Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs has been arrested in New York City.
Famous hip-hop artist and music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs has been arrested in New York City after being indicted by a federal court.
Details of the indictment have not yet been released, but Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams confirmed that Combs is currently in custody.
The musician’s attorney Mark Agnifilo said Combs has been cooperating with the investigation and specifically traveled to New York last week in anticipation of the indictment. “We are disappointed by the decision to continue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” Agnifilo said, calling his client a musical icon and ”loving family man.”
“He is a flawed human being, but he is not a criminal,” the attorney said in a statement, adding, ”Please refrain from judgment until you have all the facts. These are the actions of an innocent man with nothing to hide and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Reports of an investigation into Combs, 58, surfaced in late March when the FBI searched two properties owned by the rapper. The reason for authorities’ attention to the rapper was an ongoing sex trafficking investigation in New York City, but it was unclear whether Combs was a suspect.
Last November, R&B singer Cassie Ventura, who was in a relationship with the musician, became the first of several girls to sue him for sexualized abuse and battery.
Her lawsuit also alleged that Combs engaged in sex trafficking by “requiring her to participate in forced sexual acts.” The lawsuit was settled the next day, but it had a noticeable impact on the rapper’s reputation: the situation was made worse by CNN’s publication of a video showing the rapper beating Ventura. In response, Combs posted a video apologizing on social media, saying: “I was disgusted when I did it” and ‘I’m disgusted now’.
Cassie Ventura’s lawsuit was followed by other allegations in the months that followed. For example, one plaintiff alleged that Combs coerced him into seeking prostitutes. Another accuser of Combs was a woman who claimed she was a victim of rape by him two decades ago. Combs and his attorneys have denied nearly every allegation in the lawsuits.
Sean “Diddy” Combs, also known by his aliases Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is one of the most notable hip-hop producers in the history of the industry. Along with Notorious B.I.G., he has worked with a slew of notable artists including rapper Usher, Lil’ Kim, singers Faith Evans and Mary J. Blige, and the group 112, among others.