Sean “Diddy” Combs is charged with multiple federal crimes. Lawyers in the United States say this may be just the beginning

Lavish parties, guns, sex toys and celebrity are all part of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ story, but it is his alleged crimes that have shocked the United States and the world.

Mr. Combs, 54, is currently in prison, where he is expected to remain until his trial in May 2025 on three criminal charges: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Mr. Combs has denied all allegations made against him.

Former U.S. Attorney Mitchell Epner and civil attorney Lisa Bloom say these allegations may only be scratching the surface.

“It’s virtually impossible to create a graph of the entertainment industry where everyone you’ve ever heard of isn’t within two degrees of Sean Combs,” Mr. Epner told 7:30.

Mr. Epner also believes music mogul Mr. Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison, which is the maximum sentence for the charges against him.

Ms Bloom – a lawyer representing singer Dawn Richard in a civil case against Mr Combs – says the number of people who may have been accomplices could be staggering.

“We allege in our complaint, filed a week before the government filed its criminal complaint, that there were many people and organizations who enabled it, who were complicit, who helped it, who financed it, who turned a blind eye to what was going on “went on,” she said at 7:30 p.m.

Infamous raids, infamous prison

The prison where Mr. Combs is housed is the infamous Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Mr Epner says the prison has earned its fearsome reputation.

“It’s rat infested and dangerous,” he said at 7:30 p.m.

Mr. Combs’ legal team has attempted multiple times to obtain bail for his client, even though he had offered a bond of nearly $75 million.

Mr. Combs has been in jail since federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations raided his properties in Miami and Los Angeles earlier this year.

What they found shocked many and included firearms with serial numbers filed off.

“Large amounts of various medications were found,” said Mr. Epner.

“Everything from GHB… to all types of recreational drugs.

The basis for other civil allegations against Mr. Combs are allegations of sexual control and sexual abuse.

It is his infamous “white parties” held at his lavish estate in the Hamptons, New York, that are the source of many of the allegations against Mr. Combs.

He is said to have forced and threatened victims into sexual acts during alleged “freak-off” sex performances.

“It was reported that these freak offs, which took place in very large, day-long, basically public sex shows, were under the influence of drugs and were only known to a portion of the people who were there, to the very fancy white parties,” said Mr. Epner.

In addition to the federal charges, Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee recently announced that his firm is representing 120 people who claim to have been victims of Mr. Combs.

At the time of the alleged events, several of them were said to be minors.

“Abuse, harassment, discrimination”

Singer Dawn Richard first met Mr. Combs more than 20 years ago when she was a contestant on the television show “Making the Band.”

She has also filed a civil lawsuit against him.

Ms Richard says she was forced to attend these parties and perform their hits to guests.

She claims her cell phone was taken away so she couldn’t leave without his knowledge, and says underage men and women were invited by Mr. Combs to attend these parties, take drugs and engage in sexual acts.

“It was a major breakthrough in her musical career,” Ms. Richards’ lawyer Lisa Bloom told 7.30.

“Then, a few years later, she was chosen to be in a second band called Diddy Dirty Money, which Sean Combs was involved in, and she has worked with him on and off ever since.”

The lawsuit, filed by Ms. Bloom on behalf of Ms. Richard, alleges that Mr. Combs treated her “inhumanely” by forcing her to work for up to 48 hours at a time, depriving her of food and sleep, and sexually harassing her She worked with him in the trio group Diddy Dirty Money for two years.

The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Combs regularly barged into her dressing room while she was getting dressed and groped her without consent. It is also alleged he tried to touch Ms Richard’s buttocks and breasts and disguised this by describing to her stylist what he thought she should wear.

“These are allegations that relate to the fact that she was not adequately compensated for the work she did with Mr. Combs.”

Ms. Richard was 21 when she auditioned for the third season of “Making the Band.” She was a fan favorite and formed the girl group Danity Kane with members Aubrey O’Day, Aundrea Fimbres, D Woods and Shannon Bex.

Mr. Combs showed great interest in her during filming, calling her “extraordinary” while she danced on stage and announcing he still wanted to work with her while firing other band members toward the end of the series.

Danity Kane officially disbanded in 2020, but Mr. Combs continued to work with Ms. Richard through her group Diddy Dirty Money, which also included singer Kalenna Harper.

Inspired by his former partner

It was the abuse Mr Combs subjected his ex-partner Cassie Ventura to that inspired Ms Richard to come forward with her story.

“Although this case was settled the very next day, we can all read the allegations in the complaint and it was very inspiring and very moving for Dawn, who knew Cassie and claims in her complaint that she witnessed some of the incidents.” as far as Cassie and Kim Porter and others are concerned,” Ms. Bloom said.

Ms Ventura was a singer and model formerly known as Cassie – she first met Mr Combs when she signed to his record label in 2007.

In a scathing New York lawsuit filed last year, she claimed the mogul abused her during their decades-long relationship that began when she was 19.

In May this year, surveillance footage from inside a hotel corridor was released showing Mr Comb grabbing Ms Ventura by the neck, slamming her to the carpet and then trying to drag her.

Days after the video surfaced, he apologized on his Instagram page.

“It’s so hard to think about the darkest times in life. But sometimes you have to do that. I was at the end. I mean I’ve hit rock bottom,” he posted.

“When the horrific video came out of Cassie Ventura being beaten by Sean Combs, it was further inspiration [Dawn]said Ms. Bloom.

Mr. Epner believes one of the main reasons Mr. Combs will remain behind bars is to protect Ms. Ventura.

“The danger to the community was intimidation of witnesses,” he said.

“The video released earlier this year of Mr. Combs hitting his then-girlfriend Cassie in a California hotel had a huge impact.

“It demonstrated a propensity for extreme violence, a danger to the community, and it is also widely believed that victim number one is Cassie.”

“So if there is a videotape showing the defendant brutally beating the key witness, that contributes significantly to the denial of bail.”

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