Sean “Diddy” Combs, the embattled hip-hop mogul, was arrested in New York City on vague federal charges, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS.
The arrest in Manhattan came after investigators raided two of his houses in Los Angeles and Miami in March as part of a “ongoing investigation” into s3x trafficking.
Mr. Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, stated that the arrest was “disappointed” and that his client was a “innocent man”.
The musician has been accused of s3xual ass@ult and ab_se, including by his ex-partner, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. He has refuted all allegations against him.
Multiple law enforcement sources informed CBS that his arrest was part of an ongoing probe by US Homeland Security investigators.
Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, confirmed the arrest in a statement issued Monday night.
“Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY,” a prosecutor stated.
He stated that the office intends to unseal the indictment on Tuesday morning and that we “will have more to say at that time”.
Combs is facing a number of legal cases, including allegations that he raped an underage girl and attempted to “groom” a producer by forcing him to have s3x with another man.
Mr Combs’ counsel stated on Monday night that he was looking forward to “clearing his name in court”.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution,” Mr Agnifilo said in a written statement to the BBC.
“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the black community.”
The rapper’s legal troubles began in November 2023, when Ms Ventura filed a lawsuit. Two other women filed claims the same week, alleging abuse and assault, including one who claimed Mr Combs choked her for so long that she blacked out.
At the time, he rejected all of the charges, and a publicist for the rapper labeled the lawsuits a “money grab”. Another civil case, filed in December, claimed that Mr Combs and two other men “s3x trafficked” a 17-year-old lady.
In February this year, further charges came to light in a civil complaint brought by his former producer Rodney Jones Jr, who claimed that Mr Combs made unwanted s3xual approaches and sought to “groom” him into having s3x.
Mr Combs rejected the charges, but one month later, his residences were seized.
The musician was detained at an airport in Miami as he was about to depart for the Bahamas and turned over electronics to officials.
Many of the complaints were filed shortly before the New York Adult Survivors Act expired, allowing those who claimed to have been s3xually ab_used to make claims even after the statute of limitations had passed.
CNN’s CCTV footage from May appeared to show the rap mogul hitting and beating Ms Ventura, as documented in her civil claim. Mr Combs, popularly known as Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love, and Brother Love, is one of the most successful rappers.
