The facility, the only federal jail in New York City, has been plagued by problems since it opened in the 1990s. In recent years, its conditions have been so stark that some judges have refused to send people there. It has also been home to a number of high-profile inmates, including R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell and Michael Cohen.

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Sean ‘Diddy' Combs denied bail, judge cites possibility of witness tampering

Sean "Diddy" Combs Sep 17

Guns & ammo, ‘Freak Off' supplies found in Diddy's Miami Beach mansion raid: Indictment

In a statement, the federal Bureau of Prisons said: “We also take seriously addressing the staffing and other challenges at MDC Brooklyn.” An agency team is working to fix problems, including by adding permanent correctional and medical staff, remedying more than 700 backlogged maintenance requests and answering judges’ concerns.

A judge on Wednesday denied a request by Combs’ lawyers to let him await trial under house arrest at his $48 million mansion on an island in Miami Beach, Florida.

Here are some important things to know about the jail:

What is the Metropolitan Detention Center?

The Bureau of Prisons opened the facility, known as MDC Brooklyn, as a jail in the early 1990s.

It’s used mainly for post-arrest detention for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Other inmates are there to serve short sentences following convictions.

The facility, in an industrial area on the Brooklyn waterfront, has about 1,200 detainees, down from more than 1,600 in January. It has outdoor recreation facilities, a medical unit with examination rooms and a dental suite. It has a separate wing for educational programs and the jail’s library.

The Bureau of Prisons closed its crumbling Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan in 2021, leaving MDC Brooklyn as its only facility in the nation’s largest city.

What are some problems with MDC Brooklyn?

Detainees have long complained about rampant violence, dreadful conditions, severe staffing shortages and the widespread smuggling of drugs and other contraband, some of it facilitated by employees. At the same time, they say they’ve been subject to frequent lockdowns and have been barred from leaving their cells for visits, calls, showers or exercise.

In June, Uriel Whyte, 37, was stabbed to death at the jail. A month later, Edwin Cordero, 36, died after he was hurt in a brawl. At least four people detained at the jail have died by suicide in the last three years.

Cordero’s lawyer, Andrew Dalack, told The New York Times his client was just the victim of “an overcrowded, understaffed and neglected federal jail that is hell on earth.”

At least six MDC Brooklyn staff members have been charged with crimes in the last five years. Some were accused of accepting bribes or providing contraband such as drugs, cigarettes, and cellphones, according to an Associated Press analysis of agency-related arrests.

MDC Brooklyn has also come under fire for its response to debilitating infrastructure breakdowns and the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, a week-long power failure sparked unrest among shivering inmates and drew concerns from federal watchdogs. In March 2020, the jail had the first federal inmate to test positive for COVID-19.

As of last November, according to court filings, MDC Brooklyn was operating at about 55% of full staffing, which was taxing to employees and added to its security woes.

What is being done about these problems?

Judges and advocates have taken notice, excoriating the Bureau of Prisons for “dangerous, barbaric conditions” and pressing the agency to make improvements. Some judges have moved away from sending defendants to MDC Brooklyn or have given reduced sentences because of the conditions there.

In January, U.S. District Judge Furman took the rare step of allowing Gustavo Chavez, 70, to remain free on bail after his conviction for drug crimes rather than locking him up at the Brooklyn jail to await sentencing.

“Prosecutors no longer even put up a fight, let alone dispute that the state of affairs is unacceptable,” Furman wrote.

In August, U.S. District Judge Gary Brown said he would vacate a 75-year-old defendant’s nine-month sentence for tax fraud and place him on home confinement if the Bureau of Prisons sent him to MDC Brooklyn.

In response, the Bureau of Prisons said it had “temporarily paused” sending any defendants convicted of crimes to the jail to serve their sentences. In a statement Tuesday, the agency said 43 people were currently serving sentences in a minimum-security unit at the jail.

What other notable people have been detained at MDC Brooklyn?

Combs is just the latest celebrity inmate to be locked up at MDC Brooklyn, joining a list that includes Maxwell, Kelly, Cohen, cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried and the rapper Fetty Wap.

Other high-profile detainees have included Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli, NXIVM sex cult founder Keith Raniere, former Mexican government official Genaro Garcia Luna and ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado.

What happened to New York City’s other federal jail?

The Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan closed in 2021 after a slew of problems that came to light after Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide there two years earlier.

The jail — next to the courthouse where Combs was arraigned — was plagued by lax security, severe staffing shortages and squalid, unsafe conditions including falling concrete, freezing temperatures and busted cells.

People detained at the facility were relocated to MDC Brooklyn or a medium-security prison in Otisville, New York.

What have Combs’ lawyers and prosecutors said?

Combs’ lawyers argued in paperwork seeking his release that the Metropolitan Detention Center is not fit for pretrial detention. They cited recent detainee deaths, and the concerns shared by judges that the jail is no place for anyone to be held.

Asked about keeping a high-profile inmate like Combs locked up, particularly in light of Epstein’s 2019 death, Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “We are concerned with anyone’s safety whenever they are detained prior to trial.”

“I do not draw any sort of connection between Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide and what may or may not happen to any other defendant while they are detained pretrial,” he added.

Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said Wednesday that the rapper is being held in MDC Brooklyn’s special housing unit, which offers an extra layer of security but can make trial preparation more onerous. He asked that Combs be moved to a New Jersey jail, but a judge said it’s up to the Bureau of Prisons to decide.

Is it just MDC Brooklyn, or do all federal prisons have issues?

An ongoing Associated Press investigation has uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Bureau of Prisons, an agency with more than 30,000 employees, 158,000 inmates, 122 facilities and an annual budget of about $8 billion.

AP reporting has revealed dozens of escapes, chronic violence, deaths and severe staffing shortages that have hampered responses to emergencies, including inmate assaults and suicides.

In April, the Bureau of Prisons said it was closing its women’s prison in Dublin, California, known as the “rape club,” giving up on attempts to reform the facility after an AP investigation exposed staff-on-inmate sexual abuse.

In July, President Joe Biden signed a law strengthening oversight of the Bureau of Prisons after the AP’s reporting shined a spotlight on the agency’s many flaws. __

Follow Sisak at x.com/mikesisak and Balsamo at x.com/MikeBalsamo1 and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/.

U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter said Wednesday that the government had proved “by clear and convincing evidence that there is no condition or set of conditions” that will ensure the safety of the community and that the hip-hop mogul won’t tamper with witnesses, as prosecutors suggested was a possibility.

Combs’ lawyers offered a $50 million bail package — using his mansion as collateral — in exchange for releasing him to home detention with GPS monitoring and strict limitations on who could visit him. The defense and prosecution were wrangling over the request at a hearing Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday, a U.S. magistrate judge in Manhattan ordered Combs held without bail.

Sean "Diddy" Combs Sep 17

Guns & ammo, ‘Freak Off' supplies found in Diddy's Miami Beach mansion raid: Indictment

Sean "Diddy" Combs Sep 17

Why was Diddy arrested? Read the full indictment

Combs, 54, pleaded not guilty Tuesday after an indictment accused him of using his “power and prestige” to induce female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances dubbed “Freak Offs” that Combs arranged, participated in and often recorded. The events would sometimes last days, the indictment said.

The indictment alleges he coerced and abused women for years, with the help of a network of associates and employees, while using blackmail and violent acts including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings to keep victims from speaking out.

Combs has been in federal custody since his arrest Monday night at a Manhattan hotel. On Wednesday, Combs blew kisses to his family and touched his heart as he walked into the courtroom, wearing the same shirt and sweatpants he had been wearing Tuesday.

Arguing to keep him locked up, prosecutor Emily Johnson told U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter that the once-celebrated rapper has a long history of intimidating both accusers and witnesses to his alleged abuse. She cited text messages from women who said Combs forced them into “Freak Offs” and then threatened to leak videos of them engaging in sex acts.

Johnson said Combs’ defense team was “minimizing and horrifically understating” Combs’ propensity for violence, taking issue with his lawyer’s portrayal of a 2016 assault at a Los Angeles hotel as a lovers’ quarrel. Security video of the event showed Combs hitting his then-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, in a hotel hallway.

Johnson seized on a text message from a woman who said Combs dragged her down a hallway by her hair. According to Johnson, the woman told the rapper: “I’m not a rag doll, I’m someone’s child.”

Combs is a “danger to the community and poses a serious risk to the integrity” of his case, Johnson argued. He also noted concern about Combs being a potential flight risk, though focused primarily on the risk for obstruction of justice.

Federal Magistrate Robyn F. Tarnofsky initially ruled that Combs was too dangerous to be freed. But Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, submitted a letter to Carter on Wednesday asking again for bail under conditions that would allow him to leave the Metropolitan Detention Center, the lockup on the Brooklyn waterfront where he was taken after his arraignment.

The jail, which has around 1,200 inmates, is the subject of frequent complaints from lawyers and some judges that it is overcrowded, violent and neglected.

Combs’ Florida house is on Star Island, a man-made dollop of land in Biscayne Bay, reachable only by a causeway or boat. It is among the most expensive places to live in the United States. Combs’ request echoes that of a long line of wealthy defendants who have offered to pay multimillion-dollar bails in exchange for home detention in luxurious surroundings.

If he were to be granted bail, Combs would have to stay in that house while awaiting trial, his lawyers offered. Visits would be restricted to family, property caretakers and friends who are not considered co-conspirators.

“I am feeling confident. We’re going to go get Mr. Combs out of jail,” Agnifilo said on his way into court Wednesday. He said Combs is “doing great, he’s focused and he’s ready for his hearing.”

Many of the accusations in the indictment parallel allegations contained in a November lawsuit filed by Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura. The suit was settled the following day, but its allegations have followed Combs since.

The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Ventura did.

Without naming Ventura but clearly referring to her, Agnifilo argued at Tuesday’s arraignment that the entire criminal case is an outgrowth of one long-term, troubled-but-consensual relationship that faltered amid infidelity. The “Freak Offs,” he contended, were an expansion of that relationship, and not coercive.

Prosecutors portrayed the scope as larger. They said they had interviewed more than 50 victims and witnesses.

Like many aging hip-hop figures, Bad Boy Records founder Combs had established a gentler public image. The father of seven children was a respected international businessman, whose annual “White Party” in the Hamptons was once a must-have invitation for the jet-setting elite.

But prosecutors said he used the same companies, people and methods he used to build his business and cultural power to facilitate his crimes. They said they would prove it with financial and travel records, electronic communications and videos of the “Freak Offs.”

In March, authorities raided Combs’ luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami, seizing narcotics, videos and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, according to prosecutors. They said agents also seized firearms and ammunition, including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers.

A conviction on every charge in the indictment would require a mandatory 15 years in prison with the possibility of a life sentence.

Sean “Diddy” Combs pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday to federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges. An indictment says the music mogul “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals.”

Combs was arrested late Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami. Read the indictment.

Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse. He has denied many of those allegations, and his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse Tuesday morning that Combs, 54, would plead not guilty and that he would “fight like hell” to get his client released from custody.

Here is the latest:

Combs held without bail

After Combs pleaded not guilty to the three federal charges he faces, the judge denied him bail, ordering the entertainment star be sent to jail while awaiting trial.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky announced the decision Tuesday after hearing lengthy arguments from prosecutors and Combs’ lawyers. His attorneys proposed that he be released on a $50 million bond to home detention with electronic monitoring, but the judge sided with prosecutors who argued that Combs not only posed a safety risk to the community, but also that he was a flight risk because of his wealth.

Combs showed few expressions and little emotion during the plea hearing, appearing solemn in a black T-shirt, sweatpants and Air Jordan sneakers. At least three of his sons and eight family members were in the courtroom for the hearing.

Prosecutors argue in court that Combs should remain jailed

Federal prosecutors have asked that Combs be jailed without bail, while his attorneys have proposed he be released on a $50 million bond.

In court Tuesday afternoon, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson said the government is seeking Combs’ detention on “multiple bases,” including the severity of the charges against him and the potential punishment of life in prison. She argued that he is a flight risk and there is a risk of witness intimidation.

“Mr. Combs physically and sexually abused victims for decades,” Johnson said. “He used the vast resources of his company to facilitate his abuse and cover up his crimes. Simply put, he is a serial abuser and a serial obstructor.”

Combs enters a not guilty plea

Sean “Diddy” Combs has pleaded not guilty to federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

Combs stood up to enter his plea in a New York courtroom Tuesday. His hands were not cuffed but he held them behind his back.

An indictment unsealed Tuesday alleges Combs presided over a sordid empire of sexual crimes, coercing and abusing women for years while using blackmail and shocking acts of violence to keep his victims in line.

Comb’s attorneys request Diddy’s release on $50M bond

A motion for bail from Combs’ attorneys proposes he be released on a $50 million bond secured by his home in Miami.

The motion filed Tuesday also proposes his detention at home with GPS monitoring, with his travel restricted to federal districts in south Florida and southern New York.

The motion says Combs will turn over his passport and that he is attempting to sell his private jet. It says he has remained in the country even though there were no restrictions on his travel, and that his attorneys have kept authorities updated on his location.

It adds that “conditions at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn are not fit for pre-trial detention.”

Prosecutors describe Combs’ alleged violence, including kidnapping and arson

Prosecutors say Combs repeatedly engaged in violence towards his employees and others.

In a court filing Tuesday, prosecutors say Combs and an unidentified co-conspirator kidnapped someone at gunpoint a few days before Christmas in 2011 in order to facilitate a break-in at another person’s home. They say multiple witnesses, police reports and other records corroborate the incident.

The detention memo also says that two weeks later, Combs’ allies set fire to a vehicle by slicing open its convertible top and dropping a Molotov cocktail inside.

Prosecutors say police and fire department reports document the arson and that multiple witnesses heard Combs brag about his involvement.

Prosecutors say Combs is a flight risk

Prosecutors say Combs should be denied bail because he is a serious flight risk.

In a detention memo filed in court, prosecutors say Combs has “seemingly limitless resources” to flee, pointing out that his net worth is close to $1 billion, including over $1 million in personal cash on hand as of last December.

They said he has had a personal plane for international travel since 2019, along with multiple vehicles in multiple locations.

The letter says Combs “has the money, manpower, and tools” to flee without detection.

Prosecutors urge court to deny Combs bail

Prosecutors say the violence Combs exacted on his victims was so extreme that he should be denied bail.

In a detention letter written for the federal judge overseeing the music mogul’s case, prosecutors described how Combs would assault women, employees and others “by throwing objects at them, choking them, pushing them, kicking them, and slamming them against walls and on to the ground.”

The letter says the violence was sometimes spontaneous and sometimes premeditated, including “resorting to kidnapping and arson when the defendant’s power and control were threatened.”

Prosecutors say Combs’ “disposition to violence cannot be reasonably prevented through bail conditions.”

The letter also says Combs should be denied bail because he has already reached out to potential witnesses in the case and that further attempts at witness tampering are likely.

Prosecutor says Combs was enabled by staff in his alleged crimes

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams says Combs did not act alone.

During a news conference Tuesday, Williams said Combs’ security and household staff, as well as operators high up in the music industry were complicit. Williams says they cleaned up damaged hotel rooms and “delivered large quantities of cash to Combs to pay for the commercial sex workers.”

Williams says the investigation is ongoing, and is urging “anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly.”

US Attorney says he wants Diddy detained ahead of trial

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, whose office is bringing the case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, says the music mogul led a criminal organization that carried out kidnapping, forced labor and sex trafficking, among other crimes.

Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Williams said authorities will seek to have Combs detained while he awaits trial.

He spoke before a display board showing images of some of the items recovered in searches of Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March, including AR-15s and a drum magazine containing dozens of rounds of ammunition. He says agents also seized electronic devices that contain images and videos of sexual encounters.

Williams says: “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.”

Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, has said he will fight to keep his client free. He says Combs is innocent and will plead not guilty.

Cassie Ventura declines to comment on Combs’ indictment

Comb’s former longtime girlfriend, whom he was seen attacking in a March 2016 security video, has declined to comment on the federal case against him.

Douglas Wigdor, an attorney for the singer Cassie Ventura, said in a statement released before Combs was due to appear in court Tuesday that neither he nor his client have anything to say on the matter.

Wigdor says: “We appreciate your understanding and if that changes, we will certainly let you know.”

Ventura reached a settlement with Combs last November, one day after filing a lawsuit containing allegations of beatings and abuse by the music producer.

Combs’ Lawyer says Diddy is innocent

Outside the Manhattan courthouse early Tuesday, Combs’ lawyer, noted that his client came to New York City voluntarily because they knew the charges were coming.

Marc Agnifilo said: “Not a lot of defendants do that. He came to New York to, to basically engage the court system and start the case.”

Though the indictment was not unsealed at the time of his comments, Agnifilo said they know what the charges will be and that Combs is “innocent of these charges.” He vowed to “fight like hell” to get Combs released from federal custody.

Prosecutors say injuries of Combs’ victims sometimes took weeks to heal

The indictment alleges Combs hit, kicked and threw objects at victims, and sometimes dragged them by their hair, causing injuries that often took days or weeks to heal. It says Combs also threw people around, choked and shoved them.

Prosecutors say his employees and associates witnessed his violence and, rather than intervening, helped him cover it up, including by preventing victims from leaving, and locating and contacting victims who attempted to flee.

Authorities say Combs was the head of a criminal enterprise

The indictment describes Combs as the head of a criminal enterprise that engaged or attempted to engage in activities including sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.

He’s accused of striking, punching and dragging women on numerous occasions, throwing objects and kicking them, and enlisting his personal assistants, security and household staff to help him hide it all.

Sean “Diddy” Combs is accused in an indictment unsealed Tuesday of a “persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals” that included sometimes dayslong sexual performances described as “Freak Offs.”

Authorities outlined those allegations and more during a Tuesday morning news conference one day after Combs was taken into custody in New York. The 54-year-old founder of Bad Boy Records was arrested in the lobby of a hotel, a representative told NBC News.

Sean "Diddy" Combs Sep 17

Why was Diddy arrested? Read the full indictment

Sean "Diddy" Combs Sep 17

Sean ‘Diddy' Combs indicted on sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy charges in NY

Combs, who has a home in Holmby Hills in Los Angeles, was charged with sex trafficking by force, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy in the indictment. At Tuesday’s news conference, prosecutors said Combs was at the head of an empire of sex crimes, abused women for years, threatened victims and used aides to cover up the crimes. Combs sought “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” the indictment said.

He is accused of striking, punching and dragging women on numerous occasions, throwing objects and kicking them — and enlisting his personal assistants, security and household staff to help him hide it all.

Combs and his associates wielded his “power and prestige” to “intimidate, threaten, and lure” women into his orbit, “often under the pretense of a romantic relationship,” the indictment said. He then would use force, threats and coercion to get the women to engage with male sex workers in the “Freak Offs,” which prosecutors described as “elaborate and produced sex performances” that Combs arranged, directed and often recorded, according to the indictment.

He sometimes arranged to fly the women in and ensured their participation by procuring and providing drugs, controlling their careers, leveraging his financial support, and using intimidation and violence, according to the indictment.

“The victims did not believe that they could refuse Combs without risking their security or facing more abuse,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said at a news conference Tuesday.

The events could last for days, and Combs and victims would often receive IV fluids “to recover from the physical exertion and drug use” from “Freak Offs,” the indictment said. It said his employees facilitated “Freak Offs” by arranging travel, booking hotel rooms where they would take place and stocking those rooms with supplies, including drugs, baby oil, lubricants, extra linens and lighting, scheduling the delivery of IV fluids, and then cleaning the rooms afterward.

Combs pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges Monday afternoon in New York. His attorneys asked for his release on a $50 million bond to home detention with electronic monitoring, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky sided with the government and ordered Combs remain in custody.

Combs, 54, was led out of court without being handcuffed.

Attorney Marc Agnifilo said outside the courthouse Tuesday morning that he plans to fight to keep Combs free. He said Combs is innocent and would plead not guilty.

“His spirits are good. He’s confident,” said Agnifilo, who said Combs came to New York voluntarily to “engage the court system and start the case.”

The court document also references an attack on his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, that was captured on video at a Los Angeles hotel. In May, Combs apologized after the release of the 2016 security camera video taken in a Century City hotel, which appears to show the rapper and producer physically assaulting Ventura.

Los Angeles County prosecutors have said no criminal charges were forthcoming against the rapper and producer over the incident since too much time has passed.

In March, federal authorities searched the Holmby Hills estate of Combs, but officials at the time did not disclose the nature of the investigation. Agents from the Department of Homeland Security carried out the raid March 25 in the area of Mapleton Drive and Sunset Boulevard. Video from the scene showed numerous law enforcement officials, a possible armored vehicle and several people detained outside the home. It was unclear if any actual arrests were made.

During the searches of Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles this year, law enforcement seized narcotics and more than a thousand bottles of baby oil and lubricant, according to the indictment unsealed Tuesday. Agents also seized firearms and ammunition, including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers, the indictment said.

Following a civil lawsuit filed by Ventura, at least 10 more lawsuits were filed against Combs. He has denied the allegations in all of the lawsuits. The suit by Ventura was settled shortly after it was filed, but months later, the hotel security footage surfaced.

After the video was widely published, Combs apologized, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it.”

The indictment unsealed Tuesday alleges Combs hit and abused women for over a decade and presided over an empire of sexual crimes as he “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals.”

The indictment details allegations dating to 2008 that he abused, threatened and coerced women for years “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” He is accused of inducing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes dayslong sexual performances dubbed “Freak Offs” in the indictment, which refers obliquely to an attack on his former girlfriend, the the R&B singer Cassie, that was captured on video.

Combs was arrested late Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and on Miami Beach’s exclusive Star Island.

He appeared in court Tuesday afternoon, where a magistrate ordered him to be held without bail. The music mogul pleaded not guilty during the appearance.

“Not guilty,” Combs told a court, standing to speak after listening to the allegations with his uncuffed hands folded in his lap.

Prosecutors wanted him jailed. His attorneys proposed that he be released on a $50 million bond to home detention with electronic monitoring. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky sided with the government.

Combs, 54, took a long swig from a water bottle, then was led out of court without handcuffs. As he walked out, he turned toward family members in the audience.

“Mr. Combs is a fighter. He’s going to fight this to the end. He’s innocent,” his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said after court. As a start, he said he would appeal the bail decision.

Federal prosecutors called him dangerous.

“Mr. Combs physically and sexually abused victims for decades. He used the vast resources of his company to facilitate his abuse and cover up his crimes. Simply put, he is a serial abuser and a serial obstructor,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson told a court. She also said he had “extensive and exhaustive history of obstruction of justice,” including alleged bribery and witness intimidation.

Combs is accused in the indictment of striking, punching and dragging women on numerous occasions, throwing objects and kicking them — and enlisting his personal assistants, security and household staff to help hide it all.

The indictment describes Combs as the head of a criminal enterprise engaged in or attempting to engage in activities including sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.

The “Freak Offs” were “elaborate and produced sex performances” that Combs “arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded,” the indictment said. It said he sometimes arranged to fly the women in and ensured their participation by procuring and providing drugs, controlling their careers, leveraging his financial support, and using intimidation and violence.

The events could last for days, and Combs and victims would often receive IV fluids to recover from the exertion and drug use, the indictment said.

During the searches of Combs’ homes in Miami Beach and Los Angeles this year, law enforcement seized narcotics and more than a thousand bottles of baby oil and lubricant, according to the indictment.

Also found were firearms and ammunition, “including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers, as well as a drum magazine,” the indictment said.

“On more than one occasion, Combs himself carried or brandished firearms to intimidate and threaten others, including victims of and witnesses to his abuse,” the indictment said.

Combs’ lawyer said his client didn’t own the guns at his house, noting that he employs a security company.

As the threat of criminal charges loomed, Combs and his associates pressured witnesses and victims to stay silent, offering bribes and supplying false narratives of what happened, the indictment says.

In a court filing, prosecutors accused Combs and an unidentified co-conspirator of kidnapping someone at gunpoint a few days before Christmas in 2011 in order to facilitate a break-in at another person’s home. Two weeks later, they wrote, Combs set fire to someone’s vehicle by slicing open its convertible top and dropping in a Molotov cocktail.

All of this, prosecutors allege, was happening behind the facade of Combs’ global music, lifestyle and clothing empire.

Combs, 54, was recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop before a flood of allegations that emerged over the past year turned him into an industry pariah.

In November, Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit saying he had beaten and raped her for years. She accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fueled settings.

The suit was settled in one day, but months later, CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Ventura and throwing her on a floor. After the video aired, Combs apologized, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it.”

The indictment refers to the attack, without naming Ventura, and says Combs tried to bribe a hotel security staffer to stay mum about it.

Combs and his attorneys denied similar allegations made by others in a string of lawsuits.

Agnifilo acknowledged Combs was “not a perfect person,” saying he’d used drugs and had been in “toxic relationships” but was getting treatment and therapy.

“The evidence in this case is extremely problematic,” the attorney told the court.

He maintained that the case stemmed from one long-term, consensual relationship that faltered amid infidelity. He didn’t name the woman, but the details matched those of Combs’ decade-long involvement with Cassie.

The “Freak Offs,” Agnifilo contended, were an expansion of that relationship, and not coercive.

“Is it sex trafficking? Not if everybody wants to be there,” Agnifilo said, arguing that authorities were intruding on his client’s private life.

Prosecutors, however, said in court papers that they had interviewed more than 50 victims and witnesses and expect the number to grow. They said they would use financial, travel and billing records, electronic data and communications and videos of the “Freak Offs” to prove their case.

Combs nodded his head at times as his lawyer spoke and occasionally leaned over to converse with them when they were not. The impresario watched other parts of the proceeding expressionlessly, looking straight ahead.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams says Combs did not act alone.

During a news conference Tuesday, Williams said Combs’ security and household staff, as well as operators high up in the music industry were complicit. Williams says they cleaned up damaged hotel rooms and “delivered large quantities of cash to Combs to pay for the commercial sex workers.”

“A year ago, Sean Combs stood in Times Square and was handed a key to New York City. Today, he’s been indicted and will face justice,” Williams said.

Combs returned the key in June after Mayor Eric Adams requested it back.

Williams says the investigation is ongoing, and is urging “anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly.”

A conviction on every charge in the indictment would require a mandatory 15 years in prison with the possibility of a life sentence.

Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has gotten out of legal trouble before.

In 2001, he was acquitted of charges related to a Manhattan nightclub shooting two years earlier that injured three people. His then-protege, Shyne, was convicted of assault and other charges and served about eight years in prison.

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The U.S. Attorney’s Office accused Combs of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, among other counts. Read the full indictment below.

His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said earlier Monday that they were “disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution,” calling the entertainment star “an imperfect person but is not criminal.”

The former music executive has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) carried out the arrest in Manhattan on Monday, sources familiar with the matter told NBC New York. Combs was arrested in the lobby of a hotel, a representative told NBC News.

“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. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts,” the statement from Agnifilo read. “These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

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Sean “Diddy” Combs, a hip-hop kingmaker and three-time Grammy winner who was arrested in New York City on Monday, has been indicted on federal sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, according to court papers unsealed in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday. 

According to the indictment, Diddy “abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct.”

He allegedly used his media empire as a criminal enterprise, “whose members and associates engaged in and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.”

Combs engaged in a pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals, the indictment alleges. At times, he allegedly manipulated women to participate in highly orchestrated sex performances with male commercial sex workers. He also allegedly made arrangements for women and commercial sex workers to fly to him.

“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,” Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said during a Tuesday press conference. “Combs allegedly planned and controlled the sexual performances which he called ‘freak offs’ and he often electronically recorded them. The ‘freak offs’ sometimes lasted days at a time, involved multiple commercial sex workers and often involved a variety of narcotics, such as ketamine, ecstasy and GHB, which Combs distributed to the victims to keep them obedient and compliant.”

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According to Williams, Combs would threaten and coerce his victims to participate in the “freak offs” and then “used the embarrassing and sensitive recordings he made of the ‘freak offs’ as collateral against the victims.”

Physical abuse also allegedly was rampant, with Williams saying when Diddy didn’t get his way “he was violent.”

“He subjected victims to physical, emotional and verbal abuse so that they would participate in the freak offs. Combs hit, kicked, threw objects at and dragged victims, at times by their hair,” Williams said, adding that the injuries sustained by the victims would last days and sometimes weeks to heal.

Outside court Tuesday, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo said Combs’ team “knew this was coming” and that’s why Diddy was in New York, to surrender to authorities at a time agreeable to the U.S. attorney’s office. He says he anticipates a long legal battle, but he also anticipates a good outcome for Combs. Read the full indictment here.

Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) carried out the arrest in Manhattan on Monday, sources familiar with the matter told NBC New York. Combs was arrested in the lobby of a hotel, a representative told NBC News.

In a statement released late Monday, Agnifilo said they were “disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution,” calling the entertainment star “an imperfect person but is not criminal.”

“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. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts,” the statement from Agnifilo read. “These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Combs is expected to be arraigned in Lower Manhattan later Tuesday.

Spokespersons from Homeland Security Investigations declined to comment. Williams confirmed in a post on X Monday that “earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY.”

Combs, 54, has been under federal investigation since at least March 2024 when HSI executed search warrants at Combs’ properties. At the time of those searches, NBC News reported that three women and a man had been interviewed by federal officials in Manhattan in relation to the aforementioned allegations against Combs.

Those search warrants had also been part of an investigation led by the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

HSI officials seized phones from Combs in Miami before he was scheduled to depart for a trip to the Bahamas, according to three law enforcement sources familiar with the warrants. Combs was in the Miami area when federal authorities executed the searches, sources said.

In May, Combs apologized after a video, obtained by CNN, showed him beating his then girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.

In a video apology posted to his Instagram, Combs admitted to the incident and said he took “full responsibility.”

“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Combs said. “I was f—ed up — I mean, I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses.”

Combs initially denied Ventura’s allegations of assault and sex trafficking which she described in a federal lawsuit filed in November. The two settled for an undisclosed amount the following day.

At the time of Combs’ admission of the assault, an attorney for Ventura, Meredith Firetog, said, “When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday.”

Firetog added, “That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation.”

Ventura’s representatives declined comment on his latest arrest.

The former music executive has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. The district attorney is seeking pre-trial detention for Combs and has filed a letter of intention indicating their reasons, although Williams did not provide details.

Although, the SDNY alleges that Combs used his media empire and workers as part of a criminal enterprise, it is unclear if anyone else will be charged as co-conspirators in connection to the investigation. However, the district attorney leading this case said it is possible given that the investigation continues.

“We are not done. This investigation is ongoing,” Williams said during the press conference Tuesday. “I encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and to do it quickly. Anyone with information can call 1-877-4HSI-TIP.”

Chloe Melas of NBC News contributed to this report.

Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) carried out the arrest in Manhattan on Monday, sources familiar with the matter told NBC New York. Combs was arrested in the lobby of a hotel, a representative told NBC News.

In a statement released late Monday night, Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo said they were “disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution,” calling the entertainment star “an imperfect person but is not criminal.”

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It was not immediately clear what charges Combs would face, but Agnifilo said that the charges were coming from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, indicating federal charges would be filed.

“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. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts,” the statement from Agnifilo read. “These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Spokespersons from Homeland Security Investigations declined to comment. Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, confirmed in a post on X that “earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY.” Williams added that they expect to unseal the indictment Tuesday morning.

Williams is expected to hold a press conference at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Combs is scheduled to appear in court in lower Manhattan on charges that appear to be in relation to allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms

Combs, 54, has been under federal investigation since at least March 2024 when HSI executed search warrants at Combs’ properties. At the time of those searches, NBC News reported that three women and a man had been interviewed by federal officials in Manhattan in relation to the aforementioned allegations against Combs.

Those search warrants had also been part of an investigation led by the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

HSI officials seized phones from Combs in Miami before he was scheduled to depart for a trip to the Bahamas, according to three law enforcement sources familiar with the warrants. Combs was in the Miami area when federal authorities executed the searches, sources said.

In May, Combs apologized after a video, obtained by CNN, showed him beating his then girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.

In a video apology posted to his Instagram, Combs admitted to the incident and said he took “full responsibility.”

“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Combs said. “I was f—ed up — I mean, I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses.”

Combs initially denied Ventura’s allegations of assault and sex trafficking which she described in a federal lawsuit filed in November. The two settled for an undisclosed amount the following day.

At the time of Combs’ admission of the assault, an attorney for Ventura, Meredith Firetog, said, “When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday.”

Firetog added, “That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation.”

The former music executive has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.

Chloe Melas of NBC News contributed to this report.

The facility, the only federal jail in New York City, has been plagued by problems since it opened in the 1990s. In recent years, its conditions have been so stark that some judges have refused to send people there. It has also been home to a number of high-profile inmates, including R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell and Michael Cohen.

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In a statement, the federal Bureau of Prisons said: “We also take seriously addressing the staffing and other challenges at MDC Brooklyn.” An agency team is working to fix problems, including by adding permanent correctional and medical staff, remedying more than 700 backlogged maintenance requests and answering judges’ concerns.

A judge on Wednesday denied a request by Combs’ lawyers to let him await trial under house arrest at his $48 million mansion on an island in Miami Beach, Florida.

Here are some important things to know about the jail:

What is the Metropolitan Detention Center?

The Bureau of Prisons opened the facility, known as MDC Brooklyn, as a jail in the early 1990s.

It’s used mainly for post-arrest detention for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Other inmates are there to serve short sentences following convictions.

The facility, in an industrial area on the Brooklyn waterfront, has about 1,200 detainees, down from more than 1,600 in January. It has outdoor recreation facilities, a medical unit with examination rooms and a dental suite. It has a separate wing for educational programs and the jail’s library.

The Bureau of Prisons closed its crumbling Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan in 2021, leaving MDC Brooklyn as its only facility in the nation’s largest city.

What are some problems with MDC Brooklyn?

Detainees have long complained about rampant violence, dreadful conditions, severe staffing shortages and the widespread smuggling of drugs and other contraband, some of it facilitated by employees. At the same time, they say they’ve been subject to frequent lockdowns and have been barred from leaving their cells for visits, calls, showers or exercise.

In June, Uriel Whyte, 37, was stabbed to death at the jail. A month later, Edwin Cordero, 36, died after he was hurt in a brawl. At least four people detained at the jail have died by suicide in the last three years.

Cordero’s lawyer, Andrew Dalack, told The New York Times his client was just the victim of “an overcrowded, understaffed and neglected federal jail that is hell on earth.”

At least six MDC Brooklyn staff members have been charged with crimes in the last five years. Some were accused of accepting bribes or providing contraband such as drugs, cigarettes, and cellphones, according to an Associated Press analysis of agency-related arrests.

MDC Brooklyn has also come under fire for its response to debilitating infrastructure breakdowns and the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, a week-long power failure sparked unrest among shivering inmates and drew concerns from federal watchdogs. In March 2020, the jail had the first federal inmate to test positive for COVID-19.

As of last November, according to court filings, MDC Brooklyn was operating at about 55% of full staffing, which was taxing to employees and added to its security woes.

What is being done about these problems?

Judges and advocates have taken notice, excoriating the Bureau of Prisons for “dangerous, barbaric conditions” and pressing the agency to make improvements. Some judges have moved away from sending defendants to MDC Brooklyn or have given reduced sentences because of the conditions there.

In January, U.S. District Judge Furman took the rare step of allowing Gustavo Chavez, 70, to remain free on bail after his conviction for drug crimes rather than locking him up at the Brooklyn jail to await sentencing.

“Prosecutors no longer even put up a fight, let alone dispute that the state of affairs is unacceptable,” Furman wrote.

In August, U.S. District Judge Gary Brown said he would vacate a 75-year-old defendant’s nine-month sentence for tax fraud and place him on home confinement if the Bureau of Prisons sent him to MDC Brooklyn.

In response, the Bureau of Prisons said it had “temporarily paused” sending any defendants convicted of crimes to the jail to serve their sentences. In a statement Tuesday, the agency said 43 people were currently serving sentences in a minimum-security unit at the jail.

What other notable people have been detained at MDC Brooklyn?

Combs is just the latest celebrity inmate to be locked up at MDC Brooklyn, joining a list that includes Maxwell, Kelly, Cohen, cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried and the rapper Fetty Wap.

Other high-profile detainees have included Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli, NXIVM sex cult founder Keith Raniere, former Mexican government official Genaro Garcia Luna and ex-Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado.

What happened to New York City’s other federal jail?

The Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan closed in 2021 after a slew of problems that came to light after Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide there two years earlier.

The jail — next to the courthouse where Combs was arraigned — was plagued by lax security, severe staffing shortages and squalid, unsafe conditions including falling concrete, freezing temperatures and busted cells.

People detained at the facility were relocated to MDC Brooklyn or a medium-security prison in Otisville, New York.

What have Combs’ lawyers and prosecutors said?

Combs’ lawyers argued in paperwork seeking his release that the Metropolitan Detention Center is not fit for pretrial detention. They cited recent detainee deaths, and the concerns shared by judges that the jail is no place for anyone to be held.

Asked about keeping a high-profile inmate like Combs locked up, particularly in light of Epstein’s 2019 death, Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “We are concerned with anyone’s safety whenever they are detained prior to trial.”

“I do not draw any sort of connection between Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide and what may or may not happen to any other defendant while they are detained pretrial,” he added.

Combs’ lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said Wednesday that the rapper is being held in MDC Brooklyn’s special housing unit, which offers an extra layer of security but can make trial preparation more onerous. He asked that Combs be moved to a New Jersey jail, but a judge said it’s up to the Bureau of Prisons to decide.

Is it just MDC Brooklyn, or do all federal prisons have issues?

An ongoing Associated Press investigation has uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Bureau of Prisons, an agency with more than 30,000 employees, 158,000 inmates, 122 facilities and an annual budget of about $8 billion.

AP reporting has revealed dozens of escapes, chronic violence, deaths and severe staffing shortages that have hampered responses to emergencies, including inmate assaults and suicides.

In April, the Bureau of Prisons said it was closing its women’s prison in Dublin, California, known as the “rape club,” giving up on attempts to reform the facility after an AP investigation exposed staff-on-inmate sexual abuse.

In July, President Joe Biden signed a law strengthening oversight of the Bureau of Prisons after the AP’s reporting shined a spotlight on the agency’s many flaws. __

Follow Sisak at x.com/mikesisak and Balsamo at x.com/MikeBalsamo1 and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/.

The Board of Trustees made the decision at its regular meeting Friday.

“The Howard University Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to accept the return by Mr. Sean Combs of the honorary degree conferred upon him in 2014,” the Board said in a statement. “This acceptance revokes all honors and privileges associated with the degree. Accordingly, the Board has directed that his name be removed from all documents listing honorary degree recipients of Howard University.”

The move comes as Combs’ reputation has been sullied following several lawsuits filed late last year that raised allegations of sexual assault and rape on the part of one of hip-hop’s most recognizable performers and producers.

In November, he was sued by R&B singer Cassie, who said he subjected her to a yearslong abusive relationship that included beatings and rape. Combs settled the lawsuit with Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, a few days after it was filed.

Combs issued an apology after footage was released that appeared to show him beating Cassie in 2016, matching the description of an alleged incident she detailed in the lawsuit.

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“Mr. Combs’ behavior as captured in a recently released video is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor,” the Board’s statement said.

The university also is returning a $1 million contribution and ending a 2016 gift agreement with Combs, a scholarship in his name and a 2023 pledge agreement with the Sean Combs Foundation.

Since Cassie came forward with her claims against Combs last year, the rapper has been hit with several lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, sexual trafficking and engaging in other criminal activity.

Combs attended Howard from 1987 to 1989.

However, the Duke of Sussex is not accused of any wrongdoing in the suit.

Combs is part of a federal investigation following a series of lawsuits since last fall tied to a slew of allegations of wrongdoing, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.

The lawsuit that names Harry was filed by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones. In the suit, filed in federal court in New York in February 2024, Jones said that Combs sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him for more than a year while he worked on Combs’ 2023 album.

Jones’ lawsuit, which seeks $30 million in damages, alleges that Combs used his known access to celebrities — such as Harry — as a way to give his sex trafficking parties legitimacy.

In Jones’ lawsuit, Harry is named just once.

“Affiliation with, and or sponsorship of Mr. Combs sex-trafficking parties garnered legitimacy and access to celebrities such as famous athletes, political figures, artist, musicians, and international dignitaries like British Royal, Prince Harry,” the initial filing from Feb. 26, 2024, reads.

Jones’ legal team would later amend the filing on March 25, 2024, to accuse actor Cuba Gooding Jr. of sexually harassing and assaulting him.

“Mr. Combs was known for throwing the ‘best’ parties. Affiliation with, and or sponsorship of Mr. Combs sex-trafficking parties garnered legitimacy and access to celebrities such as famous athletes, political figures, artists, musicians, and international dignitaries like British Royal, Prince Harry,” the updated lawsuit reads.

A spokesperson for Prince Harry did not immediately respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment on March 26.

The lawsuit does not suggest Harry had any knowledge of the allegations against Combs or was involved, but instead seems to name the prince as an example of the type of well-known people to whom the defendants may have had access.

Elsewhere in the lawsuit, Jones alleges that the music executive ordered him to procure sex workers and pressured him to engage in unwelcome sex acts with them and others. Jones also alleges that Combs gave laced alcoholic beverages to people at parties at his homes.

Jones’ case continues to move forward in the legal system. Following the raids on Combs’ homes on March 25, Tyrone Blackburn, the attorney for Jones and another person suing Combs, Liza Gardner, told NBC News that while they “appreciate” the federal government’s raids on Combs, “today’s events are not going to prevent nor delay my clients pending and forthcoming actions for justice and resolution from the Combs RICO Enterprise.”

Representatives for Combs have not commented on the Jones lawsuit to NBC News, but did say on March 26 that the search warrants executed at the musician’s homes were “excessive.”

“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated. Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities,” Aaron Dyer, Combs’ attorney said in a statement.

“Despite media speculation, neither Mr. Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way. This unprecedented ambush, paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence, leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits. There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”

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Homeland Security Investigations executed warrants out of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Monday and seized his phones in Miami before he was scheduled to depart for a trip to the Bahamas.

The music mogul is a subject of a federal criminal investigation amid several lawsuits filed against him in recent months, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.

The source said three women and a man had been interviewed by federal officials in Manhattan in relation to allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms.

It was not immediately clear what kind of firearms were found or who they belonged to.

Aaron Dyer, an attorney for Combs, described Monday’s searches as “gross overuse of military-level force.” Neither Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested, Dyer noted in his statement.

“There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated,” Dyer said. “Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities.”

Combs is innocent and “will continue to fight every single day to clear his name,” Dyer said, adding that Combs had not been found liable of the allegations against him.

Since November, Combs has been the subject of numerous civil lawsuits following a civil suit from his former romantic partner, Cassie, who accused him of physically and sexually abusing her for years. Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, utilized the New York Adult Survivors Act, which offered a one-year window for adult victims of sexual assault to come forward with civil claims regardless of the statute of limitations.

She and Combs settled the suit a day after she filed in New York. Combs has rejected the accusations, calling them offensive and outrageous.

Since then, three other women have filed lawsuits in the Southern District of New York alleging that they were sexually assaulted by Combs. Two said they were teenagers at the time of the alleged assaults. 

Combs has denied each of the sexual assault allegations, calling them “sickening.” 

A former employee who worked for Combs between September 2022 and November 2023 also filed a lawsuit in February alleging that Combs sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him for more than a year.  In his suit, Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a producer, also alleged that he had video and audio evidence of Combs, his staff and others “engaging in serious illegal activity.”

These cases are ongoing, and Combs has denied the allegations. 

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But several lawsuits filed late last year raised allegations of sexual assault and rape against Combs — one of hip-hop’s most recognizable names as a performer and producer.

The music mogul’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami were searched Monday by federal agents with Homeland Security Investigators and other law enforcement. Officials said the searches were connected to an investigation by federal authorities in New York.

Footage from Chopper 6 showed multiple agents at the rapper’s property on the exclusive Star Island. NBC6 captured agents walking through the more than $30 million home with paper bags and walking out with multiple boxes and laptops. Among the items seized were several phones and guns, law enforcement sources told NBC News.

In a statement on Tuesday, Combs’ attorney called the raid an “unprecedented ambush” and that the mogul was not detained but cooperated and spoke to authorities.

“Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated,” Aaron Dyer’s statement said in part.

The attorney clarified that Combs nor any of his family members were not arrested and their travel was not restricted.

“This unprecedented ambush — paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” Dyer said. “There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”

Although Diddy was embroiled in one high-profile business dispute for part of 2023, it was a case filed by his former girlfriend and R&B singer Cassie that opened the door to other claims of sexual violence. Combs has vehemently denied the allegations.

It is not clear whether the search is related to any of the allegations raised in the lawsuits, which include one from a woman who claims Combs raped her when she was 17.

Here are some things to know about Combs and the investigation.

WHO IS DIDDY?

Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. He built one of music’s biggest empires, blazing a trail with several entities attached to his famous name. He is the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner who has worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.

The music mogul created the fashion clothing line called Sean John, was associated with a well-known vodka brand and launched Revolt TV network, which focuses on music and social justice issues targeting African Americans. He also produced the reality show “Making the Band” for MTV.

In 2022, BET honored Combs with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his ability to shape culture through his career.

Combs won Grammys for his platinum-selling 1997 album “No Way Out” and the single “I’ll Be Missing You,” a song dedicated to the late Notorious B.I.G. who was killed earlier that year. He won another Grammy for “Shake Ya Tailfeather” with Nelly and Murphy Lee.

Last year, Combs released his fifth studio album “The Love Album: Off the Grid,” which was nominated for best progressive R&B album at February’s Grammy Awards, which he did not attend. The album was his first solo project since his 2006 chart-topping “Press Play,” which had two top 10 hit singles: “Last Night” with Keyshia Cole and “Come to Me” featuring Nicole Scherzinger.

In 2004, Combs played Walter Lee Younger in the Broadway revival of “A Raisin in the Sun,” which aired as a television adaption four years later. He’s also appeared in films including “Get Him to the Greek” and “Monster’s Ball.”

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WHAT SPARKED THE LAWSUITS?

In November, Combs’ protege and singer Cassie sued him for alleging years of sexual abuse including rape. The lawsuit alleged he forced her to have sex with male prostitutes while he filmed them.

Combs and Ventura began dating in 2007 and had an on-and-off relationship for more than a decade.

The suit was settled the day after it was filed, but the lawsuits against Combs kept coming.

Combs had said in a December statement, “I did not do any of the awful things being alleged.”

In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them. Combs’ attorney Shawn Holley has said of those allegations that “we have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies.”

Another of Combs’ accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.

The filings detail acts of sexual assault, beatings and forced drugging allegedly committed in the early 1990s by Combs, then a talent director, party promoter and rising figure in New York City’s hip-hop community.

ANY REPERCUSSIONS FROM THE LAWSUITS?

Last year, Combs stepped down as chairman of his cable television network Revolt amid the sexual abuse allegations against him.

Revolt announced Combs’ decision via social media. It’s not clear if he will ever return to the media company — which said Combs previously had “no operational or day-to-day role” at the network.

“This decision helps to ensure that Revolt remains steadfastly focused on our mission to create meaningful content for the culture and amplify the voices of all Black people throughout this country and African diaspora,” the network said.

The network had been preparing to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Combs also created an online marketplace called Empower Global that featured Black-owned brands. The website for the curated marketplace is still active, but shows no products being sold.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH DIAGEO?

Earlier this year, Combs withdrew the lawsuit filed last year against Diageo as part of a settlement with the London-based spirits giant.

Combs said the company didn’t make promised investments in Ciroc vodka and DeLeon tequila — two brands Combs promoted in the past — and treated them as inferior “urban” products. He also accused Diageo of racism.

In court filings, Combs said Diageo leadership told him race was one of the reasons it limited distribution to “urban” neighborhoods. Combs said he was also told some Diageo leaders resented him for making too much money.

In legal filings, Diageo accused Combs of resorting to “false and reckless” allegations “in an effort to extract additional billions” from the company.

Combs’ reputation took a serious hit after the lawsuit was filed. Diageo became the sole owner of Ciroc and DeLeon after the lawsuit was withdrawn.

Homeland Security Investigations executed search warrants at the LA mansion as well as a Miami property belonging to Combs, sources told NBC news.

The raid may be linked to a possible sex traffic investigation, another source familiar with the matter told NBC News. The source added three Jane Does and one John Doe have been interviewed by the Southern District of New York in relation to sex trafficking, sexual assault, the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms related Combs.

The source also said another three Jane Does have interviews scheduled.

Newschopper4 was overhead as officials with protective gear and weapons were surrounding the property. Some of them were wearing jackets that noted they were from Homeland Security Investigations.

Video from Miami Los Angeles also showed federal authorities were present at the Florida property at the same time as authorities were raiding the LA mansion.

Combs was in the Miami area when the raids were taking place, according to law enforcement sources that are familiar with the warrant service.

Investigators also seized the phones of Combs, according to sources, as the rapper was scheduled to depart for a trip to the Bahamas. It was not immediately clear how many devices or phones were seized.

“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 Homeland Security confirmed the raid in a statement.

Nov 24, 2023

Sean ‘Diddy' Combs accused of sexual abuse by two more women

news Nov 17, 2023

Sean Combs, Cassie settle her bombshell rape, sex trafficking lawsuit day after filing

Combs is facing a lawsuit by a woman, who accused Combs and two other men of raping her 20 years ago in a New York City recording studio when she was 17.

The woman, whose name wasn’t disclosed in the court filing, is the fourth person to file a lawsuit accusing Combs of sexual assault.

In the lawsuit, the woman said she was in 11th grade at a high school in a Detroit suburb in 2003, when she met Harve Pierre, then the president of Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment record label, at a lounge.

She said Pierre flew her to New York on a private jet and took her to a recording studio, where she was given drugs and alcohol until she was incapable of consenting to sex. Then, the lawsuit said, Pierre, Combs and a man she didn’t know took turns raping her.

The lawsuit included photographs of the woman sitting on Combs’ lap that she said were taken on the night in question at the Daddy’s House Recording Studio.

Combs, 54, denied the allegations.

“For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” Combs said in a statement. “Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”