Sean “Diddy” Combs’ accusations were detailed in an unsealed fourteen-page indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice. The rapper and mogul is facing legal action after being accused of several sex crimes.
Diddy was arrested in New York on September 16, 2024. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and was refused bail (proposing his own home and his mother’s as part of a $50 million surety). His Los Angeles house was raided by Homeland Security earlier in the year, in connection to an ongoing federal sex trafficking investigation. The indictment was unsealed on Tuesday, September 17, 2024.
Related: Inside Diddy’s ‘Freak-Off’ Sessions That Included 1,000 Bottles of Baby Oil & Lube
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement: “As alleged in the Indictment, for years, Sean Combs used the business empire he controlled to sexually abuse and exploit women, as well as to commit other acts of violence and obstruction of justice. Today, he is charged with racketeering and sex trafficking offenses. If you have been a victim of Combs’ alleged abuse – or if you know anything about his alleged crimes – we urge you to come forward. This investigation is far from over.”
What are Diddy’s Charges?
“The indictment alleges that between at least 2008 and the present, Combs abused, threatened and coerced victims to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” Williams told reporters. Here is a list of the three counts of charges that Diddy is facing.
Count 1: Racketeering Conspiracy
Diddy is charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy. The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. According to the indictment, Combs and his associates engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals.
Combs and his associates engaged in “Freak Offs” where they transported commercial sex workers across state lines and internationally. The document described it as “elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded.”
The charge also specified that Diddy blackmailed victims by engaging in acts of violence, threats of violence, threats of financial and reputational harm, and verbal abuse.
Count 2: Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion
Diddy was charged with one count of sex trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion. The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
According to the indictment, Diddy “recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, and maintained a person, and attempted, aided and abetted, and willfully caused his victim to engage incommercial sex acts.”
Count 3: Transportation to Engage in Prostitution
Diddy was charged with one count of transportation to engage in prostitution. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The indictment states that from 2009 to 2024, Diddy “knowingly transported an individual in interstate and foreign commerce with intent that the individual engage in prostitution.”