Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrested in New York after grand jury indictment, reports say
Sean 맥스카지노Diddy" Combs faces federal charges in New York, his lawyer said late Monday.
File video above: Sean 'Diddy' Combs' homes in Los Angeles, Miami raided
Details of the charges weren't immediately announced by prosecutors, but Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, issued a statement saying: 맥스카지노We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney맥스카지노s Office.맥스카지노
He added that Combs had gone to New York last week in anticipation of the charges being brought.
맥스카지노He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,맥스카지노 Agnifilo said.
Criminal charges would be a major but not unexpected takedown of one of the most prominent producers and most famous names in the history of hip-hop.
The federal investigation of the 58-year-old Combs was revealed when Homeland Security Investigations agents served simultaneous search warrants and raided Combs' mansions in Los Angeles and Miami on March 25.
His defense attorney Aaron Dyer the day after the raids called them 맥스카지노a gross use of military-level force,맥스카지노 said the allegations were 맥스카지노meritless,맥스카지노 and said Combs was 맥스카지노innocent and will continue to fight" to clear his name.
Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, was at the center of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop battles of the 1990s as the partner and producer of the Notorious B.I.G., who was shot and killed in 1997. But like many of those who survived the era, his public image had softened with age into a genteel host of parties in Hollywood and the Hamptons, a fashion-forward businessman, and a doting father who spoiled his kids, some of whom lost their mother in 2018.
But a different image began emerging in November, when his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, became the first of several people to sue him for sexual abuse with stories of a steady stream of sex workers in drug-fueled settings where some of those involved were coerced or cajoled into sex.
In her November lawsuit, Cassie alleged years of abuse, including beatings and rape. Her suit also alleged Combs engaged in sex trafficking by 맥스카지노requiring her to engage in forced sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions맥스카지노 and by engaging in 맥스카지노harboring and transportation of Plaintiff for purposes of sex induced by force, fraud, or coercion.맥스카지노 It also said he compelled her to help him traffic male sex workers Combs would force Cassie to have sex with while he filmed.
The suit was settled settled the following day, but its reverberations would last far longer. Combs lost lingering allies, supporters and those reserving judgment when CNN in May aired a leaked video of him punching Cassie, kicking her and throwing her on the floor in a hotel hallway.
The following day, in his first real acknowledgement of wrongdoing since the stream of allegations began, Combs posted a social media video apologizing, saying 맥스카지노I was disgusted when I did it맥스카지노 and 맥스카지노I맥스카지노m disgusted now.맥스카지노 Cassie맥스카지노s lawsuit was followed by at least a half-dozen others in the ensuing months.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.
Another of Combs맥스카지노 accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.
Another woman who filed a lawsuit, April Lampos, said she was a college student in 1994 when she met Combs and a series of 맥스카지노terrifying sexual encounters맥스카지노 with Combs and those around him began that lasted for years.
Combs and his attorneys denied nearly all of the lawsuits맥스카지노 allegations.
While authorities did not publicly say that the lawsuits set off the criminal investigation, Dyer said when the warrants were served that the case was based on 맥스카지노meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.맥스카지노
The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Cassie and Lampros did.
As the founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs became one of the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades Along with the Notorious B.I.G. he worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.
Combs맥스카지노 roles in his businesses beyond music 맥스카지노 including lucrative private-label spirits, a media company and the Sean John Fashion line 맥스카지노 took major hits when the allegations arose.
The consequences were even greater when the leaked beating video emerged. Howard University cut ties with him, and he returned his key to the city of New York at the request of the mayor.