Sean Diddy Combs arrested: P. Diddy charged in NYC with conspiracy to commit organized crime and violent sex trafficking

NEW YORK (WABC) — Sean “Diddy” Combs has been charged with organized crime conspiracy, accusing him of running an enterprise in which he was involved in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and other crimes.

He is also accused of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.

The music mogul was arrested late Monday in Manhattan, about six months after federal authorities raided his luxury homes in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex trafficking investigation.

The indictment detailing the allegations was unsealed on Tuesday morning. According to the indictment, Combs “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and cover up his conduct.”

Combs, 54, used the employees, resources and influence of his multifaceted business empire to “build a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in or attempted to engage in, among other things, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice,” the indictment states.

Diddy is alleged to have controlled women by drugging them, denying them financial support and using violence. These allegations reflect the 11 civil lawsuits filed against him since 2023.

Combs “knew what was coming,” his lawyer said Tuesday as he entered federal court.

“We brought him to New York two weeks ago because we were sure this day would come, and now it's here,” said lawyer Marc Agnifilo.

Diddy is in good spirits, Agnifilo said. “He's dealing with this the way he's dealt with every challenge in his life.”

Last year, Combs was sued by people who claimed he physically or sexually abused them. He has denied many of those allegations, and Agnifilo called the new charges an “unjustified prosecution.”

“He is an imperfect human being, but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo said in a statement late Monday.

The attorney said Combs voluntarily moved to New York two weeks ago to await the charges. He said they had planned to surrender to federal prosecutors before Combs was arrested outside the Park Hyatt hotel in Midtown.

Agnifilo said he would “fight with all his might to get him released on bail and after everything he has done and coming here voluntarily, he should be released.”

“He’s dealing with it head on, just as he’s dealt with every challenge in his life,” Agnifilo said.

Federal prosecutors want to keep Diddy in federal custody while he awaits trial, arguing: “There is no condition or combination of conditions that will adequately ensure the proper appearance of the defendant and the safety of others and the community, let alone the integrity of the proceedings.”

In a letter to the judge, prosecutors called Diddy “dangerous” and said he posed an ongoing threat to community safety.

Combs was considered one of the most influential figures in hip-hop before a flood of allegations over the past year made him an outsider in the industry.

In November his former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit claiming he beat and raped her for years. She accused Combs of forcing her and others to have unwanted sex in drug-fueled environments.

The case was settled in a day, but months later, CNN aired security camera footage from the hotel showing Combs punching, kicking and throwing Cassie to the ground. After the video aired, Combs apologized, saying, “I was disgusted when I did that.”

However, Combs and his lawyers have denied similar allegations made by others in a series of lawsuits.

Douglas Wigdor, an attorney for Cassie, said in a statement Tuesday: “Neither Ms. Ventura nor I have any comment.”

“We thank you for your understanding and if anything changes, we will definitely inform you,” he added.

One woman said Combs raped her twenty years ago, when she was 17. A music producer filed suit, claiming Combs forced him to have sex with prostitutes. Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs subjected her to “horrific sexual encounters,” beginning in 1994, when she was a college student.

The AP typically does not name people who report sexual abuse unless they speak out publicly, as Cassie and Lampros have done.

Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has gotten out of legal trouble before.

In 2001, he was acquitted of charges related to a shooting at a Manhattan nightclub two years earlier that left three people injured. His then-protégé, Shyne, was convicted of assault and other charges and served about eight years in prison.

(ABC News and Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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