American rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs was arrested in the lobby of a Manhattan hotel on Monday, September 16, following multiple allegations of sexual abuse and trafficking. As of August 2024, he had been accused of abusive behaviour in at least nine lawsuits. Specific details regarding the charges in this recent arrest have not yet been disclosed.
Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, issued a statement and said, “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr Combs by the US 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. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal.”
The federal investigation of the 58-year-old musician was revealed when Homeland Security Investigations agents served simultaneous search warrants and raided his mansions in Los Angeles and Miami on March 25.
The day after the raids, Diddy's defense attorney, Aaron Dyer, described them as "an excessive use of military-level force." He dismissed the allegations as "baseless" and asserted that Combs was "innocent and will continue to fight to clear his name."
On November 16, 2023, Diddy came under intense scrutiny when his ex-girlfriend, Cassie, filed a shocking federal lawsuit accusing him of rape and a decade of abuse, which allegedly began when she was 19. The singer, once signed to Diddy's label, claimed he maintained complete control over her life, including her apartment, clothing, medical records, and car.
The lawsuit also alleged that Diddy targeted rapper Kid Cudi, who briefly dated Cassie during a turbulent period in her relationship with Diddy. Just one day after the lawsuit was filed, Cassie and Diddy reached an out-of-court settlement, but the allegations persisted. On May 17, surveillance footage obtained by CNN showed Diddy physically assaulting Cassie at a hotel in 2016. Two days later, Diddy issued an apology on Instagram, expressing remorse for the incident.
