Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Arrested in NY on Federal Charges
Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested in Manhattan on Monday night (Sept. 16) on federal charges following an indictment from a grand jury.
Per The New York Times, the indictment filed by the Southern District of New York (SDNY) is sealed and the charges were not announced. However, their sources state that Combs is being charged with racketeering and sex trafficking.
Marc Agnifilo, Combs’s attorney, said in a statement to the media, “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 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.”
Angnifilo added, “He is an imperfect person but is not criminal. 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. 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.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement, “Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY. We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”
Combs has been under fire for nearly a year. In November 2023, his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed a lawsuit against him accusing him of sexual assault. The day after the lawsuit made headlines, Diddy settled the lawsuit with Ventura. At the time, she said in a statement, “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans, and lawyers for their unwavering support.” Diddy added, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
In December, Combs was sued for sexual assault, sex trafficking, harassment and other charges over an alleged incident in 2003 involving a 17-year-old girl.
In March, Combs’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by federal agents as part of an ongoing investigation.
In May, footage surfaced from 2016 showing Combs violently assaulting Ventura. In the days following the disturbing video, Combs shared a video on Instagram apologizing for his actions, but many people were critical of the mogul’s apology and did not buy it.
Shortly after the assault video, federal investigators were preparing to bring Combs before a grand jury related to multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault. In July, he was hit with a new lawsuit related to allegations of sex trafficking. Just last week, former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard reportedly filed a lawsuit against Combs accusing him of sexual abuse.
