American rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, the target of several complaints of sexual assault, will be informed on Tuesday of the charges brought against him, announced a New York prosecutor after the arrest of the music mogul in Manhattan.
An artist with multiple nicknames and multiple roles in the music and business worlds, P. Diddy, 54, is described by his alleged victims as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to gain their submission.
“We expect to unseale the indictment (Tuesday) morning and will have more (to say) at that time,” New York Southern District Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement released Monday evening.
“Earlier this evening (Monday), federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on an indictment” from the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office, the prosecutor said.
Rap mogul’s lawyer, Me 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.
The New York native is “cooperating with the investigation” and “looks forward to clearing his name in court,” according to his lawyers.
The rapper’s luxury homes in Miami and Los Angeles were raided by federal agents in March in a high-profile operation that raised the possibility of a federal investigation and possible criminal case against Combs.
Hip hop figure
Under the nicknames Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy and many others, he has established himself as a figure of hip-hop from the East Coast, on the microphone or in production.
He founded Bad Boy Records in 1993, a prelude to his rise to fame. He produced the late Notorious B.I.G., who died in 1997, and Mary J. Blige. His album No Way Out received the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 1997
He has amassed immense wealth over the decades, partly through his activities in the alcohol industry.
However, despite his efforts to cultivate the image of a business tycoon, a series of complaints portray Combs as a violent man who used his celebrity to prey on women.
The artist has denied all accusations against him.
The rapper has been the target of a complaint since early July from a former porn actress, Adria English. She accuses Sean Combs of using her “as a sexual pawn for the pleasure and financial benefit of others” during parties in the Hamptons, New York, and Florida, between 2004 and 2009.
In total, nine complaints have been filed against the rapper since November 2023.
“Inexcusable”
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 lashes out at her.
In it, the rapper, wearing just a towel around his waist, catches up with her in a hotel hallway, grabs her roughly and throws her violently to the ground, before kicking her several times.
“My behavior in this video is inexcusable,” the billionaire said in a video on his Instagram account.
The case was settled “amicably” under a confidential agreement.
“Brother Love”
Combs has been the subject of allegations of abuse since the 1990s, although he has never received any major convictions.
The man who has been trying to restore his image in recent years with yet another nickname, “Brother Love”, has amassed a considerable fortune in more than three decades in the music industry with a bling-bling image, showing off diamonds, yachts and tailor-made suits.
By entering the alcohol industry, he diversified, cultivating an image of business tycoon and nightlife king, he who started out in party planning.
A celebrity charity basketball game in New York, which he was promoting, turned tragic in 1991, with nine people killed after a stampede.
The event, held at the city’s City College, had thousands of overcrowded attendees. Combs faced a series of lawsuits after being accused of neglecting security.