Sean 'Diddy' Combs, a renowned rapper and music mogul, was arrested in a Manhattan hotel lobby by federal authorities, after a grand jury indictment Monday. He was formally taken into federal custody on Tuesday. His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said that the hip hop mogul has been cooperative with the investigation and voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of being charged.
The rapper was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in the indictment unsealed Tuesday.
"Now I want to be clear about two things. First, this office is determined to investigate and prosecute anyone who engages in sex trafficking, no matter how powerful or wealthy or famous you may be," US Attorney Damien Williams said during a press conference Tuesday. "No one should doubt our commitment on that."
"A year ago, Sean Combs stood in Times Square and was handed a key to New York City. Today, he's been indicted and will face justice in the Southern District of New York," he added. "Second, we are not done. This investigation is ongoing, and I encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly."
The US District Attorney's office requested the judge deny Diddy's bail ahead of his Tuesday arraignment. However, his attorney plans to fight for the rapper to be released.
"His spirits are good. He's confident," Agnifilo said outside the courthouse Tuesday morning. "He is dealing with this head on, the way he's dealt with every challenge in his life. And he's not guilty. He's innocent of these charges. He's going to plead not guilty, obviously. He's going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers. And I expect a long battle with a good result for Mr. Combs."
The attorney added: "I'm going to fight like hell to get him released, and he should be released. With all that he's done and coming here voluntarily."
Authorities claimed Diddy ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others. He used "violence, use of firearms, threats of violence, coercion, and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse" to fulfill his sexual desires, according to the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.
Combs and his employees would "intimidate, threaten, and lure female victims into Comb's orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship. Combs allegedly then used force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs referred to as, among other things, 'Freak Offs.'"
The "Finna Get Loose" singer allegedly transported male sex workers across state and international lines for the purpose of engaging in non-consensual sex with his female victims.
Combs engaged his victims in "physical, emotional, and verbal abuse" in order to force them into participating in the "freak offs," the court docs read. Diddy would also supply drugs to the sex workers and female victims to facilitate sexual encounters.
"Freak Offs were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded," authorities stated. Diddy often provided IV fluids to his victims following "freak offs" to recover from physical exertion and drug use, the indictment read.
Diddy allegedly maintained control of his victims by promising career opportunities or threatening to take away the same opportunities, withholding financial support, controlling the victim's housing and more.
"Combs also used the sensitive, embarrassing, and incriminating recordings that he made during Freak Offs as collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims," according to the indictment.
Monday's arrest comes months after his homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided in March, by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) as part of investigations into federal sex trafficking, sexual assault, solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms.
During raids on Combs' home in March, authorities seized "freak off supplies" along with three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers, the court docs stated. The feds took "cases and cases of the kinds of personal lubricant and baby oil that Combs' staff allegedly used to stock hotel rooms for the freak offs - more than 1,000 bottles altogether," Williams said at a press conference.
Read the charges against Diddy
