Diddy has been indicted on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges that accuse him of abusing women for over a decade.
The Bad Boy Records boss was arrested by federal agents in New York on Monday night (September 16) following a string of sexual assault lawsuits filed against him and a subsequent criminal investigation into his alleged misconduct.
The grand jury indictment, which was unsealed on Tuesday morning (September 17), alleges he “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”
It levies one count each of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or cooercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Diddy (real name Sean Combs) is expected to plead not guilty, according to his lawyer Marc Agnifilo who spoke to reporters ahead of his client’s court appearance on Tuesday morning.
Agnifolio added that he would “fight like hell” to try to get the mogul released from custody and that his client is “confident” and in “good” spirits, despite the fact that his legal troubles are now a criminal matter as well as a civil one.
Here’s the 14-page indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Three counts: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution: https://t.co/gEoxkkKmUNpic.twitter.com/fAkHiVtyX2
— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) September 17, 2024
The indictment, filed in the Southern District of New York, details a laundry list of alleged crimes dating back to at least 2008.
It accuses Diddy of being verbally, emotionally, physically and sexually abusive towards multiple women, none of whom are identified by name.
The allegations of physical abuse include “striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking” his victims.
While it doesn’t specifically mention Cassie, the indictment cites his shocking March 2016 attack on the singer at a hotel in Los Angeles, footage of which surfaced earlier this year.
The document also details Diddy’s alleged “Freak Offs” where he coerced women to “participate in highly orchestrated performances of sexual activity” with male sex workers that he often masturbated to and recorded.
It states that during the March 2024 raids on the mogul’s homes, federal agents seized “various Freak Off supplies,” including footage of these sex acts, narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.
Authorities also seized guns and ammunition, including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers, with Diddy and his associates accused of using weapons to threaten his victims and witnesses.
The racketeering charge relates to a string of alleged crimes that Diddy and his accociates, described as the Combs Enterprise, carried out and attempted to conceal.
The indictment claims the Combs Enterprise violated racketeering laws through kidnapping, arson, bribery, witness tampering, forced labor, transportation for purposes of prostitution, and possession of drugs with intent to distribute (including cocaine, oxycodone and ketamine).
It also claims that Diddy and his associates threatened victims and witnesses to stay silent after the wave of sexual assaults lawsuits that were filed against him in late 2023, including through attempted bribery and providing false narratives. Diddy allegedly recorded some of these phone calls.
Those who facilitated the record executive’s criminal behavior include “security staff, household staff, personal assistants, and high-ranking supervisors,” according to the indictment.
Diddy is the only defendant charged in the case so far. He could face over 20 years in prison if convicted, according to Deadline.
Prosecutors also intend to seize “any and all property, real and personal,” as well as an unspecified “sum of money,” the indictment reads.
The 54-year-old has yet to address the unsealed indictment, although his lawyer previously said following his arrest that his client is “innocent” and will fight to clear his name in court.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” 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 attorney added: “He is an imperfect person but is not criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.
“Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”