American rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested late Monday by police in Manhattan, New York justice announced, after several complaints were filed against him, including for sexual assault.
“Earlier this evening (Monday), federal agents arrested Sean Combs on an indictment filed in the Southern District Court of New York,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, adding that details of the charges are expected to be released Tuesday morning.
Diddy’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, explained in a statement sent to AFP that his client was “voluntarily” in the city, where he has moved.
His camp is “disappointed in the decision of the United States Attorney’s Office to continue what we believe to be an unfair prosecution of Mr. Combs,” Mr.e Agnifilo.
P. Diddy, 54, is described by his alleged victims as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to gain their submission.
The rapper has been the target of a complaint from a former porn actress, Adria English, for sexual assault since early July. She accuses the businessman of using her “as a sexual pawn for the pleasure and financial benefit of others” during parties in the Hamptons, New York State, and in Florida, between 2004 and 2009.
In total, nine complaints have been filed against the rapper since November 2023.
In one of them, filed in November, his former partner “Cassie” Ventura accuses him of having had “violent” and “deviant” behavior for a decade.
In a video released in May 2016, P. Diddy is seen lashing out at Mme Ventura.
The case was settled “amicably” under a confidential agreement.
Sean Combs has so far strongly denied the accusations against him.
He has been the subject of allegations of violence since the 1990s, although no major convictions have ever been handed down against him.