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    • Rap mogul arrested after sex trafficking investigation
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    Rap mogul arrested after sex trafficking investigation

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    Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was the subject of two federal raids and a sex trafficking investigation, was arrested Monday in Manhattan.

    Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, confirmed the news to USA TODAY in a statement, saying, “We are disappointed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s decision to prosecute Mr. Combs, which we believe was an unfair trial.”

    The music mogul was arrested after a grand jury indictment, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The specific charges are not yet clear.

    “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 better the black community. He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” the statement continued. “It must be said that Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve judgment until you have all the facts. These are the actions of an innocent man with nothing to hide and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

    Combs’ arrest follows a string of legal troubles for the Bad Boy Records founder. Combs is facing multiple lawsuits filed in recent months alleging the music mogul raped or sexually abused multiple alleged victims over the past few decades. Combs has denied all allegations against him.

    Law enforcement raids homes of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in federal investigation

    In March, two of Combs’ homes were searched by U.S. Homeland Security as part of a federal investigation.

    According to Rolling Stone and local Los Angeles news station Fox 11, federal agents raided Combs’ Los Angeles home on March 25. Agents also searched the “Hello Good Morning” rapper’s Miami home that same day, according to reports from Rolling Stone, NBC News and The Associated Press.

    When asked for comment on the Combs case, a spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations said in a statement to USA TODAY that “Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York conducted law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami and our local law enforcement partners.”

    According to NBC News, the Los Angeles Times and the AP, the searches were part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation in New York. Multiple people have been questioned by investigators about allegations against Combs involving sex trafficking, sexual assault and other alleged offenses, NBC News and the AP reported.

    Attorney Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs calls searches ‘witch hunt’

    Aaron Dyer, an attorney for Combs who represents corporate investigators and white-collar criminal defense attorneys, told USA TODAY on March 26 that the music mogul is innocent and criticized the federal raid on his homes.

    “There was a gross exaggeration of military force when search warrants were executed on Mr. Combs’s residences,” Dyer said in a statement. “This unprecedented ambush — coupled with a sophisticated, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment against Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on baseless allegations in civil lawsuits.”

    Dyer added that no family members of the rapper were arrested during the raid.

    Attorney for ex-girlfriend Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs applauds federal raids after lawsuit

    Douglas Wigdor, attorney for Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, released a statement on March 25 after reports emerged about the search warrant for Combs.

    In November 2023, Ventura filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against Combs, accusing him of rape, sex trafficking, and physical abuse. Combs and Ventura settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount, the day after the complaint was filed.

    “We will always support law enforcement in prosecuting those who have broken the law,” Wigdor said. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a process that holds Mr. Combs accountable for his depraved behavior.”

    Contributors: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY

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