By Abigail Holliday
Staff Writer
Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested by federal agents on Sept. 16 in Manhattan after a jury decided to indict him.
Combs, who is also commonly known as “Diddy,” “Puff Daddy” and “P. Diddy,” is a famous rapper and producer who established Bad Boy Entertainment, giving us the Notorious B.I.G and Mary J. Blige. He has been labeled as “one of the most successful entrepreneurs and cultural icons of all time,” with over 3 billion streams and 400 million albums sold.
Forbes described the charges against him, including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The charges against Combs date began in November 2023, according to Forbes, when singer Cassie Ventura filed a suit against Combs claiming he raped her in 2018 and abused her throughout their entire personal and professional relationship. People detailed how Ventura’s claim was settled the very next day for an undisclosed amount, with both Ventura and Combs stating they wanted to “resolve this matter amicably.” Combs’ legal team denied all allegations.
According to Forbes, from November 2023 to February 2024, there was an anonymous claim against Combs and Aaron Hall, a singer and songwriter, of rape in 1990 or 1991. The same day, Joie Dickerson-Neal filed a suit and accused Combs of sexually assaulting her after drugging her, all while recording the event in 1991. Combs was accused once more of drugging and sexually assaulting a girl in 2003 when she was 17 years old.
Months later, in February 2024, Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a rapper, filed a claim against Combs stating he “was forced to engage in relations with sex workers he hired” and that there were multiple “sex-trafficking parties” with drugs, hired sex workers and underage girls.
In May, two more lawsuits were filed against Combs for drugging and sexual assault. A video surfaced showing Ventura getting attacked by Combs in a hotel hallway in 2016. Combs issued an apology for the assault.
On Sept. 24, Thalia Graves issued a lawsuit against Combs alleging that she was drugged through her wine and raped by him and his bodyguard, Joseph Sherman, in 2001.
As the case grows, attention is being brought to his mansions. The New York Post detailed how Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles homes were raided by the Department of Homeland Security in March 2024.
Found in his home were 1,000 bottles of lube, three AR-15s, hundreds of sex toys, lingerie, bondage gear and hidden cameras. There were also rooms filled with cameras that were “dedicated to sex,” a Homeland Security officer recounted.
Combs would allegedly also host “freak offs,” which were days-long orgies where he would allegedly force women to have intercourse with male prostitutes — sometimes keeping the footage to use as blackmail as necessary in the future.
Combs was denied bail and is on suicide watch at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Combs and his team deny all charges alleged against the rapper and told Forbes that the lawsuits were “money grabs,” “sickening” and “baseless.”
U.S. Magazine stated that Combs will again appear in front of a judge on Sept. 18 to appeal the decision to deny him bail.
