Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Californian mansion, where his infamous ‘freak offs’ were held, has attracted a bid from the real estate mogul who previously bought Kanye West’s Malibu estate.
Bo Belmont has offered $30 million for the Holmby Hills home, just half the current asking price.
The ten-bedroom, thirteen-bathroom mansion in Los Angeles was purchased by Combs in 2014 for $39 million.
More recently, it was the site of an FBI raid related to the investigation into sex trafficking and racketeering allegations against the disgraced rapper.
Prosecutors said when they stormed the 17,000-square-foot compound in March, they found 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lube.
They claim the bottles were used in orgies called “freak-offs,” often involving women who were forced or threatened to perform.
Diddy is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, awaiting trial on charges related to the raid.
“I want to remove the stigma and focus on the charming elegance of this remarkable property,” Belmont said PR Newswire.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ California mansion, where his infamous ‘freak offs’ were held, has attracted a bid from a real estate mogul who previously bought Kanye West’s Malibu estate
‘We are planning a major renovation and particularly want to recapture the beautiful, rural setting of the outside area, with its picturesque trees, foliage and walkways.
“This prominent estate will be a great asset to our growing portfolio of luxury properties.”
Belmont and his company Belwood Investments previously purchased Kanye West’s Tadao Ando-designed property in Malibu.
He bought the West beachfront residence for $21 million, dramatically less than the asking price.
The entire property had been gutted by the rapper and several “dumb” renovations had been made, including the removal of glass floors, Belmont said.
The real estate mogul said he hopes to transform the property so it looks as if West was never there.
Belmont could be Combs’ only hope, amid reports that many buyers are deterred from even touring the house due to its lurid associations.
A slow market ahead of the holidays also dampens hopes for a quick sale.
The house may be difficult to sell because of the criminal sex trafficking and racketeering charges against Combs
The mansion made national news in March when it was raided in connection with the investigation against Combs
Combs has been in federal prison since his arrest, awaiting a trial scheduled to begin May 5.
Part of the grounds on which a judge rejected a bail package proposed by his lawyers was that he posed a danger of obstructing justice and engaging in witness tampering.
He has denied guilt over allegations that he coerced and abused women for years, aided by colleagues and employees.
Prosecutors said Combs engaged in a racketeering plot since at least 2008, using his power and prestige in the entertainment industry to coerce women into the aforementioned “Freak Offs.”
They said he used videos of the attacks as collateral to threaten victims, and they said he also physically assaulted women and others by hitting, punching, dragging and kicking them.
Prosecutors said defense claims that the government leaked a video to CNN on March 5, 2016 of Combs attacking his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway were untrue.
Real estate mogul Bo Belmont offers half price for Los Angeles mansion and hopes to remove stigma with redevelopment
He previously bought this beachfront property, which belonged to Kanye West, for a fraction of the price the rapper bought it for
They said defense lawyers engaged in a “bald attempt to suppress a damning piece of evidence against him – a video of him violently beating a victim.”
In May, Combs posted a video statement saying he took “full responsibility” for his actions in the video against Cassie, an R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura.
She sued him last November for years of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. The lawsuit was settled the next day.