Federal officials raided Sean “Diddy” Combs’ homes on Monday, as he faces sex trafficking and assault cases.
Armed Department of Homeland Security agents entered upscale houses on the East and West coasts of the United States, with video footage showing helicopters buzzing overhead and a large law enforcement presence on the ground.
“Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami and our local law enforcement partners,” the agency said.
A source confirmed that Combs was the target of the raids.
Aerial footage from Los Angeles media showed a big presence at Combs’ luxurious Holmby Hills house, which is affiliated with the rapper and producer known as Puff Daddy.
Agents were heavily armed all throughout the huge property, and video footage showed unidentified men being apprehended at the scene.
According to TMZ, photographs purported to show the rapper’s sons Justin and King Combs in handcuffs.
The publication allegedly claimed to have evidence of a raid on a luxurious waterfront property in Miami linked to Combs.
There was no immediate official confirmation of what sparked the raids, but Homeland Security’s involvement in big, coordinated raids in two sites raises severe concerns.
The development comes as legal pressure mounts on the musician, who has received at least four lawsuits from people who claim he sexually abused them, with allegations spanning back decades.
Last year, Combs was sued by his former lover, Casandra Ventura, who went by the stage name Cassie and was signed to his Bad Boy label.
The claim alleged he had compelled her to conduct sexual acts with various individuals over a number of years in cities across the United States.
According to the lawsuit, Ventura became a victim of sex trafficking, a federal offense, as a result of stops in various locales that required crossing state lines.
That lawsuit was resolved, but others followed, including one filed in December by a woman who accused Combs of sexual assault, claiming he and others gang-raped her when she was 17.
According to the lawsuit, Combs and other men loaded her with narcotics and alcohol before viciously raping her repeatedly.
Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer who represents two of the women who have accused Combs of abuse, stated on Monday that “we will always support law enforcement when it seeks to prosecute those who have broken the law.”
“Hopefully, this is the beginning of a process that will hold Mr. Combs responsible for his depraved conduct.”
Combs has adamantly refuted all allegations against him.
Combs, 54, created the Bad Boy record label in 1993 and was a key factor in hip-hop’s commercialization in the decades since. His protégés included the late Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige.
He is one of the industry’s millionaires, thanks in large part to his booze business activities.
Despite a public image of a suave businessman, lawsuits characterize Combs as a violent guy who exploited his status to prey on and intimidate women.