Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested Monday in New York as part of a federal sex trafficking investigation, authorities said.
No details were immediately available on the charges against the hip-hop mogul and entrepreneur. A grand jury has been impaneled to investigate the allegations.
On Monday evening, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York released a brief statement saying Combs was arrested “on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY. We expect to unseal the indictment this morning and will have more to say at that time.”
Combs was reportedly arrested without incident around 8:30 p.m. at a New York hotel where he was staying.
Law enforcement sources told The Times earlier this year that Combs was the subject of a broad investigation into sex trafficking allegations that led to federal raids in March on his properties in Los Angeles and Miami.
In civil lawsuits, four women accuse Combs of rape, assault and other abuse that occurred three decades ago. One of the allegations involved a minor. The accusations sent shockwaves through the music industry and put Combs’ entertainment empire in jeopardy.
Combs has strongly denied any wrongdoing, and on Monday his lawyer criticized prosecutors.
“We are disappointed by the decision to pursue what we consider to be an unfair prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement. “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, loving his children and working to uplift the Black community.”
The attorney said Combs was “an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal. It must be acknowledged that Mr. Combs has only cooperated with this investigation and voluntarily moved to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve judgment until you have all the facts. These are the actions of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he is eager to clear his name in court.”
Homeland Security Investigations agents raided mansions owned by the Bad Boy Entertainment co-founder on March 25 as part of the federal investigation into sex trafficking allegations, law enforcement sources said.
The 17,000-square-foot Holmby Hills mansion where Combs released his LP “The Love Album: Off the Grid” was flooded with agents, who executed a search warrant and collected evidence as part of an investigation by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, according to law enforcement officials familiar with the probe.
Combs’ legal troubles have been mounting for months.
Last week, Dawn Richard, a former member of Danity Kane and Diddy-Dirty Money and solo artist, sued Combs in New York, alleging sexual assault, harassment and inhumane treatment.
She alleged in her complaint that Combs assaulted her without her consent, wrongfully imprisoned her and deprived her and her bandmates of their basic needs, and that “submission to his depraved demands was necessary for the advancement of his career.”
Richard’s attorney, Lisa Bloom, said in a statement to the Times that “given Sean Combs’ brutal beating of his girlfriend, caught on video, and the eight people who have now accused him of abuse in court documents, including my courageous client Dawn Richard, this arrest seems long overdue. This is a huge and emotional day for the victims, but an arrest is just the beginning. Let justice be served for Mr. Combs. We implore other accusers to come forward in solidarity and join us in this fight.”
His former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, the singer known as Cassie, accused him of repeated rape and physical assault and said he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes in front of him. Combs quickly settled a lawsuit Ventura filed against him last year. Months later, a 2016 video released by CNN shows Combs chasing, beating and dragging Ventura around a Los Angeles hotel.
Another accuser, Joi Dickerson-Neal, said in a complaint that Combs drugged and raped her in 1991, recording the attack and then distributing the footage without her consent.
Liza Gardner filed a third lawsuit accusing Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall of sexually assaulting her. Hall could not be reached for comment.
Another lawsuit is filed against Combs and former Bad Boy label president Harve Pierre, who allegedly gang raped and sexually exploited a 17-year-old girl. Pierre said in a statement that the allegations were “disgusting,” “false” and a “desperate attempt at financial gain.”
After the fourth lawsuit was filed, Combs wrote on Instagram: “Enough is enough… Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. I want to be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the horrific things that are being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
In the spring, producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones filed a federal lawsuit against Combs, accusing him of sexually harassing and threatening him for more than a year.
Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.
