Sean “Diddy” Combs was indicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, and a court ordered him to jail.
On Monday, cops detained the 54-year-old rapper and music entrepreneur at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan, New York.
He pleaded not guilty to three felony counts during his initial court appearance before US Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky on Tuesday, but he was denied bail and informed he would be held.
This was despite his lawyers offering a $50 million bond with the condition of house imprisonment and electronic monitoring if he was freed on bail. They claimed they will challenge the decision to deny bail.
The indictment includes charges dating back to 2008, accusing Combs of assaulting, threatening, and coercing women for years “to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”.
According to the indictment, he is accused of enticing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes day-long sexual acts known as “freak-offs.”
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, stated outside the courthouse on Tuesday morning that Combs would plead not guilty and that he would “fight like hell” to have his client released from detention.
In a press conference this afternoon, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said, “I’m not taking anything off the table” when asked if more charges might be brought against Combs and his colleagues, adding, “We are not done.”
Mr. Williams claimed that Combs used his business empire “to carry out criminal activity, including sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and the obstruction of justice.”.
The indictment also claims that Combs used his personnel, including “high-ranking supervisors in the business, personal assistants, security staff, and household staff… to facilitate the Freak Offs.”
Mr. Williams stated, “They booked the hotel rooms and stocked them with supplies such as drugs, baby oil, personal lubricant, extra linens, and lighting.”
“When the hotel rooms were destroyed, they helped clean them up. They arranged for victims and commercial sex workers to fly to the Freak Offs, and they handed significant sums of money to Combs to pay the commercial sex workers.”
Mr. Williams indicated that Combs frequently documented “Freak Offs” and utilised them as leverage against the victims.
Mr. Williams stated that Combs exerted control over his victims through various means, including administering drugs, manipulating financial support or housing, offering career opportunities, tracking their locations, and influencing their physical appearance.
The attorney asserted that Combs administered ketamine, ecstasy, and GHB to ensure that victims remained “obedient and compliant.”.
“When Combs faced opposition, he resorted to aggression, inflicting physical, emotional, and verbal abuse on victims to compel their participation in the Freak Offs. He engaged in acts of violence, including hitting, kicking, throwing objects, and, at times, dragging victims by their hair,” he noted.
“The indictment suggests that the victims perceived a lack of agency in refusing Combs, fearing potential threats to their safety or the possibility of further victimisation,” he stated.
Puff Daddy, formerly known as P Diddy, has been a significant figure in hip-hop until November, when his former partner Cassie filed a lawsuit alleging years of abuse and sexual assault.
Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, has alleged that Combs coerced her and others into non-consensual sexual encounters in settings influenced by substance use.
Following the resolution of the complaint, CNN released hotel surveillance footage depicting Combs physically assaulting Cassie and subsequently leaving her on the floor several months later.
Following the broadcast of the footage, Combs remarked, “I felt a sense of disgust upon doing it.”
Combs faces legal action from both women and men alleging sexual assault and various other misconduct.
The legal team has engaged in litigation regarding the cases. Half a year prior, federal authorities conducted raids on his properties located in Los Angeles and Miami Beach.
On the previous Monday, Dawn Richard, a former member of Danity Kane, initiated legal action against Combs, alleging sexual assault, abuse, sex trafficking, gender discrimination, and fraud.
A Michigan judge has mandated that Combs pay $100 million (£76 million) to Derrick Lee Smith, following Combs’ inability to mount a defence in court. Smith alleged that Combs drugged and sexually assaulted him at a party nearly three decades prior.
The assessment is set to be contested, as stated by Combs’ legal representative.
A February case involving sex trafficking associated with Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, the producer of “The Love Album: Off the Grid” in 2023, was also dismissed.
Combs has a history of prior indictments.
In March 2001, he was exonerated of charges related to bribery and firearms following an incident at a nightclub that resulted in three injuries.
In the wake of Combs’ indictment on Tuesday, Mr. Agnifilo reported that his client maintains a positive outlook and expresses confidence in the situation.