On Monday, Hip Hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, 54, was arrested by federal agents in New York, according to the U.S. Attorney General's Office. Combs was taken into custody at the Park Hyatt Hotel on 57th Street in Manhattan by Homeland Security Investigations at approximately 8:15 p.m., a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
There have been week-long negotiations regarding his surrender, and according to Marc Agnifilo, an attorney for Combs, he had “voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges." Another source told NBC, "He was caught off-guard by the apprehension," while acknowledging he had been living at the Park Hyatt Hotel for several weeks.
The grand jury cast their votes on Monday, but the charges in the sealed indictment have not been released at the time of writing.
In a statement, Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said:
Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY. We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.
The Bad Boy Records founder's arrest comes after a federal raid on his properties in Los Angeles and Miami in March in what early reports indicated were related to a sex trafficking and racketeering investigation.
I previously covered the federal raids for RedState here:
Sean 'Diddy' Combs LA, Miami Homes Raided by Homeland Security in Sex-Trafficking Probe
The pair of raids came one month after a bombshell civil lawsuit was filed by Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, who had previously worked with Combs as a music producer from September 2022 to November 2023. In the lawsuit, Jones compares Combs to Jeffrey Epstein and a "RICO" enterprise, alleging instances of drugging, sexual grooming and assault, and coercion into procuring sex workers, strippers, and drugs.
Combs has been hit with a barrage of other lawsuits alleging sexual assault, at least ten since last November, with one filled as recently as last week. In May, a video was published showing Combs violently assaulting former girlfriend and singer Cassie Ventura, known by her stage name, Cassie. Ventura's 2023 lawsuit alleging abuse was settled the day after she filed it for an undisclosed amount.
Read More: SHOCKING: Video Just Released of Sean 'Diddy' Combs Allegedly Beating His Former Girlfriend
Combs' legal troubles go back decades to when he was acquitted of five gun and bribery changes in 2001, stemming from a Manhatten nightclub shootout.
In a statement on Monday night, Tyrone Blackburn, attorney for three of Combs’ accusers – Lil Rod, April Lampros, and Grace O’Marcaigh – called the arrest “long-awaited,” adding that he expects more alleged victims to come forward.
Blackburn said:
We leave the criminal aspect of this case in the hands of the people and justice system. As for the civil cases, we await our time for the facts to reveal themselves and seek the justice our clients deserve. We knew this was coming. The evidence is very clear and it was only a matter of time. This is an important step towards justice for all of Mr. Combs’ victims including my clients. Justice will prevail.
Attorney for Combs Marc Agnifilo told CNN:
We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person but is not a criminal.
Agnifilo asked the public to “please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Related: New Lawsuit Names Sean 'Diddy' Combs as Co-Defendant, Accuses Son 'King' of Sexual Assault on Yacht
Opinion: Sean 'Diddy' Combs Never Had a Sparkling Reputation... Just Ask Tupac
Update 9/17/24 12:20 ET: Fox News has viewed the unsealed indictment. They report that Combs is accused of a number of illicit acts:
Authorities charged Sean "Diddy" Combs with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and more following a months-long investigation against the rapper...Authorities claimed Diddy ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others. He used "violence, use of firearms, threats of violence, coercion, and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse" to fulfill his sexual desires, according to the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.
Combs and his employees would "intimidate, threaten, and lure female victims into Comb's orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship. Combs allegedly then used force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs referred to as, among other things, 'Freak Offs.'"
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