Diddy arrested in New York amid s*x trafficking investigation

Hip Hop mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs, has been arrested in New York City.

The rapper was apprehended on Monday, September 16, at the Park Hyatt Hotel on 57th Street in Manhattan and detained by Homeland Security Investigations at 8:15 p.m. following a grand jury indictment.

The details of the indictment are confidential, and the specific charges have not been disclosed. However, Marc Agnifilo, Mr. Combs’ legal counsel, has indicated that he suspects he is facing charges related to racketeering and s*x trafficking.

He issued a statement saying: “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr Combs by the US Attorney’s Office.”

He added that Combs had gone to New York last week in anticipation of the charges being brought.

“He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo said.

The federal investigation into Combs was revealed when Homeland Security Investigations agents served simultaneous search warrants and raided Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami on 25 March.

His arrest comes amid a wave of lawsuits filed against him alleging sexual assault and an ongoing federal investigation.

Last November, his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, became the first of several people to sue him for s*xual abuse.

In her November lawsuit, Cassie alleged years of abuse, including beatings and rape. Her suit also alleged Combs engaged in s*x trafficking by “requiring her to engage in forced s*xual acts in multiple jurisdictions” and by engaging in “harboring and transportation of Plaintiff for purposes of sex induced by force, fraud, or coercion”.

The lawsuit, which implicated him in coercing Cassie Combs into engaging in s*xual acts with male s*x workers for the purpose of filming, was resolved the following day.

However, Combs later issued an apology for his actions after a video surfaced showing him physically assaulting and kicking Cassie Combs in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel on March 5, 2016. This video, obtained by CNN, tarnished Combs’ previously untarnished reputation.

Following Combs’ admission of guilt in this video, at least six other lawsuits were launched against him, alleging s*xual assault and coercion in the music industry. These included charges against two women accusing Combs of s*xual assault and a music producer who claimed he was forced to solicit prostitutes and engaged in s*xual acts with them against his will.

The arrest of Mr. Combs, at the age of 54, marks him as the most prominent music figure in recent memory to face criminal charges related to s*xual misconduct. His case follows closely behind R. Kelly, the R&B singer who was recently sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for child s*xual abuse, s*x trafficking, and racketeering.