Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been detained in Manhattan, New York City on unspecified federal charges, according to prosecutors.
Back in March 2024, there was a federal raid on Diddy’s properties in Los Angeles and Miami as part of an ongoing investigation into sex trafficking.
Marc Agnifilo, Mr Combs’s lawyer, expressed disappointment at the decision to pursue what he described as an unjust prosecution, maintaining that his client is innocent.
Diddy faces numerous allegations, ranging from sexual assault to abuse, including claims by his ex-partner, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. Mr Combs has denied all accusations.
His arrest is linked to an ongoing investigation by US homeland security officials according to multiple law enforcement sources.
US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Monday evening.
“Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY,” the prosecutor stated.
He added that the office plans to unseal the indictment on Tuesday morning and will provide further details then.
Combs is also facing several civil lawsuits, including allegations of raping an underage girl and attempting to groom a producer to engage in sexual acts with another man.
Mr Agnifilo stated on Monday night that Mr Combs is eager to clear his name in court.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution,” Mr Agnifilo said in a written statement.
“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.”
The rapper’s legal troubles began in November 2023 when Ms Ventura filed her lawsuit.
Two other women filed lawsuits that same week, alleging abuse and assault, including one who claimed Mr Combs choked her until she lost consciousness.
He denied all allegations at the time, with a spokesperson for the rapper dismissing the lawsuits as a “money grab”.
In December, another civil lawsuit alleged that Mr Combs and two other men had sex trafficked a woman when she was 17 years old.
In February this year, new accusations emerged in a civil lawsuit filed by his former producer, Rodney Jones Jr, who claimed Mr Combs made unwanted sexual advances and tried to groom him into having sex with others.
Mr Combs denied these allegations, but a month later, his properties were raided. The musician was stopped at an airport in Miami as he prepared to leave for the Bahamas and handed over electronics to authorities.
Many of the lawsuits were filed shortly before the expiration of the New York Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily allowed people who claimed they were sexually abused to file claims, even after the statute of limitations had expired.
In May, CCTV footage posted by CNN appeared to show the rap mogul attacking and beating Ms Ventura, an incident detailed in her civil suit.
Mr Combs, who has also been known as Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love, and Brother Love, is one of rap’s most successful moguls.