Sean “Diddy” Combs has been charged in a new criminal indictment with trafficking at least three women as part of a 20-year sexual abuse scheme. Prosecutors announced on Thursday that the rapper, also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy, allegedly transported three female victims, including commercial sex workers, across state lines and internationally. One of the victims identified is Combs’ former girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie.
The recently filed indictment in New York accuses him of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution, with no additional charges included. Combs, 55, is scheduled to stand trial starting May 5. He has denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty to a previous indictment that involved just one female victim, filed against him last year.
Since his arrest in September, Combs has been held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center and was denied bail set at $50 million.
The allegations suggest that Combs exploited his business empire, including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, to sexually abuse women. Reports indicate that women were coerced into participating in recorded sexual performances referred to as “freak offs” with male sex workers, who were sometimes transported across state lines.
Last year, a video surfaced showing Combs kicking, shoving, and dragging Cassie in a hotel hallway, for which he later apologized. His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, stated that while Combs does not deny the incident with Cassie, the video does not constitute evidence of sex trafficking. The defense has also claimed that the “freak offs” described by prosecutors were consensual sexual activities.
