Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrested following raids, human trafficking investigation
NEW YORK - Hip-hop legend Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was taken into federal custody in New York City Monday evening.
"Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY," said Nicholas Biase, Chief of Public Affairs for the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. "We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time."
"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," Marc Agnifilo, Combs' lawyer said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
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"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. He is an imperfect person but he Is not a 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."
In March, Diddy's LA and Miami homes were raided by federal authorities, amid numerous allegations of sexual assault.
Combs, 51, still faces potential litigation in a handful of civil suits and one criminal lawsuit.
In November, Cassie, legally known as Casandra Ventura, accused Combs of raping her in her own home, enduring "over a decade" of his "violent behavior and disturbed demands" and forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes while he watched and filmed.
One day after she filed the claim, Combs and Cassie came to an amicable resolution, and she dropped the lawsuit. In May, a clip obtained exclusively by CNN from 2016 showed the rapper running down a hotel hallway wearing a towel. Moments before, Cassie (Cassandra Ventura) had walked down the same hallway with bags in her hand toward the elevators.
Once Combs reached the elevators, he grabbed Cassie by the neck and threw her to the ground. Combs then kicked her twice, picked up her bags and dragged her back down the hallway before she returned to the same area to use a phone.
Days later, Combs issued an apology on Instagram. "It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that. I was f---ed up — I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses," Combs said. "My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video."
Combs admitted, "I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry."
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Three more women came forward with claims just before New York's Adult Survivors Act expired in December. Joi Dickerson-Neal and Liza Gardner each accused the "It’s All About the Benjamins" musician of sexual assault in separate filings.
Jane Doe alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by Combs and the president of his entertainment company, Harve Pierre, along with a third individual, when she was 17 years old, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Diddy denied the claim, saying in a statement shared with Fox News Digital: "Enough is enough. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy."
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A music producer, Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, who sued Combs for sexual assault in February, also added actor Cuba Gooding Jr. to his complaint. Jones, who produced "The Love Album: Off the Grid," claimed that he had lived with Combs for extended periods of time and accused the "I'll Be Missing You" singer of sexual assault and forcing him to perform sex acts with prostitutes.
Combs' legal team slammed Jones' accusations as "complete lies," and claimed the producer was "nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday," Combs' attorney Shawn Holley told Fox News Digital at the time.
In May, two more accusers came forward with accusations in lawsuits filed against the Bad Boy Records founder. Model Crystal McKinney claimed she was attacked and forced to "perform oral sex" on Diddy at his recording studio in 2003.
Former Arista records intern April Lampros said her friendship with Combs in the '90s quickly "manifested into an aggressive, coercive, and abusive relationship based on sex," in documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Lampros recalled "four terrifying sexual encounters" with Combs, one of which was from 1996 when Combs "forced" Kim Porter and Lampros to take ecstasy and then "demanded Kim Porter to have sexual intercourse with Ms. Lampros."
Combs and Porter dated for nearly 13 years and have three children together. Porter died in November 2018. She was 47.