Sean “Diddy” Combs has been charged with sex trafficking and extortion, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Combs was arrested in Manhattan late Monday, about six months after federal authorities searched his luxury homes in Los Angeles and Miami in a sex trafficking investigation.
Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who claim they physically or sexually abused him. He has denied many of the charges, and his lawyer, Mark Anifilo, said outside court Tuesday morning that Combs maintains his innocence and will “fight tooth and nail” to have him released from custody.
“He's in good spirits. He's confident,” Agnifilo said of Combs.
Combs, 54, was recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop before a series of allegations emerged over the past year that made him an industry pariah.
In November 2023, Combs' former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie (real name Cassandra Ventura), filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs assaulted and raped her over the course of years. She accused him of forcing her and others into unwanted sexual acts while under the influence of drugs.
The lawsuit was settled within a day, but a few months later CNN aired hotel security footage that showed Combs punching, kicking and throwing Cathy to the floor. After the footage aired, Combs apologized, saying he “felt disgusted when I did it.”
But Combs and his lawyers have denied similar allegations made by others in a series of lawsuits.
“Neither Ms. Ventura nor I have any comment,” Ms. Cathy's lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, said in a statement Tuesday.
“We thank everyone for their understanding and will be sure to keep you updated if the situation changes,” he added.
One woman said Combs raped her 20 years ago, when she was 17. A music producer filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs forced her to have sex with prostitutes. Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs forced her to perform “horrific sexual acts” beginning in 1994 when she was a college student.
Combs, founder of Bad Boy Records, has been in legal trouble before.
In 2001, he was acquitted of charges related to a Manhattan nightclub shooting two years earlier that left three people injured. His protégé at the time, Shine, was convicted of assault and other charges and served about eight years in prison.
