Like every other home in the exclusive Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, its extravagance defines it and fits it into the surrounding area.
But the $40 million mansion owned by rapper, producer and businessman Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is currently the focus of more than just an episode of MTV Cribs.
On Monday, federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations and other law enforcement arrived at the property as part of an ongoing investigation into sex trafficking.
Combs, 54, who faces mounting sexual harassment and rape claims, was nowhere to be seen as agents searched his homes in Los Angeles and Miami, removing boxes and bags of evidence.
Fans may have already seen the property’s vast interiors and exteriors, as the father of seven previously shared regular Instagram posts from the Holmby Hills residence he purchased in 2014.
Homeland Security agents have arrived at the homes of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in Los Angeles (pictured) and Miami as part of an ongoing investigation into sex trafficking.
Fans may have already seen the property’s vast interiors and exteriors, with the father-of-seven previously sharing regular posts on Instagram from the Holmby Hills residence.
The European-style villa has approximately 17,000 square feet of living space and there is an accompanying 3,000-square-foot guest house.
The sprawling grounds cover an acre and feature a “lagoon-style pool with a grotto connected by an underwater swimming tunnel,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Inside, the home includes eight bedrooms, eleven bathrooms, a 35-seat theater, and its own gym, the subject of many posts shared by Combs.
Elsewhere there is a separate spa house with a steam room and, according to TMZ – Massage room and beauty salon.
Diddy has also shared posts of the property’s huge kitchen, complete with gleaming metal surfaces and glass-fronted cupboards.
A police line was set up around the Los Angeles home, where at least two men were handcuffed, following the arrival of Homeland Security on Monday.
Armed Department of Homeland Security agents entered luxury properties on the east and west coasts of the United States, with video footage showing helicopters hovering overhead.
The officers, wearing vests, gathered in the backyard of the house, near the pool. Several officers were seen loading bags and boxes of evidence into a van with the help of police dogs.
The distinctive architecture of the European-style villa is evident in this undated Instagram post.
Diddy has also shared posts of the property’s huge kitchen, complete with gleaming metal surfaces and glass-fronted cupboards.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations agents in New York, where a former girlfriend accused him in a lawsuit filed in federal court in November of engaging in sex trafficking.
Los Angeles-based television stations aired aerial video footage showing HSI agents and other law enforcement entering a Los Angeles mansion on Monday in what those news outlets reported was a raid on Combs’ property. in Holmby Hills.
Television stations KNBC, KTTV and others reported that federal authorities were also executing a search warrant at the rap mogul’s Miami home.
An HSI spokesperson, responding to a Reuters query seeking comment on the reports, said: “Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners.”
The statement did not provide further details about the nature of the investigation.
R&B vocalist Cassandra Ventura sued Combs in Manhattan federal court in mid-November, accusing the rapper and hip-hop executive she once dated and whose music label she signed with of subjecting her to serial physical abuse, bondage sexual and rape.
The lawsuit also accuses Combs of regularly hitting Ventura during a 10-year professional and romantic relationship in which he controlled her through intimidation and plying her with drugs and alcohol.
The lawsuit cited violations of sex trafficking and human trafficking statutes under federal, New York and California laws.
Combs, through his attorney, strongly denied the allegations. The next day, Combs and Ventura jointly announced that they had settled the case out of court. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The American star, founder of the iconic Bad Boy Records label, is one of hip-hop’s most influential producers and executives and a highly successful performer in his own right, as well as the entrepreneur of his own Sean John clothing line.
Ventura’s lawsuit was one of at least four civil lawsuits filed in recent months raising sexual assault allegations against Combs, who previously called himself P.Diddy, Puff Daddy and Diddy.