Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Arrested In Manhattan After Months Of Allegations
Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, was taken into custody following months of serious allegations. Federal agents arrested the 54-year-old rapper at a Manhattan hotel on September 16. He was arrested based on an indictment-kept-under-seal filing by the Southern District of New York, though the charges have not been revealed. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams confirmed more details will emerge after the indictment is unsealed.
This arrest is the culmination of a maelstrom of accusations, ranging from sexual assault all the way to sex trafficking against Diddy. His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, has expressed condemnation of the move by the U.S. Attorney; he called it an “unjust prosecution.”
Marc underlined that Diddy had fully cooperated with the investigation authorities and even moved to New York in anticipation of these charges. “Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts,” he said, insisting his client is innocent and anxious to clear his name.
The rapper’s legal woes really started to pile up on November 16, when singer Cassie, his ex-girlfriend, filed suit against Diddy, alleging rape and abuse over the course of their decade-plus relationship. The two quickly settled, but that suit was only the beginning.
Over the next few weeks, more women came forward with some shocking allegations. On November 23, Joi Dickerson-Neal alleged that Diddy drugged and raped her while she was a college student at Syracuse University in 1991. Then on November 24, another woman charged that in 1990, when she was only 16 years old, she was raped by both Diddy and his friend Aaron Hall. Other accusations, some involving minors, have continued to pour in, including the allegations of gang rape and sex trafficking in December.
Diddy has denied these allegations. He took to social media in December to say, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,” supposedly frustrated by the accusations he described as “sickening” and a drive to destroy his legacy. He promised then to fight for his name and his family.
As early as the beginning of 2024, more and more allegations started cropping up. The pressure increased this February when Diddy’s former producer, Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, sued the rapper for sexual harassment, drugging, and issuing threats. The matter heated up even more this May with the release of what was described as surveillance footage of the rapper allegedly attacking Cassie in 2016.
In the months leading up to his arrest, Diddy was facing additional lawsuits. In May, one woman, Crystal McKinney, accused him of sexual assault. Another, April Lampos filed a lawsuit detailing several traumatic sexual encounters. As these lawsuits piled up, Diddy’s reputation took a hit. Howard University, which had bestowed an honorary degree upon him, rescinded the honor. New York City Mayor Eric Adams soon after asked for the return of Diddy’s symbolic key to the city.
Diddy’s legal troubles are far from over, and his future is in the balance. For now, it’s all eyes on the SDNY as the sealed indictment is anticipated to be unsealed.
