Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs arrested amid sex trafficking lawsuits
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
American rapper and producer Sean 'Diddy' Combs was arrested in Manhattan yesterday (16 September) after being indicted by a grand jury.
US Attorney Damian Williams confirmed the news in the following statement: "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."
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Reports state that Homeland Security Investigations arrested the 54-year-old at a Manhattan hotel.
The nature of the charges remains unclear at the time of writing.
Marc Agnifilo, Combs' attorney, told LADbible Group: “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 he is not a criminal.
“To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.
“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.”
The arrest of Combs follows a string of ongoing sexual assault and sex trafficking allegations.
In November last year, a former girlfriend of Combs between the years of 2007 and 2018, Cassie Ventura, filed a lawsuit against the rapper.
The day after the filing, they reached a settlement, though the terms of that settlement haven't been made public. At the time, his attorney made clear the settlement was not an acknowledgment of wrongdoing.
Three more cases followed hitting Combs with a range of allegations, including rape, trafficking and abuse - all of which he strongly denies.
On 6 December, Diddy wrote on Instagram, apparently taking aim at all four cases: "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy.
"Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
In May this year, CNN released video footage that showed Combs physically assaulting his former girlfriend, Ventura, in a hotel lobby in 2016.
Combs later apologised in an Instagram video, which included the statement: "So difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, sometimes you got to do that. I was f***ed up.
"I mean, I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses, my behaviour in that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video, I'm disgusted.
"I was disgusted then when I did it, I am disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help, I got into going to therapy, going to rehab."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
Kya Buller