Sean “Diddy” Combs was photographed hours before his arrest walking in midtown Manhattan with his son Christian Combs on Monday.
Before being arrested following an indictment by a grand jury, Combs smiled and posed for selfies with fans, seemingly unaware of the legal troubles brewing later in the night.
A person familiar with the allegation confirmed the legal action against the 54-year-old music entrepreneur, according to The New York Times; but it was not immediately clear what the charges in his indictment were.
Combs was arrested by Homeland Security officials at a midtown Manhattan hotel Monday night, law enforcement sources said. TMZand transported to the FBI field office in Manhattan.
Authorities had planned to arrest Combs on Tuesday, “but something happened that caused” federal officials to take him into custody earlier than planned, an official told the outlet.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, 45, was photographed hours before his arrest walking through midtown Manhattan with his son Christian Combs on Monday.
Before being arrested following an indictment by a grand jury, Combs smiled and posed for selfies with fans, seemingly unaware of the legal troubles brewing later in the night.
Combs wore a long black coat over a black T-shirt with grey sweatpants and grey sneakers on the outing in the Big Apple, complete with a pair of black sunglasses.
Aubrey O’Day, a former protégé of Combs, was one of the prominent names to comment on the arrest.
“The point of Justice is to offer closure and allow us the space to create a new chapter. Women never get this. I feel validated,” said O’Day, 40. “Today is a victory for women everywhere, not just me. Things are finally changing.”
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Combs was arrested in connection with a secret indictment issued by the Southern District of New York, according to TMZ. Federal officials had been searching the room where Combs was detained, according to TMZ, citing “unconfirmed reports.”
Diddy’s attorney Marc Agnifilo released a statement on DailyMail.com that read: ‘We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unfair prosecution of Mr Combs by the United States Attorney’s Office.
‘Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, a self-made entrepreneur, a loving family man, and a proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, doting on his children, and working to uplift the Black community.
“He’s a flawed person, but he’s not a criminal. To Mr. Combs’ credit, he’s done nothing but cooperate with this investigation and voluntarily moved to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.
Agnifilo added: “Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the actions of an innocent man who has nothing to hide and who hopes to clear his name in court.”
Aubrey O’Day, a former protégé of Combs, was one of the prominent names to comment on the arrest.
The music artist was seen making a prayer gesture while chatting with fans before being arrested.
Monday night’s indictment comes less than six months after the music mogul’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by federal authorities on March 25.
Monday night’s indictment comes less than six months after the music mogul’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by federal authorities on March 25. (TMZ noted that Monday’s high-profile arrest had apparently been related to the investigations.)
Combs, also known as Diddy and Puff Daddy, has been in the spotlight for much of the past year, after he quickly settled a lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in November 2023, in which she claimed he engaged in sex trafficking and abused her.
A video of him attacking her in 2016 in a Los Angeles hotel room circulated last May, prompting him to say he had “hit rock bottom” and made “no excuses” for his “inexcusable” behavior shown in the clip, adding that he takes “full responsibility.”
Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, was at the center of the East Coast and West Coast hip-hop battles of the 1990s as the partner and producer of Notorious B.I.G., who was shot and killed in 1997.
But like many who survived that era, his public image had softened with age, becoming that of a stylish party host in Hollywood and the Hamptons, a fashion-forward businessman and a doting father who spoiled his children, some of whom lost their mother in 2018.
But a different picture began to emerge in November, when his former protégé and girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, became the first of several people to sue him for sexual abuse with stories of a steady stream of sex workers in drug-fueled environments where some of those involved were coerced or cajoled into having sex.
In her November lawsuit, Cassie alleged years of abuse, including beatings and rape.
Her lawsuit also alleged that Combs engaged in sex trafficking by “compelling her to engage in forced sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions” and by “harboring and transporting Plaintiff for sexual purposes induced by force, fraud or coercion.”
A person familiar with the allegation confirmed the legal action against the 54-year-old music entrepreneur, according to The New York Times; but it was not immediately clear what the charge or charges in his indictment were.
Combs was arrested by Homeland Security officials at a midtown Manhattan hotel Monday night, law enforcement sources told TMZ, and transported to the FBI’s Manhattan field office.
Authorities had planned to arrest Combs on Tuesday, “but something happened that caused” federal officials to take him into custody earlier than planned, an official told the outlet.
She also said he forced her to help him traffic male sex workers whom Combs forced Cassie to have sex with while he filmed.
The dispute was settled the next day, but its repercussions would last much longer.
Combs lost his remaining allies and supporters who were reserving judgment when CNN aired a leaked video in May of him punching, kicking and throwing Cassie to the ground in a hotel hallway.
The next day, in his first real acknowledgement of wrongdoing since the series of allegations began, Combs posted a video on social media apologizing, saying, “I felt disgusted when I did it” and “I feel disgusted now.”
Cassie’s lawsuit was followed by at least half a dozen others in the following months.
In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging that Combs coerced him into soliciting prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.
Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.
Another woman who filed a lawsuit, April Lampos, said she was a college student in 1994 when she met Combs and began a series of “frightening sexual encounters” with Combs and those around him that lasted for years.
Combs and his attorneys have denied nearly all of the allegations in the lawsuit.
Although authorities have not said publicly that the lawsuits triggered the criminal investigation, Dyer said when the arrest warrants were served that the case was based on “baseless allegations made in civil lawsuits.”
The AP does not typically identify people who say they were sexually abused unless they go public, as Cassie and Lampros did.
As the founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs became one of the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. Along with Notorious B.I.G., he worked with a host of top-tier artists, including Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.
Combs’s roles in businesses beyond music — including lucrative private label alcohol labels, a media company and the Sean John fashion line — took major hits when the allegations surfaced.
The fallout was even worse when the video of the beating was leaked. Howard University cut ties with him and returned his key to New York City at the mayor’s request.