into engaging in drug-fueled orgies that Combs referred to as “freak offs” and forced them to have sex with male prostitutes.
They were described as “elaborate and produced sex performances” in the 14-page indictment, which claims Combs “arranged, directed, masturbated during, and frequently electronically recorded.” The indictment states that in March of last year when federal investigators searched Combs’ residences in Miami and Los Angeles, they “discovered a number of Freak Off supplies, including drugs and over a thousand bottles of lubricant and baby oil.” They “occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial sex workers.” Williams claimed that technological devices with pictures and videos of the freak offs with numerous victims had also been taken.
Combs and his business colleagues allegedly used force, threats, and compulsion, including the use of medications to keep women “obedient and compliant,” to force them to participate in freak-offs after luring them into his world “often under the pretense of a romantic relationship,” according to the indictment. The indictment contains no names of victims. “Victim-1” is mentioned in the sex trafficking count, and the indictment’s account of their encounters with Combs is similar to Ventura’s lawsuit description.
For example, a 2016 attack on Ventura that was caught on hotel security footage and released by CNN in May is included in the indictment. Following the video’s release, Combs issued an apology acknowledging his actions in it. Combs tried to bribe a hotel security guard who had stepped in, according to the indictment.
Combs and members and associates of his enterprise are accused of pressuring witnesses and victims, including through attempted bribery, to remain silent and not report what they saw or knew to law enforcement, especially around late 2023, after Ventura’s lawsuit was filed, when Combs’ authority or reputation was threatened with negative publicity, according to the indictment.
Douglas Wigdor, Ventura’s lawyer, opted not to comment on the indictment.
Williams, the U.S. attorney, stated during the press conference on Tuesday that Combs had not acted alone and hinted that there was a chance other people would still be charged. He emphasized that the investigation is ongoing, said he was unable to provide an exact number of victims he suspected Combs had harmed, and urged “Anyone with information regarding this issue should get in touch with them as soon as possible.”
Williams stated that Combs has been accused of engaging in a RICO conspiracy to use his company, its employees, and other close allies as leverage to achieve his goals.
Following Ventura’s complaint, Combs has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by a number of other people in different lawsuits. Combs’ lawyers have vigorously refuted the accusations and are currently litigating those claims.