Photo Credit: Bermix Studio
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been arrested in Manhattan by federal authorities following a grand jury indictment.
Sean “Diddy” Combs, whose music and entrepreneurial career has been disgraced by mounting sexual assault lawsuits and a federal investigation, has been arrested in Manhattan this evening (September 16), following a grand jury indictment earlier today.
A person familiar with the matter but who was not authorized to speak publicly has confirmed the indictment, which is sealed while the charges have remained undisclosed. The same person told The New York Times they believed Combs was charged with racketeering and sex trafficking.
Combs’ legal team released a statement that they were disappointed with the decision to prosecute him, noting he had been cooperative with the investigation and had “voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.”
Representatives for the US Attorney’s Office in New York did not respond immediately to media requests for comment. An unidentified source told media outlets that Combs was taken to the FBI Field Office in Manhattan.
The arrest and preceding indictment follow the federal raids on Combs’ homes in Beverly Hills and Miami. A grand jury has been hearing testimony from various accusers and other parties over the last few months.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said in a statement. “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon […] 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 is not criminal.”
Agnifilo concludes Combs has “nothing to hide,” and “looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
Combs has been a well-known figure in hip-hop since the 1990s and early 2000s, helping in the rise of rappers and R&B singers like Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige. He has been under increasingly intense public scrutiny since his former girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, filed a lawsuit against him last year accusing him of sexual and physical abuse.
Since then, Combs has been hit with numerous lawsuit accusing him of similar offenses, which culminated with a federal investigation that has been ongoing for months.
