Diddy headed to jail, to be held without bail in sex trafficking case

NEW YORK CITY - Sean "Diddy" Combs headed to jail Tuesday to await trial in a federal sex trafficking case that accuses him of presiding over a sordid empire of sexual crimes protected by blackmail and shocking acts of violence.

The music mogul is charged with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. The indictment against him lists allegations that go back to 2008.

He's accused of inducing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes dayslong sexual performances dubbed "Freak Offs." The indictment also refers obliquely to an attack on his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, that was captured on video.

"Not guilty," Combs told a court, standing to speak after expressionlessly listening to the allegations with his uncuffed hands folded in his lap.

After U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky declined to grant him bail, Combs took a long swig from a water bottle, then was led out of court, turning toward family members in the audience as he went.

"Mr. Combs is a fighter. He’s going to fight this to the end. He’s innocent," his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said after court. He plans to appeal the bail decision.

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.

"Simply put, he is a serial abuser and a serial obstructor," Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson told a court.

Agnifilo acknowledged Combs was "not a perfect person," saying he'd used drugs and had been in "toxic relationships" but was getting treatment and therapy.

"The evidence in this case is extremely problematic," the attorney told the court.

He maintained that the case stemmed from one long-term, consensual relationship that faltered amid infidelity. He didn't name the woman, but the details matched those of Combs’ decade-long involvement with Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura.

The "Freak Offs," Agnifilo contended, were an expansion of that relationship, and not coercive.

"Is it sex trafficking? Not if everybody wants to be there," Agnifilo said, arguing that authorities were intruding on his client’s private life.

Prosecutors said in court papers that they had interviewed more than 50 victims and witnesses and expect the number to grow. They said they would use financial, travel and billing records, electronic data and communications and videos of the "Freak Offs" to prove their case.

Combs was arrested Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami.

A conviction on every charge would require at least 15 years in prison, with the possibility of a life sentence.

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.

Diddy indictment

He is accused of inducing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes dayslong sexual performances dubbed "Freak Offs" in the indictment, which refers obliquely to an attack on his former girlfriend, the the R&B singer Cassie, that was captured on video.

Why did Diddy get arrested?

Combs was arrested late Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami.

Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse. 

He has denied many of those allegations, and his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse Tuesday morning that Combs would plead not guilty and that he would "fight like hell" to try to get his client released from custody.

Of Combs, Agnifilo said, "His spirits are good. He’s confident."

Diddy indictment: What does it say?

Combs is accused in the indictment of striking, punching and dragging women on numerous occasions, throwing objects and kicking them — and enlisting his personal assistants, security and household staff to help hide it all.

The "Freak Offs" were "elaborate and produced sex performances" that Combs "arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded," the indictment said. It said he sometimes arranged to fly the women in and ensured their participation by procuring and providing drugs, controlling their careers, leveraging his financial support, and using intimidation and violence.

The events could last days, the indictment says.

During a search of Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles this year, law enforcement seized narcotics and more than a thousand bottles of baby oil and lubricant, according to the indictment.

All of this, prosecutors allege, was happening behind the facade of Combs’ global music, lifestyle and clothing empire.

• MORE: Diddy forced to pay inmate $100M in sexual-assault case
• MORE: Diddy returns key to NYC in response to video of him attacking singer Cassie

Combs, 54, was recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop before a flood of allegations that emerged over the past year turned him into an industry pariah.

In November, Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra 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.

‘I was disgusted when I did it’

The suit was settled in one day but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her on a floor. After the video aired, Combs apologized, saying, "I was disgusted when I did it."

The indictment refers to the attack, without naming Ventura, and says Combs tried to bribe a hotel security staffer to stay mum about it.

Combs and his attorneys, however, denied similar allegations made by others in a string of lawsuits.

Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Cassie, said in a statement Tuesday that "neither Ms. Ventura nor I have any comment."

"We appreciate your understanding and if that changes, we will certainly let you know," he added.

A woman said Combs raped her two decades ago when she was 17. A music producer sued, saying Combs forced him to have sex with prostitutes. Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs subjected her to "terrifying sexual encounters," starting when she was a college student in 1994.

The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie and Lampros did.

Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has gotten out of legal trouble before.

In 2001, he was acquitted of charges related to a Manhattan nightclub shooting two years earlier that injured three people. His then-protege, Shyne, was convicted of assault and other charges and served about eight years in prison.

MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER, with the Associated Press, helped contribute to this report.

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