Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been indicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges

Larry Neumeister, Michael R. Sisak and Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs presided complete a sordid empire of intersexual crimes, coercing and abusing women for years, threatening them to support them successful statement and enlisting a formed of aides to screen it up, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday.

The euphony mogul “engaged successful a persistent and pervasive shape of maltreatment toward women and different individuals,” including beingness violence, successful bid “to fulfill his intersexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct, nan indictment said.

It describes him inducing female victims and antheral activity workers into drugged-up, sometimes dayslong intersexual performances dubbed “Freak Offs.” It besides refers obliquely to an onslaught connected his erstwhile girlfriend, nan R&B vocalist Cassie, that was captured connected video.

Combs was arrested precocious Monday successful Manhattan, astir six months aft national authorities conducting a activity trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes successful Los Angeles and Miami. He was owed successful tribunal Tuesday afternoon, and his 3 sons arrived astatine nan courthouse Tuesday greeting to observe.

Prosecutors said they would activity to person Combs detained pending trial. His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said extracurricular nan courthouse Tuesday greeting that he’d conflict to support him free, and that Combs is guiltless and would plead not guilty.

“His spirits are good. He’s confident,” said nan attorney, who said Combs came to New York voluntarily to “engage nan tribunal strategy and commencement nan case.”

The indictment describes Combs, nan 54-year-old laminitis of Bad Boy Records, arsenic nan caput of a criminal endeavor that engaged aliases attempted to prosecute successful activity trafficking, forced labor, interstate proscription for purposes of prostitution, supplier offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.

He’s accused of striking, punching and dragging women, throwing objects and kicking them — and getting his individual assistants, information and family unit to thief him hide it all.

“The grounds successful this lawsuit is incredibly powerful,” prosecutors said successful a archive seeking Combs’ detention. They said they had interviewed complete 50 victims and witnesses and expect nan number to grow.

Combs and his associates wielded his “power and prestige” to intimidate and lure women into his orbit, “often nether nan pretense of a romanticist relationship,” nan indictment says. It says he past would usage force, threats and coercion to get nan women to prosecute pinch antheral activity workers successful nan “Freak Offs” — “elaborate and produced activity performances” that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during and often recorded, creating dozens of videos.

He sometimes arranged to alert nan women successful and ensured their information by procuring and providing drugs, controlling their careers, leveraging his financial support and utilizing intimidation and violence, according to nan indictment.

The events could past for days, and Combs and victims would often person IV fluids to retrieve from nan exertion and supplier use, nan indictment said. It said his labor facilitated “Freak Offs” by arranging travel, booking edifice rooms, stocking them pinch specified supplies arsenic narcotics and babe oil, scheduling nan transportation of IV fluids and cleaning nan rooms afterward.

During a hunt of Combs’ homes successful Miami and Los Angeles this year, rule enforcement seized narcotics, videos of nan “Freak Offs” and much than 1,000 bottles of babe lipid and lubricant, according to prosecutors. They said agents besides seized firearms and ammunition, including 3 AR-15s pinch defaced serial numbers — 2 of them, surgery into parts, successful his chamber closet successful Miami.

The indictment portrays Combs arsenic a convulsive man who choked and shoved people, deed and kicked victims and sometimes dragged them by their hair, causing injuries that often took days aliases weeks to heal. His labor and associates sometimes witnessed his unit and kept victims from leaving aliases tracked down those who tried, nan indictment said.

It alleges that Combs sometimes kept videos of victims engaging successful activity acts and utilized nan recordings arsenic “collateral” to guarantee nan women’s continued obedience and silence. He besides exerted power complete victims by promising profession opportunities, providing and threatening to withhold financial support, dictating really they looked, monitoring their wellness records and controlling wherever they lived, according to nan indictment.

As nan threat of criminal charges loomed, Combs and his associates pressured witnesses and victims to enactment silent, offering bribes and supplying mendacious narratives of what happened, nan indictment says.

All of this, prosecutors allege, was happening down nan destruction of Combs’ world music, manner and clothing business.

“A twelvemonth ago, Sean Combs stood successful Times Square and was handed a cardinal to New York City. Today, he’s been indicted and will look justice,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said astatine a news convention Tuesday. His agency is bringing nan case.

Combs returned nan cardinal successful June aft Mayor Eric Adams requested it back.

Combs was recognized arsenic 1 of nan astir influential figures successful hip-hop earlier a flood of allegations emerged complete nan past year.

In November, Cassie, whose ineligible sanction is Casandra Ventura, revenge a suit saying he had beaten and raped her for years. She accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted activity successful drug-fueled settings.

The suit was settled successful 1 day, but months later, CNN aired edifice information footage showing Combs punching and kicking Ventura and throwing her connected a floor. After nan video aired, Combs apologized, saying, “I was disgusted erstwhile I did it.”

The indictment refers to nan attack, without naming Ventura, and says Combs tried to bribe a edifice information staffer to enactment mum astir it.
Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Ventura, declined to remark Tuesday.

Combs and his attorneys denied akin allegations made by others successful a drawstring of lawsuits.

A female said Combs raped her 2 decades agone erstwhile she was 17. A euphony shaper sued, saying Combs forced him to person activity pinch prostitutes. Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs subjected her to “terrifying intersexual encounters,” starting erstwhile she was a assemblage student successful 1994.

The AP does not typically sanction group who opportunity they person been sexually abused unless they travel guardant publicly, arsenic Ventura and Lampros did.
Combs has been successful ineligible problem before. Notably, he was acquitted successful 2001 of weapons charges related to a Manhattan nightclub shooting 2 years earlier that injured 3 people.