WASHINGTON: Sean “Diddy” Combs has been charged with sex trafficking and racketeering a day after federal agents arrested him in Manhattan.
According to sources from PEOPLE, the music mogul was taken into custody on Monday (local time) following a grand jury’s indictment, though the specific charges were not clear.
As per the indictment unsealed on Tuesday and obtained by PEOPLE, prosecutors accuse Sean “Diddy” Combs of forcing women to take part in “highly orchestrated performances” that he called “freak-offs.” These “freak-offs” allegedly involved male sex workers, and prosecutors claim that Combs arranged for women and sex workers to be flown to his location.
The indictment also alleges that Combs made sure the women participated by giving them drugs, using his power over their careers, threatening to cut off financial support, and using violence and intimidation.
Prosecutors say that since 2009, Combs assaulted several women. One incident in 2016, at a hotel in Los Angeles, allegedly involved Combs “kicking, dragging, and throwing a vase” at a woman. According to the indictment, this was caught on camera, and prosecutors claim Combs tried to bribe a hotel staff member to keep quiet.
After his arrest, Diddy’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, told PEOPLE they were unhappy with the charges and called the case an “unjust prosecution.”
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office,” he said.
“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,” Agnifilo said. “He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal.”
Agnifilo also said that Diddy had been cooperating with investigators.
“To his credit, Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
In March, federal law enforcement raided Diddy’s homes as part of an investigation into human trafficking. (ANI)