Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail and will remain in federal detention, judge rules

Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the CBS Radford Studio Center on May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles.

Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested Monday night at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan and taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations after months of controversy, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

A federal indictment unsealed on Tuesday revealed that Combs faces a number of charges.

During a news conference, US attorney for Southern District of New York Damian Williams said that the investigation is ongoing and that he’s not taking “anything off the table” regarding the possibility of additional charges in the future.

Here’s what we know so far about the case:

After Diddy’s arrest on Monday night, his attorney said the hip-hop star had been “cooperative” with investigators.

“To his credit, Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges,” attorney Marc Agnifilo told CNN.

However, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York pushed back on that characterization in a news conference Tuesday.

“Generally, and with increasing frequency, the word cooperative or cooperating has taken on tremendous elasticity, and it no longer really bears any relation to what the word means when we use it in a very specific context,” US Attorney Damian Williams said.

New York Southern District Attorney Damian Williams points at a poster during a press conference in New York on Tuesday.

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams has outlined some of the items seized from raids on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ properties in Miami and Los Angeles in March this year.

Among the items seized by law enforcement were AR-15 rifles, ammunition and a large capacity drum magazine. They also seized electronic evidence of the “freak offs” held by Combs.

The indictment released Tuesday described a “freak off” as a sex performance in which Combs allegedly organized the transportation of commercial sex workers across state lines and internationally. These events “occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial sex workers,” it said.

The attorney pointed to the drum magazine on a poster board at a news conference as he outlined what had been seized.

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams alleged that Sean “Diddy” Combs used his business associates, staff and others “to help conceal his abuse.”

These individuals allegedly included high ranking supervisors, personal assistants, security and household staff, who “facilitated the ‘freak offs.’ They booked the hotel rooms and stocked them with the supplies, including drugs, baby oil, personal lubricant, extra linens and lighting. When the hotel rooms got damaged, they cleaned it up.” 

Williams also alleged that these associates “arranged for victims and commercial sex workers to travel for the ‘freak offs,’” and delivered large quantities of cash to Combs “to pay for the commercial sex workers.”

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams expressed his confidence in prosecuting Sean “Diddy” Combs’ case in New York. 

“We have an outstanding track record of bringing some of the most impactful sprawling complex (and) difficult, sex trafficking, human trafficking, labor trafficking (cases). You name it, the Southern District of New York can do it,” he said, responding to a question about why Combs was being prosecuted in the state when search warrants were previously executed at Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles.

Williams added that “the scope and complexity of this investigation isn’t something that we ran from.” “It’s something that we embrace and we will continue to do that,” he said.

Prosecutors are seeking to detain Sean “Diddy” Combs ahead of trial, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said Tuesday.

The federal prosecutors filed a letter with the court explaining their reasoning, but Williams did not elaborate on the details it contained.

“There is a presumption of detention in a case like this, and we think that’s warranted,” he said.

The investigation into Sean “Diddy” Combs is still ongoing, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said on Tuesday.

Williams noted that Combs was given a key to New York City just last year, and has now been arrested and charged.

Williams said that anyone with information can call 1-877-4-HSI-TIP. His office also shared an email in its news release:Sextrafficking_outreach@hsi.dhs.gov

The official thanked the witnesses and victims who have “used their voices and helped bring this criminal conduct to light. We would not be here without them.” He also thanked the agents who have helped on the case.

Asked by a reporter if there could be other charges brought related to this, Williams said, “I’m not taking anything off the table.”

This post has been updated with more details from Williams on next steps in the case.

Sean “Diddy” Combs allegedly gave victims a series of party drugs during extended sex performances he called “Freak Offs,” US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said Tuesday.

“As alleged, Combs used force, threats of force and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sexual performances with male commercial sex workers, some of whom he transported or caused to be transported over state lines,” he said.

Combs allegedly planned and controlled the sex performances, which he called “Freak Offs,” and he often electronically recorded them.

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said that Sean “Diddy” Combs’ physical abuse to victims resulted in injuries that took “days or weeks to heal.”

Williams cited an incident that took place at a Los Angeles hotel that was reported on.

US attorney for Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, speaks at a press conference outlining the charges against Sean "Diddy" Combs in New York on September 17.

US attorney for Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, outlined the charges against Sean “Diddy” Combs for racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and interstate transportation for prostitution at a news conference Tuesday.

Williams said 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.”

“Sean Combs led and participated in a racketeering conspiracy that used the business empire he controlled to carry out criminal activity, including sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and the obstruction of justice,” he added.

This post has been updated with more on the charges against Combs.

The indictment against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs alleges he used his vast resources and business associates to “lure female victims” into his orbit “often under the pretense of a romantic relationship.” 

It describes sex performances known as “Freak Offs” in which Combs allegedly organized the transportation of commercial sex workers across state lines and internationally. These events “occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial sex workers.” 

Controlled substances were a regular part of the performances, according to the indictment, in part “to keep victims obedient and compliant.” The complaint says Combs kept videos of people having sex at the gatherings.  

Prosecutors offer details on the sorts of supplies they say Combs required for these performances, which among other items included IV fluids, lubricants and lighting. 

During these parties Combs is alleged to have “subjected victims to physical, emotional and verbal abuse.” Victims of his abuse, the complaint claims, were threatened with a loss of income or livelihood if they resisted participating in the parties. 

The three-count indictment alleges  Sean “Diddy” Combs “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern” of physical, verbal, emotional and sexual abuse “toward women and other individuals.”

The indictment also alleges that on numerous occasions from 2009 and on, he “assaulted women by, among other things, striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking them.”

The complaint alleges further that Combs used his various businesses and employees “to carry out, facilitate, and cover up his abuse and commercial sex.” According to the complaint, his businesses includeBad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises, and Combs Global — which comprise an apparel line, alcohol spirits business, marketing agency, recording labels and a recording studio as well as a media company and television network.

The Combs businesses, the complaint argues, attempted to engage in “sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.” 

Prosecutors wrote that Combs was able to secure “absolute loyalty” from members of his businesses through “acts of violence and threats” and that the Combs Enterprises avoided detection for illegal activities through “acts of intimidation, manipulation, bribery, and threats of retaliation against individuals who witnessed the crimes committed by members and associates of the enterprise.” 

Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is accused of creating and running a “criminal enterprise” through his business empire that for decades engaged and attempted to engage in crimes including sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice, according to a wide-ranging federal indictment released on Tuesday.

A news conference will be held at 11:30 a.m. ET at the US attorney’s office detailing the indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Combs was charged Tuesday with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking in a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday in New York. 

The allegations are part of sweeping 14-page complaint. 

We will bring you the latest updates from the news conference as we get them.

Sean “Diddy” Combs is in pretrial services right now being processed, according to a law enforcement offical.

The timing of his initial court appearance is still unclear. 

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been charged with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking in a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday in New York. 

Read the full indictment here:

With the unsealed federal indictment against Sean “Diddy” Combs on Tuesday involving charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, attention is once again being turned to the women in his life.

It was his former girlfriend singer Cassie Ventura’s lawsuit last year which stirred interest in the personal life of the rapper and mogul.

In the suit, she documented their relationship and alleged Combs raped her and subjected her to years of repeated physical and other abuses over the course of their more than a decade together.

That has raised speculation about who Combs was and is behind closed doors in his relationships with various women from his mother, Janice Combs, to the late Kim Porter, who was the mother of three of his biological children and a son Combs raised.

Read more about the women in his life here.

Sean "Diddy" Combs is seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in New York on January 5, 2017.

Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged Tuesday with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking in a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday in New York. 

The allegations are part of sweeping 14-page complaint. 

Combs is going to plead not guilty, his attorney Marc Agnifilo said Tuesday. 

“He’s not guilty. He’s innocent of these charges,” Agnifilo told reporters as he entered the courthouse in lower Manhattan. 

Combs was arrested Monday night. 

Agnifilo said Combs relocated to New York City two weeks ago in anticipation of the charges. He said he anticipated a “long battle with a good result for Mr. Combs.” 

A law enforcement official has told CNN that Sean “Diddy” Combs is present in court today.

The federal indictment that details the charges against him was unsealed Tuesday in New York. CNN is reading through the indictment now and will bring you the details as soon as we have them.

A federal indictment against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, which details the charges against him, was unsealed Tuesday in New York. 

Combs has been the subject of an ongoing federal probe stemming from sexual assault allegations made in several lawsuits against him. On Tuesday, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo said he expected the charges to relate to racketeering and sex trafficking, but he had not yet seen the indictment. 

Combs is going to plead not guilty, Agnifilo said. “He’s not guilty. He’s innocent of these charges.” 

CNN is reading through the indictment and will update with detailed information on the charges. 

Sean Combs and Cassie Ventura are seen in security video in 2016.

One of the key events leading to Sean “Diddy” Comb’s downfall was surveillance video – exclusively published by CNN in May – showing him physically assaulting and kicking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016.

In the video, Ventura exits a hotel room and walks to a bank of elevators. Combs, holding a towel around his waist, runs down a hall after her. He grabs her by the back of the neck and throws her to the floor. Still holding his towel closed with one hand, he then turns to kick her, the video shows.

As Ventura is on the ground, Combs retrieves a purse and suitcase from the floor near the elevators. He turns around and kicks Ventura again as she lies motionless on the floor. About four seconds transpire between the two kicks, according to the video. He then briefly drags Ventura by her sweatshirt toward a room before walking away.

Ventura is then seen slowly standing up. She gathers items from the floor and moves to pick up a phone on the hallway wall near the elevators. Combs, still in the towel and socks, returns. A mirror directly across from the security camera shows Combs appearing to shove Ventura.

Seconds later, he sits down on a chair, grabs an object off a table and forcefully throws it toward Ventura.

The explosive video contradicted Combs’ earlier comments denying any wrongdoing. In November 2023, Ventura sued Diddy and accused him of rape and years of abuse, and an attorney for Combs said he “vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations.” They settled the lawsuit a day after it was filed.

In response to CNN’s surveillance video, Combs posted an Instagram video apologizing and acknowledging wrongdoing.

“I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” he added. “I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

Attorney Marc Agnifilo arrives at US Court in Manhattan on September 17.

An attorney for Sean “Diddy” Combs, Marc Agnifilo, said he has not seen the indictment yet but expects Combs to be charged with racketeering and sex trafficking charges today.

“We knew this was coming,” he said Tuesday as he entered court.

Agnifilo said Combs moved to New York two weeks ago in anticipation of being charged. He said his client would plead not guilty.

Agnifilo said Combs is in good spirits and is confident. “He is dealing with this head-on the way he’s dealt with every challenge in his life, and he’s not guilty. He’s innocent of these charges,” he said.

The attorney also said he would “fight like hell to get him released,” adding that he believed Combs should be released because of “all that he’s done and coming here voluntarily.”

Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared to not have a care in the world moments before his arrest Monday night.

In video obtained by TMZ, the mogul is seen looking jovial as he greets a group of men on the street in New York City.

According to the site, the video was taken in Midtown Manhattan approximately 30 minutes before Combs was taken into custody by federal authorities at the nearby Park Hyatt Hotel.

His attorney has said Combs relocated to his hometown of New York City in light of a federal investigation centered around him.

Law enforcement rides a vehicle near a property belonging to Sean "Diddy" Combs in Los Angeles, California, on March 25.

Sean “Diddy” Combs has faced months of controversy.

Here’s what to know:

March raids: Authorities searched Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles because he is a target of a federal probe carried out by HSI, the lead investigative arm of the US Department of Homeland Security, according to a senior federal law enforcement official briefed on the case.

The investigation stems from many of the same sexual assault allegations put forth in the civil lawsuits, according to a second law enforcement source familiar with the searches.

HSI is responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, including human trafficking, terrorism, narcotics smuggling and other organized criminal activity.

The raids came weeks after a lawsuit was filed against Combs by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones.

November lawsuit: Combs settled a suit brought by his former girlfriend, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who alleged she was raped and subjected to years of repeated physical and other abuses by Combs.

Civil lawsuits: Since November, Combs has been hit with 10 lawsuits, nine directly accusing him of sexual assault. As previously reported by CNN, several of those accusers have met with federal investigators for questioning as part of the wide-ranging probe.

In an aerial view, the home of Sean "Diddy" Combs is seen during a raid by federal law enforcement agents in Los Angeles, on March 25.

Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs’ 10 bedroom, 13 bathroom Los Angeles home has just been listed for sale for $61.5 million.

Combs bought the house in 2014 for just over $39 million, according to Zillow.

The ad describes the house as “one of the most spectacular and beautiful estates in Holmby Hills” spanning over 1.3 acres.

The house has a large living room, formal dining, wine cellar, office, gourmet kitchen with a family room and a catering kitchen, according to the ad.

One thing prospective buyers should know is that this same house was raided in March as a part of a federal sex trafficking investigation.

Attorney Marc Agnifilo arrives at the US Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, on February 22, 2022.

Marc Agnifilo, an attorney for Sean “Diddy” Combs, told CNN on Monday night that the musician had been cooperating with the investigation that led to the indictment and “voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.”

Agnifilo said they were disappointed that the US Attorney’s Office decided to prosecute his client. His team maintains his innocence and says he has “nothing to hide.”

Tyrone Blackburn, an attorney who represents three people who filed civil lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs relating to allegations of sexual assault, said Monday night that the arrest was “the first step for our clients receiving justice.”

Details about the charges against Combs were not immediately released. The office of the US attorney for the Southern District of New York expects to move to unseal the indictment this morning, that office has said.

Blackburn represents Lil Rod, April Lampros and Grace O’Marcaigh, each of whom filed separate civil lawsuits against Combs this year.

Lil Rod and Lampros’ lawsuits accused Combs of sexual assault, while O’Marcaigh’s lawsuit accused Combs of aiding and abetting someone accused of sexual assault.

Those three suits were among the 10 filed against Combs since November, nine of which accused Combs of sexual assault.

Sean "Diddy" Combs attends Day 1 of 2023 Invest Fest at Georgia World Congress Center on August 26, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Damian Williams, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said on social media that the indictment in the case against Sean “Diddy” Combs would be unsealed this morning.

“Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY. We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time,” he posted on X on Monday. 

A grand jury voted to indict Thursday, September 12, according to the source.

Correction: A previous version of this report gave the incorrect day the grand jury voted to indict. It was Thursday, September 12.

Police cars are seen behind caution tape outside the home of US producer and musician Sean "Diddy" Combs in Los Angeles on March 25.

CNN exclusively reported in May that federal investigators were preparing to bring accusers of Sean “Diddy” Combs before a federal grand jury for testimony.

The significant escalation in the government’s investigation signaled the Justice Department was moving toward potentially seeking an indictment of the rapper and businessman.