Garfield Ekon

Staff writer

USA, September 21, 2024 – Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been charged with serious sex crimes in a 14-page indictment accusing him of racketeering, forcible sex trafficking and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.

According to prosecutors, Combs, 54, was arrested Monday night on suspicion of running a criminal enterprise dating back to at least 2008 that relied on drugs and violence to coerce women to “pursue his sexual desires.” On Tuesday, a federal judge in New York placed the musician on pretrial detention after prosecutors said he posed a “serious flight risk.”

If convicted of all three charges, the rapper and music producer could face a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. Asked by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky how he would like to plead, Mr. Combs stood up and said, “not guilty.”

According to court documents, Mr. Combs “used the power” of his status to “lure female victims to engage in prolonged sexual acts” called “Freak Offs.” During the Freak Offs, Combs distributed various controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims “obedient and compliant,” the indictment says.

During a news conference, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said officials found firearms, ammunition and more than 1,000 bottles of lubricant during raids on Mr. Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles about six months ago. Williams said federal agents also found three semi-automatic rifles with blurred serial numbers and a drum magazine.

He told reporters that further charges were possible, without providing details.

The musician’s lawyer, Mr. Agnifilo, maintained that there was “no coercion and no crime.”

“He’s not afraid of the charges,” he said, adding that he believed Mr. Combs was the target of an “unfair prosecution.”

In court documents, federal prosecutors said Mr. Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to pursue his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”

Prosecutors accuse Mr. Combs of “creating a criminal enterprise” whose members – under his direction – engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery.

“On numerous occasions,” the documents say, Mr. Combs attacked the women by “hitting them, punching them, dragging them, throwing objects at them and kicking them.”

The indictment does not specify how many women were the alleged victims.

Nor does it accuse Mr. Combs himself of directly engaging in unwanted sexual activity with women.

Last November, his ex-girlfriend, singer Casandra Elizabeth Ventura, filed a civil lawsuit against him that included graphic descriptions of brutal harassment.

Sean “Diddy” Combs denied the allegations but settled the case the day after it was filed.