NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs must appear in court on Tuesday for federal charges of sex trafficking and organized crime that accuse him of beating and abusing women for over a decade and overseeing a sexual crimes empire.
Combs was arrested on Monday night in Manhattan, approximately six months after federal authorities raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex trafficking investigation.
The music mogul "engaged in a persistent and widespread pattern of abuse towards women and other individuals," according to an accusation filed on Tuesday by the New York Prosecutor's Office.
During the past year, Combs has been sued by people who claim he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse. He has denied many of those accusations, and his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the court on Tuesday morning that Combs would plead not guilty and would fight hard to try to get his client released. Agnifilo said about Combs: “His spirits are high. He is confident.”
The long list of accusations against "Diddy" Combs
Combs, 54, was recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip hop before a flurry of accusations emerged last year turning him into an industry pariah.
The accusation details complaints dating back to 2008 that he abused, threatened, and coerced women for years "to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his behavior." He is accused of inducing female victims and male sex workers to have sex while drugged, sometimes lasting for days, referred to as "Freak Offs" (a slang term for defining unorthodox sexual relationships) in the accusation, which indirectly mentions an attack on his ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, which was captured on video.
In November, his ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs had beaten and raped her for years. She accused him of forcing her, and others, to have unwanted sexual relations in drug-fueled environments.
The lawsuit was resolved in one day, but months later, CNN aired security footage from the hotel showing Combs hitting and kicking Cassie and throwing her to the ground.
Another woman said that Combs raped her two decades ago, when she was 17 years old. At the same time, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging that "Diddy" forced him to have sex with prostitutes. In another accusation, April Lampros said that the artist subjected her to "terrifying sexual encounters" since she was a college student in 1994.
The formal accusation describes Combs as the head of a criminal enterprise involved in or attempting to engage in activities including sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice. He is accused of beating and dragging women on numerous occasions, throwing objects at them and kicking them, and recruiting his personal assistants, security personnel, and domestic staff to help cover it all up.
Sometimes he managed to take women on planes and ensured their participation by acquiring and providing drugs, controlling their careers, taking advantage of their financial support, and using intimidation and violence, according to the New York Prosecutor's Office.
During a raid of Combs' homes in Miami and Los Angeles this year, police seized narcotics and over a thousand bottles of baby oil and lubricant. The agents also seized firearms and ammunition, including three AR-15 rifles with altered serial numbers, according to the indictment.
It is alleged that, without their victims knowing, Combs sometimes stored videos of them engaging in sexual acts and used the recordings as "leverage" to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the women. He also exerted control over the victims by promising them professional opportunities, providing or threatening to withhold financial support, dictating their appearance, monitoring their health records, and controlling where they lived, according to the accusation.
Other legal troubles of "Diddy" Combs
Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has been in legal trouble before.
In 2001, he was acquitted of charges related to a shooting at a Manhattan nightclub that injured three people. His then protege, Shyne, was convicted of assault and other charges, and served around eight years in prison.
**This news was updated with the details of the accusation provided by the Prosecutor's Office**