Sean “Diddy” Combs charged with sex trafficking and organized crime

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged with sex trafficking and organized crime, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday.

Combs was arrested late Monday in Manhattan, about six months after federal authorities raided his luxury homes in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex trafficking investigation.

Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who claim he physically or sexually abused them. He has denied many of those allegations, and his attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse Tuesday morning that Combs would plead not guilty and “fight tooth and nail” to get his client released from custody.

Of Combs, Agnifilo said: “He’s in good spirits. He’s confident.”

Combs, 54, was considered one of the most influential figures in hip-hop before a flood of allegations over the past year turned him into an outsider in the industry.

In November, his ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit claiming he beat and raped her for years. She accused Combs of forcing her and others to have unwanted sex in drug-fueled environments.

The case was settled within a day, but months later, CNN aired security camera footage from the hotel showing Combs punching, kicking and throwing Cassie to the ground. After the video aired, Combs apologized, saying, “I was disgusted when I did that.”

However, Combs and his lawyers have denied similar allegations made by others in a series of lawsuits.

Douglas Wigdor, an attorney for Cassie, said in a statement Tuesday: “Neither Ms. Ventura nor I have any comment.”

“We thank you for your understanding and will be sure to let you know if this changes,” he added.

One woman said Combs raped her twenty years ago, when she was 17. A music producer filed suit, claiming Combs forced him to have sex with prostitutes. Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs subjected her to “horrific sexual encounters,” beginning in 1994, when she was a college student.

The AP typically does not name people who report sexual abuse unless they speak out publicly, as Cassie and Lampros have done.

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

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

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This story has been corrected to show that Combs is 54, not 58.

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Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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