Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs charged with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, according to unsealed indictment

• Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested Monday following a grand jury indictment.
• The music mogul was hit with three felony charges, including sex trafficking, according to the unsealed indictment.
• Diddy has been embroiled in months of controversy regarding sexual abuse allegations and a DHS raid.

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been hit with three felony charges, including sex trafficking, according to a newly unsealed federal indictment.

The music mogul was arrested in Manhattan on Monday following a grand jury indictment.

The indictment charges Combs with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Federal prosecutors allege that for decades Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”

“To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled —creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice,” the 14-page indictment says.

Diddy, for months, has been embroiled in controversy following numerous sexual and physical abuse allegations from his former romantic and creative partners. The music mogul’s Los Angeles and Miami mansions were the target of a Department of Homeland Security raid in March.

Authorities at the time did not provide additional details regarding the raid, but The New York Times reported an official described the inquiry as related to a human trafficking investigation.

Combs has vehemently denied the allegations against him.

“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office,” Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ lawyer, said in a statement to BI.

Agnifilo said his client “is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal. ” He described Combs as “nothing but cooperative with this investigation,” having voluntarily relocated to New York last week “in anticipation of these charges.”

“Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts,”Agnifilo said. “These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Agnifilo previously told BI that sex-trafficking allegations by Combs’ former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura, were the spark for the investigation by prosecutors for the Southern District of New York.

Ventura first took her allegations public in November of 2023 in a lawsuit, accusing Combs of years of physical abuse, rape, and forcing her to engage in sex acts with male sex workers during their on-again-off-again relationship from 2007 to 2018. The suit was settled for undisclosed terms. In May, CNN published 2016 video which depicted Combs shoving, dragging, and kicking Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel, prompting further scrutiny.

The ongoing legal turmoil has taken a toll on Combs’ business ventures, with Combs parting ways with the liquor giant Diagio earlier this year and selling his entire stake in Revolt, the media company he founded, in June.

Though the recent accusations about sexual violence have prompted a fresh wave of criticism against the rapper, Combs has been plagued by allegations of violence for decades.

In 1999, Combs pleaded guilty to harassment after he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting Interscope Records executive Steve Stoute. The same year, he and then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were arrested and Combs was charged with criminal possession of a weapon after law enforcement found a gun in his car following a shooting at a club in New York City. He was acquitted of the weapons charges in 2001.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.