New York:For several months, a storm of lawsuits, law enforcement raids, and serious allegations of sexual abuse have engulfed Sean "Diddy" Combs. The once-mighty business empire, alongside the cultural status and fatherly image he crafted since rising to fame in the 1990s, is now crumbling.
This Tuesday marked a significant turning point as a sweeping indictment was unsealed, accusing him of years of sex trafficking and conspiracy. Combs pleaded not guilty before a federal magistrate, who ordered him to be jailed without bail while awaiting trial.
The indictment paints a disturbing picture of Combs allegedly orchestrating a network of sexual crimes, exploiting his "power and prestige" for "sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice."
It details how he induced female victims and male sex workers into drugged, extravagant sexual performances known as "Freak Offs," which he not only directed but also participated in and recorded. These events reportedly lasted for days and sometimes required IVs for recovery. Combs allegedly treated his employees as if they were part of a film crew for these productions.
For years, he is accused of coercing and abusing women, using blackmail—such as the videos he filmed—and violent acts to control his victims, with a network of associates and employees facilitating these abuses.
Combs' attorney, Marc Agnifilo, maintained his client’s innocence, stating they would appeal the bail decision, with a hearing anticipated later that week. Combs, 54, left the court without handcuffs, turning to his family as he exited.
Many of the acts mentioned in the indictment had already been detailed in a lawsuit filed in November by his former girlfriend and protégé, the R&B singer Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura. Although that suit was settled quickly, its serious allegations did not vanish.
The accounts of violence, sexual assaults, and coercive tactics were echoed in the indictment, though without naming Ventura or any other women involved.
Agnifilo argued during Tuesday's arraignment that the criminal case arose from a long-term, troubled but consensual relationship that deteriorated amid infidelity. He claimed the "Freak Offs" were simply an extension of that relationship, not acts of coercion.