Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs arrested in New York on federal indictment – ​​The Irish Times

Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested Monday night in New York, where he faces a sealed criminal indictment, prosecutors announced Monday night.

Details of the charges were not immediately released by prosecutors, but the hip-hop mogul has faced a series of allegations in recent months from women accusing him of sexual assault.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement that federal agents arrested Combs, adding: “We expect to unseal the indictment this morning and will have more to say at that time.”

Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said: “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.”

He said Combs traveled to New York last week in anticipation of the charges that were to be filed.

Combs was arrested in a Manhattan hotel lobby and is in federal custody, said a person familiar with the arrest who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The criminal charges represent a significant, but not unexpected, blow to one of the most prominent producers and most famous names in hip-hop history.

The federal investigation into Combs, 58, came to light when agents from the Department of Homeland Security Investigations executed simultaneous search warrants and raids on Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami in March.

Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, was at the center of hip-hop’s East Coast-West Coast battles in the 1990s as the partner and producer of Notorious B.I.G., who was shot and killed in 1997.

But like many who survived that era, his public image softened with age to that of a distinguished host of parties in Hollywood and the Hamptons, a forward-thinking businessman and a loving father who doted on his children, some of whom lost their mothers in 2018.

But a different picture began to emerge in November 2023, when his former protégé and girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, became the first in a string of people to sue him for sexual abuse with stories of a steady stream of sex workers in drug-fueled environments where some of those involved were coerced or cajoled into having sex.

In her November complaint, Cassie alleged years of abuse, including beatings and rape. Her complaint also alleged that Combs engaged in sex trafficking by “obliging her to engage in coerced sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions” and “harboring and transporting the plaintiff for sexual purposes induced by force, fraud or coercion.”

He also said he forced her to help him traffic male sex workers with whom Combs forced Cassie to have sex while he filmed.

The lawsuit was settled the next day, but its repercussions lasted much longer. Combs lost his last allies, supporters and those who reserved judgment when CNN released a leaked video in May of him punching, kicking and throwing Cassie to the ground in a hotel hallway.

The next day, in his first real acknowledgement of wrongdoing since the allegations began, Combs posted a video on social media in which he apologized, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it” and “I’m disgusted now.”

Cassie’s trial was followed by at least a half-dozen others in the months that followed.

As the founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs has become one of the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the last three decades. Alongside Notorious B.I.G., he has worked with many top artists, including Mary J Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.

Combs’ roles in his businesses beyond music — including lucrative private-label spirits, a media company and the Sean John fashion line — took a big hit when the allegations surfaced.

The fallout was even more dire when the video of the beating was leaked. Howard University cut ties with him and he surrendered his key to New York City at the mayor’s request. – AP