Hip Hop Mogul Diddy Arrested In New York Amid Sex Trafficking Investigation

Hip Hop icon Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested in New York City on Monday, September 16, following a grand jury indictment. The arrest occurred at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan at 8:15 p.m., with Homeland Security Investigations taking him into custody. The specific charges remain sealed, but Diddy’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, indicated that the rapper faces accusations of racketeering and sex trafficking.

Agnifilo expressed disappointment in the prosecution’s decision, calling it unjust. He noted that Combs had traveled to New York last week, anticipating the charges. “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” the lawyer stated.

Diddy’s arrest stems from a federal investigation made public in March when Homeland Security agents executed search warrants on his Los Angeles and Miami properties. This legal action follows a wave of lawsuits accusing Combs of sexual misconduct, including a prominent case filed by his ex-girlfriend and former protégé, R&B singer Cassie, in November.

Cassie’s lawsuit alleged years of physical and sexual abuse, including accusations that Diddy trafficked her for forced sexual acts across various locations. She also claimed that Combs coerced her into participating in the trafficking of male sex workers, while he filmed the encounters. Although the lawsuit was swiftly settled, Combs later apologized after footage surfaced showing him assaulting Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.

Following Cassie’s lawsuit, several other individuals, including two women who accused Diddy of sexual assault and a music producer who claimed he was pressured to solicit prostitutes, filed similar allegations.

At 54, Diddy now becomes the most high-profile figure in the music industry to face criminal charges for sexual misconduct since R. Kelly, who was sentenced to over 30 years in prison for sex crimes, trafficking, and racketeering after trials in New York and Chicago.