American rapper and powerful hip-hop producer Sean “Diddy” Combs, arrested and charged with sex trafficking and extortion, was placed in pretrial detention on Tuesday by a judge in Manhattan federal court, according to an AFP journalist.
• Also read: Bling Rap Icon P. Diddy Caught Up in Sexual Assault Accusations
• Also read: Sexual Assault and Exploitation: Former Porn Star Files Complaint Against Rapper P. Diddy
Arrested Monday evening in Manhattan, the artist, who is the subject of multiple complaints of sexual assault, pleaded not guilty to charges of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, extortion and transporting people for the purpose of prostitution in court.
Prosecutors refused to release him on bail because he had already allegedly made contact with witnesses and victims, despite a contact ban.
An artist with multiple nicknames and roles in the music and business worlds, P. Diddy, 54, is described by his alleged victims as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to gain their submission.
“For decades,” Sean Combs, aka “Puff Daddy,” “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation and hide his actions,” charges the indictment unsealed Tuesday by the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office.
According to prosecutors, the rapper set up a system: he “leveraged the employees, resources and influence of the multifaceted business empire he ran and controlled to create a criminal enterprise whose members engaged in (…) trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced labor, kidnapping, bribery and obstruction of justice,” the indictment details.
According to his lawyer, his client was in New York “voluntarily” to “surrender” and he wants to cooperate with the investigation. A judge could decide to place him in pretrial detention.
The rapper’s luxury homes in Miami and Los Angeles were raided by federal agents in March in a high-profile operation that raised concerns that a federal investigation and criminal case against Combs was looming.
Hip-hop figure
Under the nicknames “Puff Daddy,” “P. Diddy,” “Diddy” and many others, he has established himself as an East Coast hip-hop figure, both on the mic and in production.
He founded Bad Boy Records in 1993, a prelude to his rise to the top. He produced the late Notorious B.I.G., a New York rap legend who was murdered in 1997, and Mary J. Blige. His album No Way Out received the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 1997.
He has amassed immense wealth over the decades, partly through his activities in the alcohol industry.
However, despite his efforts to cultivate the image of a business tycoon, a series of complaints portray Combs as a violent man who used his celebrity to prey on women.
The artist denies all accusations against him.
The rapper has been the target of a complaint from former porn actress Adria English since early July. She accuses Sean Combs of using her “as a sexual pawn for the pleasure and financial benefit of others” during parties in the Hamptons, New York, and Florida, between 2004 and 2009.
In total, nine complaints have been filed against the rapper since November 2023.
“Inexcusable”
In one of them, filed in November, his former partner “Cassie” Ventura accuses him of having had “violent” and “deviant” behavior for a decade.
In a video from 2016, P. Diddy lashes out at her.
In it, the rapper catches up with her in a hotel corridor, grabs her roughly and throws her violently to the ground before kicking her several times.
“Brother Love”
“My behavior in this video is inexcusable,” the billionaire said on Instagram.
The case was settled “amicably” under a confidential agreement.
Combs has been the subject of allegations of abuse since the 1990s, although he has never received any major convictions.
The man who has been trying to restore his image in recent years with yet another nickname, “Brother Love”, has amassed a considerable fortune in more than three decades in the music industry, with a bling-bling image showing off diamonds, yachts and tailor-made suits.
However, a celebrity charity basketball game in New York that he was promoting turned deadly in 1991, with nine people killed after a stampede. Combs faced a series of lawsuits after being accused of neglecting security.
