By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested in New York City late Monday, and federal prosecutors confirmed that an indictment obtained against the music mogul will be released today. For the moment, the charges against the hip-hop honcho remain undisclosed, but the arrest follows a slew of recent abuse allegations from multiple women.
Officials confirmed that law enforcement took Diddy into custody without incident at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan. The arrest was executed “based on a sealed indictment,” and the artist will be arraigned in court this morning.
Marc Agnifilo, Diddy’s attorney, criticized the decision to move forward with the indictment. “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office,” Agnifilo told The New York Times. “These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.” Agnifilo also noted, “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.”
Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said more details, including charges, were forthcoming.
This arrest marks the latest in a series of legal troubles for Diddy. In the past year, he has faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, including a bombshell lawsuit from ex-girlfriend Cassie, which accused him of rape, physical abuse, and sex trafficking. Diddy and Cassie settled the suit one day after she filed it.
Since November 2023, Diddy has been sued eight times for alleged sexual misconduct, with additional accusations surfacing shortly after the settlement with Cassie.
Federal investigations into Diddy’s activities came to light in March when agents raided his Miami and Los Angeles homes, reportedly as part of probes into sex trafficking, money laundering, and illegal drug activities. Despite the mounting allegations, Diddy has vehemently denied many of them, describing them as extortion attempts.
Recent lawsuits include allegations from former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard, who claims Diddy sexually assaulted and terrorized her for years. Also, Diddy’s former head of security, Roger Bonds, revealed in a televised interview that he witnessed the mogul’s violent behavior toward women “four or five times,” including with Cassie and Kim Porter, the mother of Diddy’s children.
A video from 2016 shows Diddy violently attacking Cassie, an incident he later apologized for, calling it “inexcusable.” Despite this public apology, Cassie’s attorney criticized Diddy’s statement as self-serving and coming only after his denials were proven false.
Further lawsuits include accusations from former fashion student April Lampros and former model Crystal McKinney, who allege Diddy drugged them before sexually assaulting them. Another suit from Joi Dickerson-Neal claims that Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1991, recording the incident without her consent.
Just a week ago, Diddy filed an emergency motion to overturn the $100 million default judgment lodged against him for not responding to a sexual assault lawsuit from a Michigan inmate.
According to legal documents, Diddy claimed he was never served with the lawsuit and that he had no idea who 51-year-old Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith was.
Diddy’s legal team has moved to dismiss parts of these lawsuits, labeling them “false, offensive, and salacious.”
