By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
At least two of his children, King and Justin, were filmed in handcuffs, another man was carefully backed out of a driveway with a federal agent holding a weapon in his back, and an unidentified woman also detained, Rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared nowhere to be found.
It wasn’t until after multiple media outlets tracked his private jet from southern to northern California and then finally across the Caribbean, that agents appeared to have caught up with Combs in Miami.
At press time, authorities hadn’t formally charged Diddy or anyone, but confirmed that Combs is the subject of a federal investigation, with allegations ranging from sex trafficking to drug and firearm-related offenses.
Since November, several lawsuits against Combs have fueled the investigation’s growth. Federal officials in Manhattan have already interviewed three women and a man, with more interviews scheduled. The interviews involve accusations including sex trafficking, sexual assault, and involvement in illegal narcotics and firearms distribution.
Federal agents, identified as Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), wasted no time in executing search warrants on Monday, March 25. The raids targeted Combs’ properties in Los Angeles and Miami, with the warrants issued out of the Southern District of New York.
The specter of an investigation looms large over Combs following public scrutiny triggered by allegations from his former romantic partner, Cassie Ventura. In a lawsuit filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act, Ventura accused Combs of physical and sexual abuse spanning years. The suit was settled on undisclosed terms the day after filing.
Subsequently, three other women have come forward with lawsuits alleging sexual assault by Combs, two of whom claim they were minors at the time of the incidents. Attorney Douglas Wigdor, representing Cassie and Jane Doe, expressed hope that the investigation would hold Combs accountable for his alleged actions.
Combs vehemently denies all allegations of sexual assault, labeling them as “sickening.” Nevertheless, the legal storm continues, with producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones also filing a lawsuit in February, alleging sexual harassment, drugging, and threats by Combs during his employment.
Despite Combs’ legal team dismissing Jones’ claims as falsehoods, attorney Tyrone Blackburn, representing Jones and another accuser, said he remains resolute in seeking justice. Blackburn affirmed that the federal investigation would not deter their pursuit of a resolution, and on the day of the raids on Combs’ properties, the attorney amended his lawsuit against Combs and included actor Cuba Gooding Jr. in the complaint. Jones alleges that Gooding groped him while he was aboard Combs’ yacht.
Combs, who was forced to step down as chairman of Revolt media after the Ventura lawsuit and who lost a reality series with Hulu because of the allegations, pleaded guilty in 1999 to assaulting a record executive and received anger management counseling. The same year saw him embroiled in the criminal possession of a weapon case linked to a nightclub shooting attended by him and then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez. Diddy’s protégé, the rapper Shyne, was ultimately convicted.
