Music mogul Sean Combs was arrested at a New York hotel on Monday evening after a grand jury indicted him on unspecified charges.
Combs was taken into custody by federal agents at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Monday, Sept. 16.
“Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the Southern District of New York,” Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, said in a statement. “We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”
Marc Agnifilio, an attorney for Combs, said his arrest was expected and that he “relocated” to New York “in anticipation of these charges.”
“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. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts.”
Agnifilio said he was “disappointed” by the SDNY’s decision to pursue “unjust prosecution” of Combs.
“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community,” said Agnofilio in a statement to USA Today. “He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal,” he added.
Combs’ arrest comes after his homes in California and Florida were raided by Homeland Security agents in late March.
The hip-hop mogul recently listed his L.A. mansion for $70 million after a private listing failed to generate any interest from billionaires.
Combs’ downfall began in late November 2023 when his ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura filed a sex trafficking and abuse lawsuit against him. He quickly settled the lawsuit the next day for an unspecified terms.
Despite the quick settlement, a news outlet published shocking video that showed Combs chasing Cassie at a Los Angeles hotel. Surveillance video showed Combs throw her to the floor and kicking her before attempting to drag her back to his suite. He later threw a glass vase at her.
Combs, 54, issued an apology to Cassie after the video leaked. He said he was at “rock bottom” and was “truly sorry” for his actions in the video.
In response, Cassie’s lawyer called Combs’ apology “pathetic”.
Eight more women and one man accused Combs of sex trafficking and sexual assault in multiple lawsuits.
A week before Combs’ arrest, former Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard sued Combs for allegedly groping her and sexually harassing her.
Richard (center) claimed to have witnessed Combs abusing Cassie, and she said her Diddy-Dirty Money group mate, Kalenna Harper (left), also witnessed the abuse.
But in a social media post last week, Harper denied witnessing any abuse. She suggested Richard made up the allegations against Combs.
The lawyer representing accusers Liza Gardner, Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones and April Lampros told Rolling Stone he was not surprised by Combs’ arrest.
“The long-awaited arrest of Sean Combs is the first step for our clients receiving justice,” attorney Tyrone Blackburn said in a statement. “We leave the criminal aspect of this case in the hands of the people and justice system. As for the civil cases, we await our time for the facts to reveal themselves and seek the justice our clients deserve, We also anticipate more victims coming forward. We knew this was coming. The evidence is very clear, and it was only a matter of time. This is an important step towards justice for all of Mr. Combs’ victims, including my clients.”
