Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested Monday night in New York following a grand jury indictment.
According to The New York Times, the music mogul was taken into police custody at a Manhattan hotel. Tuesday morning, more details came out about what Diddy is charged with, and the entire indictment has been released. He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday as well.
What has Diddy been indicted on, and what is he charged with?
According to The Associated Press, Combs has been indicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges for his involvement in a disturbing array of sexual crimes. The indictment states the mogul “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals,” physical abuse, as well as sexual, “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”
The AP’s report said the indictment describes Combs “as the head of a criminal enterprise that engaged or attempted to engage in activities including sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice. He’s accused of striking, punching and dragging women on numerous occasions, throwing objects and kicking them — and enlisting his personal assistants, security and household staff to help him hide it all.”
Details in the indictment and the “freak offs”
The indictment explains the 54-year-old drugged female and male sex workers to participate in multiple-days-long sexual escapades called “Freak Offs,” which are described as “‘elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during and often recorded,” per the AP.
The report stated, “The events could last for days, and Combs and victims would often receive IV fluids ‘to recover from the physical exertion and drug use’ from ‘Freak Offs,’ the indictment said. It said his employees facilitated ‘Freak Offs’ by arranging travel, booking hotel rooms where they would take place and stocking those rooms with supplies, including drugs, baby oil, lubricants, extra linens and lighting, scheduling the delivery of IV fluids, and then cleaning the rooms afterward.'”
When Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles homes were searched earlier this year, the AP reported that content related to the “Freak Offs” were seized, including “more than a thousand bottles of baby oil and lubricant,” as well as “firearms and ammunition, including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers.” Per the indictment, Combs is also said to have sometimes kept videos of his victims taking part in these sex acts and used the videos as “collateral,” so they would not say anything. The AP stated that he also allegedly “exerted control over victims by promising career opportunities, providing and threatening to withhold financial support, dictating how they looked, monitoring their health records and controlling where they lived.”
The indictment also references Combs’ abuse toward former girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura.
Combs’ legal team issued a statement on the arrest, in which they shared their disappointment in the decision to prosecute the producer. They also noted that they cooperated with the investigation and “voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.”
“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 statement read. “He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal.”
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams also shared a statement following the arrest, noting plans to unseal the indictment.
“Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY,” it said. “We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”
The indictment comes after many allegations of physical and sexual abuse against Diddy.
Combs’ arrest comes after the Bad Boy founder has been hit with various allegations of physical and sexual abuse. The accusations began in November when Ventura filed a lawsuit in which she claimed he sexually and physically abused her during their relationship, Blavity reported. Ventura asked for and was awarded $30 million in the case, after which five more women filed lawsuits against Combs, accusing him of sexual assault and sexual misconduct, The New York Times reported.
In March, federal agents raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami Beach, Florida. Authorities stopped him at a Miami airport and took his electronic devices.
They didn’t announce it at the time, but a federal official said their approach was part of a human trafficking investigation. At the time, an unidentified person close to the investigation confirmed New York federal prosecutors had interviewed several witnesses about the allegations against Combs.
Combs and his legal team have denied all allegations, describing them as “sickening” and from people after “quick payday.” After video footage of Combs assaulting Ventura surfaced online, Combs took to social media to apologize for the incident. In it, he said his behavior was “inexcusable” and shared he had sought professional help.
Over the last six months, federal prosecutors have been silently building their case against Combs, subpoenaing potential witnesses and gathering evidence under the radar.
