[Warning: The following contains discussion of sexual assault and domestic violence.]
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been indicted on sex trafficking, racketeering, kidnapping, and more charges and faces up to 20 years in prison, court documents unsealed on Tuesday, September 17 reveal.
The rapper was arrested by federal authorities on the evening of Monday, September 16 at a hotel in New York City. He was indicted by a grand jury the following morning, with the three official charges being racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution, per TMZ. Combs is currently being arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom.
The court documents detail reported sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice allegedly committed by Combs and others close to him dating back to 2008. The allegations in the indictment are similar in language to the various sexual assault lawsuits filed against Combs in recent months, one of the earliest being from his ex-girlfriend, the singer Cassie Ventura.
The indictment says that Combs used his influence in the music industry and the purported promise of career advancement to manipulate and exert control over his accusers, his social circle, and more. The documents also mention Combs’ reported “Freak Off” parties, which the indictment describes as “elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded,” per TMZ.
RelatedSean ‘Diddy’ Combs Under Federal Criminal Investigation in New York Amid Multiple Lawsuits
The indictment also alleges that Combs used the prospect of romantic partnership with him to lure women into his sphere to then reportedly force, threaten to force, and coerce the women into partaking in sexual encounters with male sex workers. Allegations of violence against women are also included, with one instance seemingly referencing a reported incident with Cassie at a hotel in Los Angeles in March 2016 that was recorded on security camera footage and made public in May 2024. The alleged violence reportedly includes striking, punching, dragging, kicking, and throwing objects at women.
The kidnapping allegations are not as detailed in the indictment but are said to have happened in California. The same applies to the allegations of bribery and arson.
Drug use charges in the indictment include intent to distribute narcotics, the drugs listed being cocaine, oxycodone, Xanax, GHB (aka the “date rape” drug), MDMA, and ketamine.
Combs is expected to plea not guilty to the charges. “He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers,” attorney Marc Agnifilo said outside the federal building in Manhattan this morning after the grand jury indictment, according to Deadline.
The U.S. Attorney’s office will be sharing more details regarding the case against Combs in a press conference today.
If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
More Headlines:
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Is Back Tonight — Everything We Know About Season 33New York Comic Con 2024: Your Guide to All the TV Panels & ScreeningsKathryn Hahn Says ‘Agatha All Along’ Brings ‘Tonal Chaos’ to the World of ‘WandaVision’Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison Following Sex Trafficking Indictment‘The View’: Whoopi Goldberg Slams JD Vance for Blaming Democrats Over Trump Assassination Attempts
