As two of his kids departed the Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday (September 17), US music entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs went to jail to await trial.
Diddy has been charged in a federal sex trafficking case, accusing him of presided over a decade of sexual crimes covered by extortion and violence.
The 54-year-old, who was detained on Monday (September 16), pleaded not guilty.
His attorney was confident.
“Mr. Combs is a fighter. He’s going to fight this to the end. He’s innocent. He came to New York to establish his innocence. He’s not afraid. He’s not afraid of the charges. There’s nothing that the government said in their presentation today that changes anyone’s mind about anything.”
The indictment describes Combs as the head of a criminal enterprise that engaged or attempted to engage in sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.
The Bad Boy Records founder is accused of sexually abusing and using physical force toward women and getting his personal assistants, security and household staff to help him hide it all. Prosecutors say he also tried to bribe and intimidate witnesses and victims to keep them quiet.
During the searches of Combs’ homes earlier this year, law enforcement seized narcotics, videos of the performances and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, according to prosecutors. They said agents also seized firearms and ammunition, including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers in his bedroom closet in Miami.
Combs’ lawyer said his client didn’t own the guns, noting that he employs a security company.
Prosecutors interviewed over 50 people and witnesses and expect the number to grow, court papers reveal.
In a court filing, prosecutors accused Combs and an unidentified co-conspirator of kidnapping someone at gunpoint in December 2011 in order to facilitate a break-in at another person’s home. Two weeks later, prosecutors wrote, Combs set fire to someone’s vehicle by slicing open its convertible top and dropping in a Molotov cocktail.
A facade
The indictement says Combs would use force, threats and coercion to get the women to engage with male sex workers in the “Freak Offs” — “elaborate and produced sex performances” that Combs arranged and recorded, creating dozens of videos.
He ensured their participation by procuring and providing drugs, controlling their careers, leveraging his financial support and using intimidation and violence, according to the indictment. It said his employees facilitated “Freak Offs” by taking care of tasks like travel and hotel arrangements and stocking them with such supplies as drugs and baby oil.
It alleges that Combs used explicit recordings as “collateral” to ensure the women’s continued obedience and silence. He also exerted control over victims by promising career opportunities, providing and threatening to withhold financial support, dictating how they looked, monitoring their health records and controlling where they lived, according to the indictment.
All of this, prosecutors say, was happening behind the facade of Combs’ global music, lifestyle and clothing business.
Past allegations
In November, Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit saying he had beaten and raped her for years. She accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fueled settings.
The suit was settled in one day, but months later, CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Ventura and throwing her on a floor. After the video aired, Combs apologized, saying, “his actions were inexcusable” and that he “was disgusted when [he] did it” and “is disgusted now.”
The current indictment against the Bad Boy Records founder lists allegations that go back to 2008.
Agnifilo, Combs’ lawyer, conceded his client had used drugs, adding he’d been in “toxic relationships” but was getting therapy.
Combs and his attorneys denied similar allegations made by others in a string of lawsuits.
