Sean 'Diddy' Combs Arrested In New York City Over Trafficking Probe

• American rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been the talk of the town after reports of being taken to custody flooded social media
• The Hip Hop mogul's arrest followed raids on his Los Angeles and Miami properties in March
• Combs is facing multiple civil lawsuits, including sexual assault and abuse claims, but his attorney, Marc Agnifilo, says the charges are unjust

Embattled hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been arrested.

Combs was arrested in New York City on unspecified federal charges, federal authorities told the BBC.

TMZ reports that just a few hours before Diddy's arrest, he was calmly walking around NYC with his son, King Combs. He even stopped to greet some fans and take selfies.

Which Charges is Sean 'Diddy' facing?

The arrest in Manhattan follows raids on two of his properties in Los Angeles and Miami in March as part of an ongoing investigation into sex trafficking by authorities.

Combs's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said they were disappointed by the arrest and that his client was innocent.

The musician has faced a series of allegations from sexual assault to abuse, including by his ex-partner Casandra Cassie Ventura.

He has denied all the claims against him.

Multiple law enforcement sources told journalists that his arrest was related to an ongoing investigation by US Homeland Security officials.

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams confirmed the arrest in a statement on Monday night.

"Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY," the prosecutor said.

He said the office plans to unseal the indictment on Tuesday morning, and we "will have more to say then."

Diddy's legal troubles

Combs faces a number of civil lawsuits, including allegations that he ra*ped an underage girl and tried to "groom" a producer and force him to have sex with another man.

His attorney said on Monday night that Mr Combs was looking forward to clearing his name in court.

“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution," Agnifilo said.

“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."

The rapper's legal problems began in November 2023 when Ventura filed her lawsuit.

Two other women filed lawsuits that same week alleging abuse and assault, including one who said Mr Combs had choked her for so long that she passed out.

He denied all the allegations at the time, and a spokesperson for the rapper called the lawsuits a money grab.

Then, in December, another civil lawsuit alleged a woman had been sex trafficked by Combs and two other men when she was 17 years old.

In February this year, new accusations came to light in a civil lawsuit filed by his former producer, Rodney Jones Jr, who said Combs made unwanted sexual advances and tried to groom him into having sex with others.

Combs denied the allegations, but one month later, his properties were raided.

The musician was stopped at an airport in Miami as he was preparing to leave for the Bahamas and handed over electronics to authorities.

Many of the lawsuits came shortly before the expiration of the New York Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily allowed people who said they were sexually abused to file claims, even after the statute of limitations had expired.

In May, CCTV footage posted by CNN appeared to show the rap mogul attacking and beating Ventura, an episode that was chronicled in her civil suit.

Combs, who has also gone by the names Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love, and Brother Love, is one of rap's most successful moguls.

Former employee sues Diddy for sexual assault

Diddy's former employees, including a former male worker, also accused him of sexual assault.

According to The South African, the employee who didn't want to be identified filed a lawsuit at the federal court in New York City.

In the suit, the former employee accused him of repeated instances of unsolicited groping and sexual touching.

He further accused him of soliciting prostitutes and pressuring him to have sex with said prostitutes.

The suit described an event when the victim woke up in bed with two sex workers. He suspected that he had been drugged.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke

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Hip-Hop mogul Diddy arrested in New York.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs accused of sexual assault by fourth woman - BBC News

Sean 'Diddy' Combs accused of 1991 sexual assault in second suit | Reuters