American rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, arrested Monday evening in Manhattan after several complaints of sexual assault, has been charged with sex trafficking and extortion, according to the indictment from the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office, shared on social media – notably by this independent journalist – on Tuesday, September 17.
“For decades”Sean Combs “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation and hide his actions”the document reads. Federal prosecutors accuse him of using his “empire” in music to achieve his goals. The rapper was arrested Monday by federal agents, prosecutor Damian Williams had announced shortly before. Several complaints of sexual assault have been filed against him.
His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, explained in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that his client was in “voluntarily” in the city, where he moved. We are “disappointed in the decision of the United States Attorney’s Office to continue what we believe to be an unfair prosecution of Mr. Combs”added M.e Agnifilo. The New York native “cooperates with the investigation” And “is eager to be able to clear his name in court”according to his advice.
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Submission through alcohol and drugs
Sean “Diddy” Combs, 54, a personality with many nicknames and many hats in the music and business worlds, is described by his alleged victims as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to gain their submission.
The rapper has been the target of a complaint from a former porn actress, Adria English, for sexual assault since the beginning of July. She accuses him of using her “as a sexual pawn for the pleasure and financial benefit of other people” at parties in the Hamptons, New York, and Florida, between 2004 and 2009.
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In total, nine complaints have been filed against the rapper since November 2023. In one of them, filed in November, his former partner “Cassie” Ventura accuses him of having had a “violent behavior” And “deviant” for a decade. In a video released in May of this year but dating back to 2016, P. Diddy lashes out at her. In it, the rapper, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, catches up to her in a hotel hallway, grabs her roughly and throws her violently to the ground, before kicking her several times. “My behavior in this video is inexcusable”the billionaire said in a video on his Instagram account. The matter has been settled “amicably” according to a confidential agreement.
No major convictions
Sean Combs has been the subject of allegations of violence since the 1990s, although no major convictions have ever been handed down against him. Under the nicknames Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy and many others, he has established himself as a hip-hop figure from the East Coast, both on the microphone and as a producer.
He founded Bad Boy Records in 1993, a prelude to his rise to fame. He produced the Notorious B.I.G., who died in 1997, and Mary J. Blige. His album No Way Out received the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 1997.
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The one who has been trying to restore his reputation in recent years with yet another nickname, “Brother Love”, amassed a considerable fortune in more than three decades in the music business, with a bling-bling image, showing off diamonds, yachts and custom-made suits.
By moving into the alcohol industry, he diversified, cultivating an image as a business tycoon and nightlife king, having started out as a party planner. A celebrity charity basketball game in New York that he promoted turned tragic in 1991, with nine people killed after a stampede. The event, held at the city’s City College, had attracted thousands of attendees. Combs faced a series of lawsuits after being accused of neglecting security.
