Current:Home > FinanceSean “Diddy” Combs Arrest: Lawyer Says He’s in “Treatment and Therapy” Amid Sex Trafficking Charges -InfinityFinance
Sean “Diddy” Combs Arrest: Lawyer Says He’s in “Treatment and Therapy” Amid Sex Trafficking Charges
View
Date:2025-04-14 02:36:19
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyer is sharing more information into the music producer’s current state.
Following the news of Diddy’s arrest on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, his attorney Marc Agnifilo shared more details about the performer’s condition.
"He is not a perfect person. There has been drug use. He has been in toxic relationships,” Agnifilo told the court, according to NBC News, adding that Diddy is receiving, “treatment and therapy for things that he needs treatment and therapy for.”
The documents alleged that "for decades" Diddy, 54, "abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct."
According to the documents, the music mogul organized “Freak Offs,” or “elaborate sex performances” during which female victims were compelled through “force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers.” Per the indictment, among supplies seized by authorities from Diddy’s homes earlier this year were 1,000 bottles of baby oil.
Diddy appeared in the New York City courtroom on Sept. 17 to face the charges against him. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was denied a $50 million bond proposal to get out of jail while he awaits trial.
"Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts," Agnifilo said Sept. 16. "These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
For more details on Diddy's legal troubles, read on.
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed search warrants at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami properties on March 25, multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to NBC News.
The sources told the outlet the warrant was out of the Southern District of New York, and a spokesperson for HSI New York confirmed to E! News it “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners.”
Law enforcement sources told NBC News the music mogul was in the Miami area when the search warrants were executed.
News about the investigation broke after Combs faced allegations of sexual misconduct in lawsuits filed by multiple accusers starting in November, with the musician denying the allegations.
“Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday,” he wrote in a December statement posted on Instagram. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
The day after HSI executed the search warrants at Combs' L.A. and Miami properties, his lawyer spoke out.
"Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs' residences," attorney Aaron Dyer said in a March 26 statement to E! News. "There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated."
Dyer noted Combs “was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.”
“Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way,” his lawyer's statement continued. “This unprecedented ambush—paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence—leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”
And Dyer expressed Combs' intent to defend himself.
“There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations,” he added. “Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”
As for what actually went down during the searches, multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the warrant told NBC News authorities with the Department of Homeland Security seized phones from Combs’ home in Miami before he was scheduled to travel to the Bahamas, and several sources familiar with the matter added that guns were discovered during the search.
One source familiar with the matter also told NBC News three women and one man were interviewed by prosecutors and investigators from the Southern District of New York about allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms purportedly tied to Combs.
On the same day the search warrants were executed at Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles properties, one of his associates, Brendan Paul, was arrested by the Miami-Dade police on suspicion of drug possession, a law enforcement source familiar with the matter told NBC News.
According to the Miami-Dade arrest affidavit obtained by the outlet, Paul was taken into custody for allegedly possessing suspected cocaine and suspected marijuana candy.
Prison records obtained by NBC News show Paul was released on March 26 after posting bond.
“We do not plan on trying this case in the media,” Paul’s attorney Brian Bieber said in a statement obtained by the outlet, “all issues will be dealt with in court.”
In May, Paul accepted a plea deal, with his lawyer Bieber telling People, "Brendan accepted the prosecutor’s offer to permit his entry into the diversion program which, after completion, the case against him will be dismissed in its entirety."
He was arrested in the lobby of a New York hotel on Sept. 16, 2024, according to NBC News. It's unclear what Combs has been charged with and if the arrest has any potential connection to the raids.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office," his lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in a statement to E! News. "He is an imperfect person but Is not criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges."
After Combs was arrested based on the sealed indictment, the indictment was unsealed on Sept. 17.
The 54-year-old was charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; as well as transportation to engage in prostitution, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.
The indictment alleged Combs “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” for more than a decade, with prosecutors saying the purported behavior started around 2008.
"To do so," the documents stated, "Combs relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled—creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice."
According to NBC News, Combs pleaded not guilty and was denied bail.
“He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might,” his attorney Marc Agnifilo told reporters outside the courthouse prior to the arraignment, “and the full confidence of his lawyers."
veryGood! (186)
Related
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Toledo officers shoot, kill suspect in homicide of woman after pursuit, police say
- What is capital gains tax in simple terms? A guide to 2024 rates, long-term vs. short-term
- Mauritius lifts storm alert after cyclone passes. French island of Reunion is also assessing damage
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Shell to sell big piece of its Nigeria oil business, but activists want pollution cleaned up first
- Another day of frigid wind chills and brutal cold across much of the U.S.
- AP VoteCast: Iowa caucusgoers want big changes, see immigration as more important than the economy
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Niecy Nash's Relationship Advice Proves Her Marriage to Jessica Betts Is Spicy as Ever
Ranking
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Tina Fey talks working with Lindsay Lohan again in new Mean Girls
- 32 things we learned from NFL playoffs' wild-card round: More coaching drama to come?
- Rob McElhenney Knows His Priorities While Streaming Eagles Game from the 2023 Emmys
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- A middle-aged Millionaires' Row: Average US 50-something now has net worth over $1M
- Joan Collins and Husband Percy Gibson Have Rare Date Night at 2023 Emmys
- Roy Wood Jr. pleads for 'Daily Show' to hire new host at Emmys on 'the low'
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Another lawyer for Kremlin foe Navalny faces extremism charges. She had left Russia
Flight school owner, student pilot among dead in Massachusetts small plane crash
North Korea's first 2024 missile test was conducted with remote U.S. targets in region in mind, analysts say
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
'It's trash': Dolphins cope with owning NFL's longest playoff win drought after Lions' victory
Why Christina Applegate Joked That Emmys Crowd Was Shaming Her
Tokyo Governor Koike asked to stop $2.45 billion plan to remake park, famous baseball stadium