Music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday, after being arrested Monday following a series of sexual assault allegations and a federal investigation.
Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" on May 30, 2018, in ... [+]
Combs was indicted on three counts of racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, cause or coercion; and transportation to engage in prosecution.
The indictment alleges Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” claiming he also used his business empire to “creat[e] a criminal enterprise” in which associates engaged in or attempted to engage in “sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.”
Prosecutors confirmed Combs had been arrested Monday night in Manhattan, but the charges were only unsealed Tuesday morning.
Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo has denied any wrongdoing by the mogul, telling CNN Monday Combs “voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges” and has “nothing to hide.”
It’s unclear how long the criminal case against Combs will take to play out from here. The mogul also still faces multiple civil lawsuits brought by women accusing Combs of sexual assault.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office,” Agnifilo told CNN Monday, telling people to “please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts.” Combs has long denied the allegations of sexual assault against him as accusers have brought civil lawsuits, writing in a now-deleted social media post: “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.