Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the renowned music mogul, was arrested on Monday and formally charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, according to a federal indictment revealed on Tuesday. His arrest comes after numerous sexual assault accusations and an extended federal investigation.

Key Facts:
Combs faces three charges: racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation for prostitution. These alleged actions spanned from 2009 to 2018 for sex trafficking and continued through 2024 for prostitution.

The indictment accuses Combs of using threats and coercion to exploit women for sexual purposes, claiming he created a criminal network within his business operations. The indictment details a range of illegal activities by Combs and his associates, including forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.

Combs is said to have engaged in consistent patterns of verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. The indictment outlines allegations of him physically assaulting women and utilizing his employees to cover up these abuses.

Prosecutors further allege that Combs manipulated women into taking part in elaborate sexual events, referred to as “Freak Offs,” where they were forced to engage in extended sexual acts with male sex workers. His associates reportedly transported these sex workers across state lines, amounting to charges of sex trafficking and transporting individuals for prostitution. Additionally, it is claimed that drugs were used to maintain control over the victims.

Although Combs was arrested in Manhattan on Monday, the charges were only revealed to the public on Tuesday. Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, maintains his client’s innocence, asserting that Combs moved to New York last week knowing the charges were imminent and had “nothing to hide.”

It is unclear how long the criminal proceedings will take, but the mogul still faces multiple civil lawsuits from women accusing him of sexual assault. Agnifilo criticized the federal prosecution, expressing disappointment with the decision and urging the public to hold off on forming judgments until all facts are revealed. Combs has consistently denied the sexual assault allegations and, in a now-deleted post, claimed that he had not committed any of the acts in question.