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Sean “Diddy” Combs has been arrested and taken into federal custody while in New York on Monday night, September 16, after being indicted by a grand jury.
Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo shared a statement regarding the rapper’s arrest, speaking on how charges were not immediately clear.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” the statement reads. “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. He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal. 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.”
Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, also released a statement about Monday’s arrest, stating “Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY. We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”
As assured by U.S. attorney William, Diddy’s indictment was unsealed the following morning, Tuesday September 17. Revealing Combs has been charged charged with 3 counts — racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
As reported by TMZ, “According to the indictment, from 2008 to the present, members of the Combs enterprise allegedly engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice."
The outlet went on to report that the official documents go on to imply that “the purpose of the Combs enterprise was to operate a global business in the media, entertainment, and lifestyle industries. The purpose also includes preserving Diddy's power and fulling his personal desires, especially relation to his sexual gratification, including through the exploitation of women and the use of commercial sex workers.”
The indictment additionally mentions the now-famous freak off parties, calling them "elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded.”
As per TMZ, the indictment also alleges “Combs lured women into his orbit under the pretense of a romantic relationship and then used force, threats of force, and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.”
Diddy is set to appear before a judge Tuesday morning where the charges will be read. While walking into the courthouse Diddy’s lawyer, Agnifilo, stopped to talk to press and let them know he will "fight like hell" to get his client released on bail, confidently stating his client is "not guilty."
Combs’ latest legal troubles and arrest comes amid an ongoing federal investigation and a wave of lawsuits, most of which accuse him of sexual assault. Including the suit that started it all from ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, to the most recent from former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard, whom filed a suit against Combs on September 10, alleging verbal abuse, assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.