BREAKING UPDATE: Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs arrested in New York, charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, transporting for prostitution after grand jury indictment

The details of the indictment were released on Tuesday morning and reveal that Combs was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transporting for the purposes of prostitution. Combs appeared in court on Tuesday morning to hear the charges against him. His attorney said he would "fight like hell" to get Combs out on bail and said he was innocent.

The charges say that Combs "threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires," per prosecutors. Court documents allege that Combs created "a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in" and that crimes include "sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice."

The indictment alleges that "the defendant, abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct. To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled—creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice."

It goes on to say that "As part of his pattern of abuse, Combs manipulated women to participate in highly orchestrated performances of sexual activity with male commercial sex workers. At times, Combs, and others acting at his direction, made arrangements for women and commercial sex workers to fly to Combs' location. Combs ensured participation from the women by, amother other things, obtaining and distributing narcotics to them, controlling their careers, leveraging his financial support and threatening to cut off the same, and using intimidation and violence."

Physical, verbal, emotional and sexual abuse are alleged. "On numerous occassions," the indictment alleges, "from at least in or about 2009 and continuing for years, Combs assaulted women by, among other things, striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking them." A video of him abusing his former girlfriend Cassandra Ventura is referenced.

"The Combs Enterprise" is also detailed in the indictment, where prosecutors claim that "members and associates of the Combs enterprise," including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises, and Combs Global, "engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other activities, sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice." This is what leads to the racketeering charges.

"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," a statment from Combs legal team read. "He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal." It also said that he had been fully cooperative with the investigation and that he had "voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges."

Combs ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura had alleged in a 2023 lawsuit that Combs had abused her physically and sexually over a period of years. A video leaked showing Combs physically abusing her in the hallway of a hotel. That suit was settled, but other women came forward and five additional civil suits were files against Combs for sexual misconduct. Combs homes were raided by federal agents in the spring and his devices were confiscated. Witnesses had been interviewed over the sexual misconduct accusations.

Combs said it was all "sickening." He alleged that the women who had brought suit against him after he had a one-day settlement with Ventura were looking for "a quick payday." These suits are not the first allegations against Combs, who has been accused of sexual misconduct over the years, including of participating in a gang rape, which his lawyers said "singlehandedly irreparably damaged" his reputation and was entirely false.

This article has been updated to include information on the charges levied against Combs.

Grand Jury indictment against Sean 'Diddy' Combs by The Post Millennial on Scribd