4 days Ago By USA TODAY
A month before he's set to go to trial, Sean "Diddy" Combs has been accused of taking part in the drugging and sexual assault of a man as part of an "organized criminal enterprise." In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S.
District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Joseph Manzaro is suing the embattled music mogul for sexually exploiting him in a targeted revenge plot in 2015, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY on Wednesday. Combs' alleged offenses against Manzaro include human trafficking, obstruction of justice and witness tampering, racketeering and intentional infliction of emotional distress, per the 64-page complaint. "Diddy orchestrated and facilitated the abuse, coercion and intimidation of (Manzaro), using his influence, wealth and power to silence and control (Manzaro) and engaged in acts of violence, sexual coercion and psychological manipulation, knowingly causing severe harm while ensuring (Manzaro) remained unable to seek justice," the lawsuit read.
Several individuals in Combs' professional orbit have also been sued for their alleged involvement in Manzaro's assault. They include Eric Mejias, Brendan Paul, Latin music producer Emilio Estefan and Adria English . English brought a lawsuit against Combs in July 2024, claiming the Grammy-winning rapper and his associates sex trafficked her between 2004 and 2009 in New York and Florida.
Her complaint was amended and resubmitted in January. In a statement to USA TODAY, Combs' legal team said Manzaro's lawsuit "demonstrates the depraved lengths plaintiffs will travel to garner headlines in pursuit of a payday," adding that Combs "looks forward to having his day in court where these lies — and the perverse motives of those who told them — will be revealed." Combs is awaiting a May 5 trial on federal sex crimes after the hip-hop mogul was arrested in September 2024 on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He previously pleaded not guilty to all charges. Man alleges celebrity run-ins during abduction orchestrated by Diddy In Tuesday's lawsuit, Manzaro details the alleged events that led to his sexual assault at the hands of Combs. Around April 2015, the man claims he was abducted from his West Palm Beach, Florida, home by Mejias.
Manzaro recalled arriving at his home and discovering a "greasy substance resembling Vaseline" on the entrance door handle, after which he lost consciousness. Per Manzaro's complaint, Mejias transported Manzaro to his residence in Deerfield Beach, Florida, where he met up with Combs' other associate Paul. After observing a drug transaction between Mejias, Paul and another man named Omar Bravo, Manzaro alleges he heard Paul tell Mejias that Combs wanted Manzaro to "be brought to a 'freak-off' event.
" According to Combs' 2024 grand jury indictment, "Freak Offs" were "elaborate and produced sex performances" arranged by Combs, in which victims were allegedly coerced into engaging in "extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers." Diddy's 'Freak Offs': Lawyers ask for copies of sex performance videos Manzaro claims he was then taken by Mejias to Estefan's mansion in Miami for a birthday party for Combs' son, Christian "King" Combs . The man was reportedly "dragged through the back entrance" of the home, where he briefly came in contact with Estefan and his wife, pop singer Gloria Estefan .
A spokesperson for the Estefans denied Manzaro's account in a statement to USA TODAY. The rep said the Miami property referenced in the lawsuit was not the couple's permanent residence but "a house they owned for family use." "There were no parties thrown at that property between 2012 and 2019," the statement read.
"We have all necessary documentation to support these facts and will provide it to the court." Shortly after Manzaro's alleged encounter with Emilio and Gloria Estefan, the man alleges he ran into NBA player LeBron James in a hallway. A spokesperson for James told USA TODAY in a statement that Manzaro's claim is "demonstrably false" due to James' work schedule.
"A basic internet search shows what LeBron was doing all of April 2015," the statement read. "He was playing basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers and never in Miami." Joseph Manzaro says sexual assault was 'punishment' by Diddy Following his alleged arrival at the Estefans' Miami home, Manzaro claims in his lawsuit that he was escorted by English — who reportedly identified herself as "Diddy's personal sexual assistant" — to Combs' mansion through a "concealed tunnel" that connected the homes.
Amid his drugged state, Manzaro alleges he regained "partial consciousness" inside a "large party area" in Combs' home, which the man says was designated for Christian Combs' birthday festivities. Manzaro alleges Beyoncé and Jay-Z were also in attendance at the party. When asked by the singer why Manzaro was present, Mejias allegedly said, "Diddy wants him to see what we do to snitches.
This is part of his punishment." Manzaro was then "forcibly paraded through multiple rooms" while wearing a "cock mask," according to his complaint. After this, Combs allegedly demanded Manzaro be undressed and placed inside a shower area, where he was forcibly washed by two unidentified women.
Diddy legal win: Jane Doe's lawsuit dismissed after she refuses to reveal identity Following the alleged shower, Manzaro claims he was forced to wear a "small thong bikini bottom and a black leather mask with a rubber dam forcibly inserted and zipped closed over his head." At the direction of Combs and English, Manzaro was subsequently subjected to "degrading and non-consensual acts." Manzaro "was sexually assaulted and forced to partake in unwanted sexual activity," the lawsuit read, which included "using the mask and sex toy on a large black leather ottoman fist until he lost consciousness again.
" After the alleged assault, the man claims he was transported to a "gang house," where he was "savagely beaten" and later "left for dead inside his apartment." Diddy accuser claims he was targeted in harassment campaign Manzaro claims that in the years following Combs' alleged assault, he was targeted by Mejias in an "ongoing campaign of targeted harassment," which included various death threats and a threat to kidnap the man's minor son. Since the ordeal, Manzaro alleges he's suffered from "catastrophic physical injuries, including severe internal trauma, permanent groin damage, sexual maiming and multiple inguinal hernias," according to the lawsuit.
Moreover, the man has reportedly experienced "profound psychological trauma" and "economic damages" as a result of Combs' alleged assault. Sean 'Diddy' Combs sued: Music mogul accused of sexual assault of man under 'coercive threat' As compensation, Manzaro is asking the court to award him unspecified punitive damages "in an amount sufficient to punish" Combs and his associates and "deter them and others from engaging in similar misconduct in the future." He is also seeking a series of compensatory and treble damages.
In addition to these damages, Manzaro requested a jury trial and a "permanent injunction" to restrain Combs, his co-defendants and any of their representatives from harassing him, intimidating witnesses and altering or destroying evidence relevant to the case. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: 800.656.
HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.
org/es . Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joseph Manzaro lawsuit: Diddy accused of 'sexually maiming' man.
