Embattled hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was Monday arrested in New York City on unspecified federal charges, law enforcement sources tell the BBC’s US partner CBS.
The arrest in Manhattan follows raids on two of his properties in Los Angeles and Miami as part of an “ongoing investigation” into sex trafficking by authorities.
Mr Combs’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said they were “disappointed” by the arrest and his client was an “innocent man”.
The musician has faced a series of allegations from sexual assault to abuse, including by his ex-partner Casandra “Cassie” Ventura.
He faces a number of civil lawsuits, including allegations that he raped an underage girl and tried to “groom” a producer and force him to have sex with another man.
His legal problems began in November 2023 when Ms Ventura filed her lawsuit.
Two other women filed lawsuits that same week alleging abuse and assault – including one who said Mr Combs had choked her for so long that she passed out.
He denied all the allegations at the time and a spokesperson for the rapper called the lawsuits a “money grab”.
After his arrest on Monday, Mr Agnifilo noted his client’s career as one of the most successful music moguls in the history of rap.
He said Mr Combs was looking forward to “clearing his name in court”.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution,” Mr Agnifilo said in a written statement to the BBC.
“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.”
By BBC News
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