US Attorney gives press conference on Diddy's sex trafficking charges
Damian Williams, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks to press about Sean "Diddy" Combs' criminal charges.
WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC INFORMATION
Authorities charged Sean "Diddy" Combs with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and more in an indictment featuring explosive and disturbing allegations against the rapper.
Combs pleaded not guilty after appearing in a Manhattan courtroom for his arraignment Tuesday. He was arrested Monday by federal agents based on a sealed indictment, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York confirmed. The rapper was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in the indictment unsealed earlier Tuesday.
"Now I want to be clear about two things. First, this office is determined to investigate and prosecute anyone who engages in sex trafficking, no matter how powerful or wealthy or famous you may be," US Attorney Damian Williams said during a press conference Tuesday. "No one should doubt our commitment on that."
"Second, we are not done. This investigation is ongoing, and I encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly," he added.
SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS ARRESTED FOLLOWING RAIDS, HUMAN TRAFFICKING INVESTIGATION
US Attorney Damian Williams speaks at a press conference to announce the unsealing of an indictment charging music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
Sean "Diddy" Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in the indictment unsealed Tuesday. (Munawar Hosain)
The US District Attorney's office requested the judge deny Diddy's bail ahead of his Tuesday arraignment.
Authorities claimed Diddy ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others. He used "violence, use of firearms, threats of violence, coercion, and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse" to fulfill his sexual desires, according to the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.
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Combs and his employees would "intimidate, threaten, and lure female victims into Comb's orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship. Combs allegedly then used force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs referred to as, among other things, 'Freak Offs.'"
The "Finna Get Loose" singer allegedly transported male sex workers across state and international lines for the purpose of engaging in non-consensual sex with his female victims.
King Combs, son of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, arrives at the United States Court in Manhattan after the rapper was arrested by federal agents. (REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado)
Combs engaged his victims in "physical, emotional, and verbal abuse" in order to force them into participating in the "freak offs," the court docs read. Diddy would also supply drugs to the sex workers and female victims to facilitate sexual encounters.
"Freak Offs were elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded," authorities stated. Diddy often provided IV fluids to his victims following "freak offs" to recover from physical exertion and drug use, the indictment read.
Diddy allegedly maintained control of his victims by promising career opportunities or threatening to take away the same opportunities, withholding financial support, controlling the victim's housing and more.
"Combs also used the sensitive, embarrassing, and incriminating recordings that he made during Freak Offs as collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims," according to the indictment.
During raids on Diddy's home in March, authorities seized "freak off supplies" along with three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers, the court docs stated. The feds took "cases and cases of the kinds of personal lubricant and baby oil that Combs' staff allegedly used to stock hotel rooms for the freak offs - more than 1,000 bottles altogether," Williams said at a press conference.
WATCH: US ATTORNEY GIVES PRESS CONFERENCE ON DIDDY'S SEX TRAFFICKING CHARGES
Evidence collected during the raids on Sean "Diddy" Combs' homes was shown during a press conference. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
Prior to the US Attorney's press conference, Combs' attorney said they plan to fight for the rapper to be released.
"His spirits are good. He's confident," Combs' attorney Marc Agnifilo said outside the courthouse Tuesday morning. "He is dealing with this head on, the way he's dealt with every challenge in his life. And he's not guilty. He's innocent of these charges. He's going to plead not guilty, obviously. He's going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers. And I expect a long battle with a good result for Mr. Combs."
"I'm going to fight like hell to get him released, and he should be released," Agnifilo said. "With all that he's done and coming here voluntarily."
WATCH: SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS' LAWYER SPEAKS AHEAD OF ARRAIGNMENT
Williams noted during the press conference that "A year ago, Sean Combs stood in Times Square and was handed a key to New York City."
"Today, he's been indicted and will face justice in the Southern District of New York," he said.
The "I'll Be Missing You" singer was arrested in a New York City hotel lobby, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.
Sean "Diddy" Combs is seen receiving the Key to the City from Mayor Eric Adams in Times Square on September 15, 2023. He returned the key in June and now faces charges of sex trafficking. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)
Combs' legal team slammed the charges as an "unjust prosecution" in a statement shared with Fox News Digital at the time.
"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. He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal," Marc Agnifilo said in a statement.
"To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges," the statement continued. "Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court."
FOX NATION SPECIAL EXPLORES SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS INVESTIGATION, RAIDS
Sean Combs' LA home was raided by Homeland Security officials in March. (Getty Images)
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Homeland Security agents raided Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami in connection to a federal human trafficking investigation on March 25, officials confirmed to Fox News Digital at the time.
Combs faces a mountain of legal claims after multiple women accused him of sexual assault beginning in November 2023. Cassie, legally known as Casandra Ventura, alleged she endured "over a decade" of Combs' "violent behavior and disturbed demands" in a lawsuit. Combs and his ex-girlfriend settled the matter a day later outside of court.
Ventura and her attorney declined to comment on the Combs indictment Tuesday.
Sean "Diddy" Combs and Cassie split for the last time in 2018, following years of an on-again off-again relationship. (Getty Images)
WATCH: SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS ALLEGEDLY PUMMELS WOMAN IN 2016 HOTEL VIDEO
Three more women came forward with claims just before New York's Adult Survivors Act expired in December.
Combs was also sued by music producer Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones in February. Jones accused the rapper of forcing him to perform sexual acts with prostitutes in his lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital.
He faces a handful of additional sexual abuse lawsuits, all of which he has denied.
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Sean "Diddy" Combs' Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided in March as part of a human trafficking investigation. (Jordan Strauss)
Amid his legal troubles, Combs stepped down as chairman of his cable network Revolt in November.
"This decision helps to ensure that Revolt remains steadfastly focused on our mission to create meaningful content for the culture and amplify the voices of all Black people throughout this country and African diaspora," the network said in a statement.
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Anyone with information can call 18774 HSI TIP.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org
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