(New York) American rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested late Monday by police in Manhattan, the American federal justice system announced, after several complaints were filed against him, including for sexual assault.
“Earlier this evening (Monday), federal agents arrested Sean Combs on an indictment” from the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office, said prosecutor Damian Williams, 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.
The New York native is “cooperating with the investigation” and “looks forward to clearing his name in court,” according to his lawyers.
P. Diddy, 54, an artist with multiple nicknames and multiple roles in the music and business worlds, 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 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.
Combs has been the subject of allegations of abuse since the 1990s, although he has never received any major convictions.
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” won the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 1997.
The man who has been trying to restore his image in recent years with yet another nickname, “Brother Love”, has amassed a substantial 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.