Federal officials searched Sean “Diddy” Combs’ homes on Monday; the US hip-hop mogul is at the center of allegations of sex trafficking and lawsuits alleging sex abuse.
Video footage showed helicopters buzzing overhead and a heavy police presence on the ground as armed agents from the Department of Homeland Security raided opulent homes on the US East and West coasts.
“Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami and our local law enforcement partners,” the agency said.
A source confirmed to that Combs was the target of the raids. Media in Los Angeles carried aerial footage of a massive presence at a swanky Holmby Hills residence associated with Combs.
Heavily armed agents could be seen all around the sprawling property, with footage showing unidentified individuals being detained at the scene.
Entertainment title TMZ said pictures appeared to show the rapper’s sons Justin and King Combs in handcuffs. The outlet said it also had footage of a raid on a luxury waterside property in Miami connected to Combs.
There was no immediate official confirmation about what precipitated the raids, but the involvement of Homeland Security in large, coordinated raids at two locations suggests serious allegations.
The development comes with legal pressure increasing on the rapper, who has faced at least four lawsuits from people who say he sexually abused them, with allegations dating back decades.
Last year, Combs was sued by former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, who performed under the stage name Cassie and was signed to his Bad Boy label. The lawsuit alleged that he forced her to perform sexual acts with multiple men over several years in cities across the US.
The suit also said that, as a result of stops in these different locations, which necessitated crossing state lines, Ventura was the victim of sex trafficking, which is a federal offence.
That suit was settled, but was followed by others, including one in December by a woman who accused Combs of sexual assault, alleging that he and others gang-raped her when she was 17 years old.
Combs and other men, the suit said, plied her with drugs and alcohol before violently raping her repeatedly.
Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer who represents two of the women who have accused Combs of abuse, told AFP on Monday: “We will always support law enforcement when it seeks to prosecute those that have violated the law.”
The 54-year-old was a key player in the mainstreaming of hip-hop in the decades that followed, having created the Bad Boy record label in 1993. Mary J. Blige and the late Notorious BIG were among his protégés.
His forays into the liquor business have contributed to his status as one of the industry’s billionaires.
Despite his public persona as a sophisticated businessman, Combs is described in court documents as a violent man who intimidated and preyed on women. AFP via TMZ