Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is arrested in New York after federal indictment : NPR

NEW YORK — Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested late Monday in New York, the place he faces a sealed felony indictment, prosecutors introduced late Monday.

Particulars of the fees weren’t instantly introduced by prosecutors, however the hip-hop mogul has confronted a stream of allegations by ladies in latest months who accused him of sexual assault.

The U.S. legal professional in Manhattan, Damian Williams, mentioned in an announcement that federal brokers arrested Combs. “We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”

Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, issued an announcement saying: “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

He added that Combs had gone to New York final week in anticipation of the fees being introduced.

“He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo mentioned.

Combs was arrested in a Manhattan lodge foyer and is in federal custody, mentioned an individual accustomed to the arrest who spoke with The Related Press on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t licensed to talk publicly.

The felony expenses are a significant however not sudden takedown of one of the crucial distinguished producers and most well-known names within the historical past of hip-hop.

The federal investigation of the 58-year-old Combs was revealed when Homeland Safety Investigations brokers served simultaneous search warrants and raided Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami on March 25.

His protection legal professional Aaron Dyer the day after the raids known as them “a gross use of military-level force,” mentioned the allegations had been “meritless,” and mentioned Combs was “innocent and will continue to fight” to clear his title.

Combs, then often called Puff Daddy, was on the heart of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop battles of the Nineties because the companion and producer of the Infamous B.I.G., who was shot and killed in 1997. However like a lot of those that survived the period, his public picture had softened with age right into a genteel host of events in Hollywood and the Hamptons, a fashion-forward businessman, and a doting father who spoiled his youngsters, a few of whom misplaced their mom in 2018.

However a distinct picture started rising in November, when his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, turned the primary of a number of folks to sue him for sexual abuse with tales of a gentle stream of intercourse employees in drug-fueled settings the place a few of these concerned had been coerced or cajoled into intercourse.

In her November lawsuit, Cassie alleged years of abuse, together with beatings and rape. Her go well with additionally alleged Combs engaged in intercourse trafficking by “requiring her to engage in forced sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions” and by participating in “harboring and transportation of Plaintiff for purposes of sex induced by force, fraud, or coercion.”

It additionally mentioned he compelled her to assist him site visitors male intercourse employees Combs would pressure Cassie to have intercourse with whereas he filmed.

The go well with was settled settled the next day, however its reverberations would final far longer. Combs misplaced lingering allies, supporters and people reserving judgment when CNN in Might aired a leaked video of him punching Cassie, kicking her and throwing her on the ground in a lodge hallway.

The next day, in his first actual acknowledgement of wrongdoing for the reason that stream of allegations started, Combs posted a social media video apologizing, saying “I was disgusted when I did it” and “I’m disgusted now.” Cassie’s lawsuit was adopted by at the very least a half-dozen others within the ensuing months.

In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have intercourse with them.

One other of Combs’ accusers was a girl who mentioned the rap producer raped her 20 years in the past when she was 17.

One other girl who filed a lawsuit, April Lampros, mentioned she was a university scholar in 1994 when she met Combs and a sequence of “terrifying sexual encounters” with Combs and people round him started that lasted for years.

Combs and his attorneys denied almost the entire lawsuits’ allegations.

Whereas authorities didn’t publicly say that the lawsuits set off the felony investigation, Dyer mentioned when the warrants had been served that the case was based mostly on “meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”

The AP doesn’t sometimes title individuals who say they’ve been sexually abused except they arrive ahead publicly as Cassie and Lampros did.

Because the founding father of Dangerous Boy Data, Combs turned one of the crucial influential hip-hop producers and executives of the previous three many years Together with the Infamous B.I.G. he labored with a slew of top-tier artists together with Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Religion Evans and 112.

Combs’ roles in his companies past music — together with profitable private-label spirits, a media firm and the Sean John Trend line — took main hits when the allegations arose.

The implications had been even higher when the leaked beating video emerged. Howard College lower ties with him, and he returned his key to town of New York on the request of the mayor.