What We Know About the P Diddy Investigation

(NewsNation) — Months after two homes belonging to hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs were raided, he has been charged with federal racketeering and sex trafficking.

Department of Homeland Security agents conducted the raids March 25 at Combs’ multimillion-dollar mansion in Los Angeles and his Miami waterfront home.

The raids came as the producer faces a mounting list of civil lawsuits that allege abuse and sexual assault by multiple victims spanning over 30 years. These legal proceedings constitute a civil case where the plaintiffs seek damages or relief through the court system.

Combs was arrested Monday and the grand jury indictment unsealed Tuesday. This criminal case involves violations of criminal law, which are typically prosecuted by the government. Combs has denied all the allegations. Combs is being held in custody after being denied bail twice.

Investigation Overview

An investigation into racketeering and organized crime is a meticulous process that delves deep into the operations of the alleged criminal enterprise. Federal prosecutors spearhead these investigations, employing a variety of techniques to uncover the intricate details of the enterprise’s structure, leadership, and financial transactions. Tools such as wiretaps, surveillance, and undercover operations are commonly used to gather concrete evidence of racketeering activities. Additionally, civil lawsuits can play a crucial role in these investigations, allowing prosecutors to obtain valuable information and seize assets from individuals or organizations suspected of being involved in racketeering. This multifaceted approach ensures that all aspects of the criminal enterprise are thoroughly examined, paving the way for a robust legal case.

Diddy faces multiple charges in federal indictment

Prosecutors laid the case against Combs in a grand jury indictment, initiating a civil lawsuit to seek compensation for damages and other legal relief. He is accused of using his music empire to engage in sex trafficking and charged with having a pattern of abusing women.

The indictment says Combs often lured victims by promising a romantic relationship before using threats, intimidation, and abuse to get them to engage in various sexual activities. Those included so-called “Freak Offs” where victims were directed to engage in extended sex acts with male sex workers on film.

Federal law is being applied in this case to enforce violent and organized crime statutes, providing federal prosecutors the authority to pursue justice against Combs for these offenses.

Prosecutors allege Combs drugged victims during those sessions and sometimes kept the footage without the victim being aware he was doing so. They also say the physical exertion was such that Combs and victims often required IV fluids afterward.

RICO Charges

RICO charges, short for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act charges, are among the most severe federal offenses, carrying hefty penalties, including substantial fines and lengthy imprisonment. To successfully bring RICO charges, federal prosecutors must demonstrate that the defendant engaged in a racketeering activity pattern involving committing at least two predicate acts within ten years. These predicate acts can encompass various crimes, such as bribery, extortion, and money laundering. Beyond criminal penalties, RICO charges can also lead to civil lawsuits, where plaintiffs may seek treble damages and other forms of relief. This dual threat of criminal and civil repercussions underscores the gravity of RICO charges and their significant impact on those accused.

Diddy arrested

Following his arrest, Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, issued a statement asking the public to reserve judgment until all the facts are in and noting that Combs has cooperated with the investigation.

The district court, which handles civil cases involving claims of $25,000 or less, as well as family, juvenile, and misdemeanor criminal cases, will oversee Combs’ case.

“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. He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo said.

Why were Diddy’s homes raided?

While federal authorities had given sparse public comment as to what prompted the raids, NewsNation affiliate WPIX reported at the time they were part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation. A court reporter was present during the raids to produce official transcripts of any depositions and ensure a verbatim record of the proceedings.

Federal authorities had also reportedly widened their probe to include potential witness intimidation, sexual assault and firearms violations, according to a New York Post report. The involvement of the federal government highlights the seriousness of the investigation, particularly under federal laws targeting organized crime and prosecution.

What happened during the raids on Diddy’s home?

Investigators seized firearms and phones belonging to Combs. During the raids, command trucks were parked outside both properties and officers wearing protective gear and weapons were heavily present. The investigation into Combs’ activities involves interstate commerce, as the RICO statute aims to eliminate the infiltration of organized crime into legitimate organizations that operate across state lines.

Combs’ sons, Justin and Christian “King” Combs, were handcuffed during the raid at their father’s Los Angeles home.

Justin’s mother, Misa Hylton, said she has retained high-profile attorney Jeffrey Lichtman to look into the “excessive use of force” used on Justin and Christian during the raid, which she called “unnecessary and certainly not required by this search warrant,” in an Instagram post-April 2.

“(The force) used against my sons Justin and Christian is deplorable. If these were the sons of a non-Black celebrity, they would not have been handled with the same aggression,” she wrote. “The attempt to humiliate and terrorize these innocent young BLACK MEN is despicable!”

Hylton also posted security footage from the raid showing heavily armed federal agents entering Combs’ home and pushing Christian, who had his hands above his head, against a wall while handcuffing him.

Justin is seen walking with his hands above his head while a gun is aimed at him.

Music mogul and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs arrives at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on May 15, 2022. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Law enforcement arrested Combs’ alleged drug “mule,” Brendan Paul, 25, who was traveling with the producer at the Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport the same day the raids took place.

Paul, a former Syracuse University basketball player, was arrested on felony charges of possession of suspected cocaine and possession of suspected marijuana candy, per an arrest affidavit. The affidavit adds that officers found cocaine and edibles in Paul’s travel bags.

What racketeering accusations is Diddy facing?

In addition to the indictment, the music producer has been slapped with multiple civil suits in the last year, each containing a multitude of disturbing accusations. These civil cases highlight various legal disputes between parties, often initiated by filing a complaint. Much of the content in the lawsuits matches the case prosecutors have laid out against Combs.

Singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who had been in a decadelong relationship with Combs in the early 2000s, filed a lawsuit in New York federal court last November alleging sex trafficking, human trafficking, sexual battery, sexual assault, and gender-motivated violence, among other causes of action.

Ventura alleged that she became lured into and eventually trapped in a pattern of abuse involving forced drug use, rape, battery, and forced sex acts with male sex workers.

She settled the lawsuit with her former partner one day later, but her suit spawned several more alleged victims to come forward.

Hotel Surveillance

Hotel surveillance video from 2016 obtained by CNN appeared to show Combs violently attacking, kicking and shoving Ventura at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in the Century City neighborhood of Los Angeles.

In the video, Combs is seen running in a towel after Ventura who is seen standing in front of an elevator bank. He aggressively grabs and drags her down and then kicks her before picking up her luggage. He is then seen dragging her on the floor back to a hotel room as she braces her head.

Two days later, Combs released an apology videoadmitting he beat Ventura in the hotel hallway.

Combs said in the video, which he posted to Instagram and Facebook, that he was “truly sorry” and that his actions were “inexcusable.”

“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” the music mogul said. “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Combs said, adding, “I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry.”

Ventura broke her silence almost a week after the release of the video saying she “will always be recovering from my past,” in an Instagram post.

“It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in,” she said. “I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone.”

She also asked that everyone “open your heart to believing victims the first time” and that “Domestic Violence is THE issue.”

TMZ Reports

TMZ reported Ventura worked with federal investigators for weeks, potentially even before the raids. The outlet reported that she may have helped investigators establish probable cause to obtain search warrants.

In February, music producer Rodney Jones filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit sex workers and pressured him to have sex with them.

In other lawsuits, a woman said the rap producer trafficked and raped her two decades ago when she was 17. Another woman said Combs filmed his sexual assault on her and later used it as “revenge porn” when she was a student at Syracuse University.

Combs was also sued by Dawn Richard, a member of his former band Danity Kane, for sexual assault and years of “inhumane working conditions.”

In her suit, Richard says that Combs withheld her earnings and subjected her to “years of inhumane working conditions which included groping, assault, and false imprisonment, among other violations.”

Combs’ lawyers filed a motion to dismiss some claims filed by the former Syracuse students April 26, stating that he cannot be sued because certain laws didn’t exist when the 1991 allegations were made against him.

He also filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old in 2003.

Combs and his attorneys have denied all of the lawsuits’ allegations.

In September, Combs was hit with a massive $100 million default judgment after failing to dispute sexual assault allegations made in a lawsuit by a Michigan inmate, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, 51.

Cardello-Smith filed a lawsuit accusing Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting him at a party in Detroit in 1997.

Combs was due to appear in Lenawee County Circuit Court for a virtual hearing, but when he failed to show up, a judge awarded Cardello-Smith a multi-million default judgment.

Roger Bands, who worked as Combs‘ head of security from 2003 to 2012, said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “CUOMO” that his ex-boss flew women across state lines for parties and invited men he’d “never seen before” into the hotel rooms.

In a documentary on the allegations surrounding the music producer released by TMZ, former Danity Kane singer Aubrey O’Day said Combs’ “mistreatment was enough to have changed the course and direction of my entire life.”

Despite the disturbing allegations, BET News host Marc Lamont Hill noted in the documentary that the entertainment industry has been “eerily and noticeably quiet” during the investigation into Combs.

Music producer Suge Knight, who co-founded rival label Death Row Records and is serving a 28-year prison sentence, offered support to the embattled music mogul, saying he felt terrible for Combs’ family.

Upon hearing the allegations, Knights said he felt it was “a bad day for hip-hop, a bad day for the culture” and that “it makes us all look bad.”

The case could be appealed to the Supreme Court, emphasizing the importance of following legal procedures and possibly hiring an attorney to navigate the complexities of appealing to higher courts.

Witness Tampering Allegations

Witness tampering is a grave offense that threatens the very foundation of the justice system. In cases involving racketeering and organized crime, witness tampering can manifest in various forms, including intimidation, bribery, and even physical harm. Federal prosecutors take these allegations extremely seriously, often bringing charges under 18 U.S.C. § 1512, which prohibits tampering with witnesses in any judicial, congressional, or administrative proceedings. The integrity of the legal process hinges on the protection of witnesses, and any attempts to undermine this through tampering are met with stringent legal action. In some instances, witness tampering may also be prosecuted under state laws, further emphasizing the critical importance of safeguarding the testimony of witnesses in the pursuit of justice.

Tupac’s alleged killer has implicated Diddy in witness intimidation.

The man charged in rapper Tupac Shakur’s 1996 killing, Duane “Keefe D” Davis, claimed Combs allegedly offered $1 million for Shakur’s murder.

Davis has made allegations against Combs for over 15 years, but he has not been named in any investigation connected to Shakur’s killing.

Court papers filed in the case against Davis include several interviews of Davis conducted by law enforcement in the last two decades. Prosecutors included a transcript of a “Surreptitiously Recorded Interview” with Davis by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police in 2009, where he repeated his claims about Combs’ alleged connection to the murder.

Davis claims Combs allegedly disliked Shakur because the rapper called him out on his songs. 

FILE – Sean “Diddy” Combs arrives at the BET Awards, June 26, 2022, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Combs wants to strengthen the Black dollar: The music mogul is spearheading a new online marketplace called Empower Global that will specifically feature Black-owned businesses. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

Where did Diddy go after the raid? 

Immediately after the raids, TMZ tracked the rapper’s personal jet. The outlet initially reported the aircraft was on the ground in Antigua. It’s unknown if Combs was on the plane.

“Antigua, as we know, is an extradition country, so probably not the best place to flee to if Diddy was indeed on that plane if that’s where he is,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said during an interview on “Banfield.”

Combs’ actions could potentially involve foreign commerce, as the legal framework of racketeering laws applies to enterprises engaged in interstate and foreign commerce activities.

Weeks after, Combs was reportedly spotted at Topgolf in Miami with his 17-year-old daughters. One day later, fitness coach Wes Watson posted a picture of himself and Combs at the Pura Vida restaurant in Miami.

“Came to just GRAB a SHOT of ESPRESSO, and I Ran into DIDDY‼️,” Watson wrote.

On Easter Sunday, Combs posted a picture of his daughter, writing, “HAPPY EASTER from Baby Love” as the caption.

Combs shared a cryptic video on his social media in early May. The video shows him standing on an overcast beach with heavy winds over a narration saying, “Steady in the storm. Looks bad, looks tough, but remains steady in the storm.”

The video also showed the camera moving down a white hallway, depicting him hugging someone and praying in a group circle.

He lost the honorary “Sean Diddy Combs Day” once proclaimed by the Miami Beach Commission in light of a turbulent few months. A resolution stated that the city commission and mayor were rescinding the proclamation as it was “no longer in harmony with the City’s values of safety, community well-being, and respect.”

On Sept. 16, Combs was taken into custody in New York.

Diddy denied bail amid civil lawsuits.

Combs will stay in jail as he awaits trial. After having it denied on Tuesday, Sept. 17, lawyers for Combs offered a new judge a $50 million bail package that included GPS monitoring and strict visitor limitations. There is also the potential for a jury trial in Combs’ case, where a jury would determine his liability and any damages.

That was rejected Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter, who ruled Combs’ plan was “insufficient” to ensure the community’s safety and the integrity of his case. Combs is being charged under the RICO statute, which provides a legal framework for prosecuting organized crime and related offenses.

Carter concurred with prosecutors who found that “no condition or set of conditions” governing his release could guard against the risk of Combs threatening or harming witnesses — one of the other central charges in his case.

NewsNation’s Caitlyn Shelton, Patrick Djordjevic and Liz Jassin contributed to this story.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673.