Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Arrested on Sex Trafficking and Racketeering Charges

54-year-old rapper and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested in Manhattan on Monday night following a grand jury indictment. The arrest occurred at the Park Hyatt New York City around 8:30 p.m. by Homeland Security Investigations officers.

The charges against Combs were revealed the morning of September 17.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams confirmed that federal agents took Diddy into custody based on a sealed indictment filed by the Southern District of New York. 

The indictment claims that Combs ran a “criminal enterprise” involved in sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson, and other crimes. The charges are linked to several new lawsuits and allegations, some dating back to 1991.

Combs is scheduled to appear for an arraignment at a federal courthouse in Manhattan. If convicted of sex trafficking by force, Combs could face a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, with a maximum of life.

Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, responded to the arrest, 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. 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.”

Agnifilo further added, “He is an imperfect person but is not criminal. To his credit, Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation, and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgement until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”