Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrested on federal charges

The hip-hop star was hit with sex trafficking and racketeering charges

Sean "Diddy" Combs in California in 2023
Sean "Diddy" Combs has been accused of sexual assault in at least eight lawsuits filed since last November
(Image credit: MEGA / GC Images)

What happened

Federal agents arrested Sean "Diddy" Combs in Manhattan Monday night on a sealed indictment his lawyer said is probably tied to sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Combs, one of hip-hop's biggest stars and producers, was accused of sexual assault in at least eight lawsuits filed since last November. Homeland Security Investigations agents raided his Los Angeles and Miami Beach mansions in March, offering a first indication he was under federal scrutiny. 

Who said what

"We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. Combs' lawyer Marc Agnifilo said his client was cooperating with authorities but "disappointed" with the "unjust prosecution." Combs "is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal," Agnifilo said, and "he looks forward to clearing his name in court."

After the March raid, Combs' attorney Aaron Dyer said the warrants were based on "meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits." CNN said it learned that the investigation's scope was "much larger, focusing on sex trafficking, money laundering and illegal drugs." In the #MeToo era, The New York Times said, "prosecutors have increasingly turned to sex trafficking laws to try sexual assault accusations" in federal court, including the successful prosecution of R&B singer R. Kelly.

What next?

Combs was expected to be "held overnight and then arraigned on Tuesday," the Times said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.