Diddy’s former bodyguard has vowed to take legal action in an effort to clear his name after being accused of raping a woman in the early 2000s.
Joseph Sherman demanded that authorities investigate Thalia Graves, the Texas woman who named him and Combs in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in New York.
“This is totally incorrect and my lawyers will be filing a defamation suit against this lady,” Sherman told DailyMail.com exclusively.
In her lawsuit filed Tuesday, Graves said she was violently raped by Combs and Sherman at the Bad Boy Records studio in New York in the summer of 2001, when she was 25.
She alleged the disgraced tycoon and Sherman lured her to the studio and gave her a drink that was “probably laced with a drug” that caused her to lose consciousness.
Joseph “Big Joe” Sherman said he plans to countersue Thalia Graves, a Texas woman who filed a lawsuit against him and Sean “Diddy” Combs alleging she was sexually assaulted by both men at Bad Boy’s New York recording studio in the summer of 2001.
Thalia Graves became emotional during a press conference at her attorney Gloria Allred’s law office in Los Angeles on September 24, 2024. She claims she has suffered for years from the trauma of alleged rape by Diddy and sexual assault by Sherman.
When she woke up, Graves claimed she was tied up and restrained.
“Combs raped her mercilessly, anally and vaginally,” the suit says. “Sherman forcefully threw Plaintiff (Graves) onto a table, slapped her, and repeatedly shoved his penis into her mouth. Neither man was intimidated by Plaintiff’s cries for help throughout the attack.”
Sherman, known as “Big Joe,” denied the allegations and said Graves had been sending him direct messages on social media for at least five months.
The former bodyguard said Graves initially asked him to serve as a witness against Diddy in his pending lawsuit, but her messages became more threatening when he refused her demands.
“I’m also going to file a defamation lawsuit against everyone she mentioned in the Instagram DMs she sent me,” she told DailyMail.com. “And I’m also going to ask for a deposition against anyone who is pushing this to destroy my name. Again, I did not work for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in 2001.”
Big Joe (left) partying with rapper Cam’ron, Diddy and Huddy at Zac Posen’s after-party during Olympus Fashion Week in 2005
Sherman said Graves’ lawsuit against him and his former employer, Diddy, is a “money grab” and that he is being targeted as a “scapegoat” for serious criminal charges the rapper faces in New York federal court.
However, photos showed Sherman and Diddy together at parties in 2005.
On his social media, Sherman shared photos of himself partying with the biggest stars of the 1990s, including Mariah Carey, Jay Z, Bruce Willis and the late singer Aaliyah.
Graves alleged in her lawsuit that the trauma of the rape “came back to her en masse” after her ex-boyfriend, who worked with Diddy, told her in November 2023 that the rapper and a security guard recorded the rape.
According to Graves, a group of men saw the horrific video while they were at Bad Boy’s studio in New York.
Graves said she was taken to Bad Boy Records’ studio in New York, where she was allegedly brutally raped. She claims Combs and Sherman recorded the rape and showed the video to other people.
Attorney Gloria Allred, Graves’ lawyer, said during a news conference in Los Angeles that her client has suffered “flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive thoughts” since the rape.
“I have found it difficult to trust others to form healthy relationships or even feel safe in my own skin,” Graves said through tears as she read from a prepared statement Tuesday.
She added that her suffering is “a pain that reaches deep into your being and leaves emotional scars that may never fully heal.”
Sherman founded Rhymes N Dimes magazine, a pornographic magazine that was also named in Thalia Graves’ complaint.
During his career in the music industry, Sherman said he was surrounded by a number of celebrities. He is pictured here with the late R&B star Aaliyah.
She is the 11th person to publicly accuse Diddy of sexual assault since he was indicted on racketeering and sex trafficking charges last week.
Sherman maintains his innocence. He told DailyMail.com that he is a father of four daughters and a “publisher” who makes money through the real estate business.
He founded the pornographic magazine Rhymes N Dimes. His social media posts include memories of his life alongside Diddy and other celebrities.
Sherman claims he cut ties with Diddy in 2000 and began working for the Diplomats, a Harlem hip hop group that originally consisted of Cam’ron, Jim Jones and Zeke Freekey.
The former bodyguard said he is “willing to take a lie detector test” to prove his innocence.
“Because I’m a black man, I’m being used as a pawn and a scapegoat for issues I have nothing to do with,” Sherman said.
“Once the public knows my side of the story and sees my messages, they will understand everything that this woman is doing, because I had nothing to do with them. I will file a lawsuit because, yes, this has hurt my family, it has hurt my friends.”
Asked to respond to Sherman’s claims that Graves is stalking him, Allred told DailyMail.com: “The complaint speaks for itself. Our client looks forward to her day in court.”
