On Monday evening, music mogul Sean “P Diddy” Combs was arrested at the Park Hyatt hotel in New York, as reported by The Gateway Pundit. This morning, that indictment was unsealed in the Southern District of New York.
Combs faces three charges: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Assistant US Attorney Emily Johnson argued before Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky that the three crimes carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, or death. Combs plead not guilty.
Dammmmmmmmmmmm pic.twitter.com/hhF3D6mEDT
— Karli Bonne’ (@KarluskaP) September 17, 2024
According to coverage from Inner City Press of today’s hearing, AUSA Johnson argued that Pre-Trial Services deemed Combs should be detained after an interview with the defendant. She claimed Combs set up “freak-offs,” forcing sex and masturbation of its participants. The events were occasionally filmed.
AUSA Johnson cited an event in March 2015 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles. During an altercation, a security guard was helping a victim leave one of the “freak-offs” when she was allegedly assaulted by Combs. Combs then tried to bribe the guard with a “handful of cash.” The guard refused.
Video from the hotel “disappeared” at the time and Combs denied the incident. Then, in November 2023, the video resurfaced and, at that time, Combs admitted to being involved in the assault.
Combs is also alleged to have tried to contact witnesses who received grand jury subpoenas. One witness claims she was contacted 54 times in one day by Combs and “intermediaries.”
As a result of the accusations, the resources available to Combs, and the witness’s fear of retaliation, Combs was denied bail, despite proposing a $50 million bond, and will remain in jail in Brooklyn. Though not yet on the docket, Combs has reportedly appealed the bail decision and will have a hearing tomorrow afternoon, according to Matthew Russell of Inner City Press.
The indictment alleges that Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” He is accused of manipulating women into performing “highly orchestrated performances of sexual activity” with male commercial sex workers and orchestrating their flights to his locations for such acts. He maintained the concealment of his operations by controlling the careers of his victims, leveraging financial support for them and ultimately using intimidation and violence.
In one example, believed to be referenced above, Combs “kicked, dragged, and threw a vase” at a woman as she was trying to leave. When hotel security attempted to intervene, he tried unsuccessfully to bribe them.
There is potential for co-conspirators to be named as well. The indictment alleges that “members and associates of the Combs Enterprise” helped facilitate the “freak-offs.” This included “high-ranking” supervisors, security, household staff, personal assistants and other employees. They were tasked with booking hotels and stocking the rooms with “controlled substances, baby oil, lubricant, extra linens, and lighting.” They also were tasked with orchestrating the travel of both Combs and the commercial sex workers.
The indictment alleges that controlled substances were used, among other tactics, to keep his victims “compliant.” Members and associates of his enterprise allegedly kept victims concealed in hiding, sometimes for several days, while they healed from any evidence of physical violence. If a member spoke out, Combs and his staff would threaten them with “acts of violence” which included kidnapping and arson.
You can read the full indictment here.
OK- now US v. Sean Combs bail fight. Inner City Press asked US Attorney Damian Williams if seeks to detain; he: Yes. Coverage below, support: https://t.co/PJ2bKhEWJL
Venmo: [at] Matthew-Lee-675 https://t.co/nU0Q0PSY13 https://t.co/mmos6LonY0 Live thread below pic.twitter.com/QNXkkMT5jG— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) September 17, 2024
Combs has previously faced several lawsuits, including one reported by The Gateway Pundit that was brought by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones. The lawsuit alleged numerous sexual acts and parties, picking up women from a strip club in Miami, and named other celebrities, including Cuba Gooding Jr., in the filing. Jones also alleged that Combs and his son were involved in the cover up of a shooting incident in a recording studio bathroom in September 2022.
Jones’ lawsuit alleges Combs was also “responsible for the shooting in the nightclub in New York with rapper Shyne” and that his then-girlfriend, J-Lo (Jennifer Lopez) “carried the gun into the club for him and passed him the gun after he got into an altercation with another individual.”
The above-mentioned indictment does not reference these events.
