2 days Ago
Federal prosecutors unveiled a disturbing array of accusations against rapper and media mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs as they charging him with three counts of sex trafficking and racketeering that allegedly spans decades. Combs was arrested late Monday in Manhattan following a grand jury indictment earlier this month that had been sealed. It’s the latest addition to an increasingly long list of legal entanglements for the former megawatt star.
He pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon. Details contained in a 14-page charging document unsealed earlier in the day helped fill in the contours of a case characterized by so-called freak-offs, described as abusive parties Combs allegedly threw, as U.S.
Attorney Damian Williams also explained in a news conference. A letter from prosecutors to U.S.
Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky provided some additional details. Here’s what we learned.
Law enforcement found 1,000 bottles of lubricant for alleged ‘freak-offs.’ Prosecutors said in charging papers that Combs’ abuse was “recurrent and widely known” from at least 2008. He allegedly coerced women to perform sex acts with male sex workers, plying the women with drugs and deploying threats against witnesses to keep the parties secret.
“Combs allegedly planned and controlled the sex performances, which he called freak-offs, and he often electronically recorded them,” Williams said at the news conference. Law enforcement reported finding more than 1,000 bottles of lubricant and baby oil during a raid. “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,” Williams added, referring lastly to a depressant.
Prosecutors have “images and videos of the freak-offs with multiple victims,” according to the U.S. attorney, although he declined to specify the number of victims.
People involved in the parties were allegedly given IV fluids to help them recover afterward. Combs allegedly coerced people with money and power. Combs managed to control his victims, prosecutors said, by dangling romantic relationships, career opportunities, housing and financial support, and by “other coercive means,” such as location tracking, dictating their appearance and monitoring their medical records.
“At times, when Combs didn’t get his way, he was violent,” Williams said. Charging papers state that Combs caused injuries that took “days or weeks to heal.” He is also accused of brandishing firearms and threatening to use the recordings he made against the people filmed in them.
Prosecutors think Combs is a public security threat ...
In a 16-page letter to Judge Tarnofsky, Williams’ office argued why he should be detained until trial instead of being released on bond. Combs offered to post $50 million. However, prosecutors said his history of violence meant that Combs poses a threat to the community if released.
Williams spoke of the firearms that law enforcement found at Combs’ homes in California and Florida, including several handguns, a “large capacity” drum magazine and three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers — two of which were found in Combs’ bedroom closet in Miami, he said. The letter cited a 2011 incident of kidnapping and arson in which Combs and another person facilitated a break-in by holding a person at gunpoint and, two weeks later, destroying another person’s vehicle by “slicing open the car’s convertible top and dropping a Molotov cocktail inside the interior.” It also appeared to cite the 2016 incident in which Combs assaulted then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
CNN released hotel surveillance video of the incident earlier this year. While the letter to Tarnofsky did not name Ventura, it said Combs was violently trying to prevent a woman from leaving a freak-off in a public part of a hotel in March 2016. .
.. and a flight risk.
At age 54, Combs could be facing 15 years to life imprisonment. “Given the potential penalties here, both incarceration and reputational harm, the defendant has every incentive to flee to avoid prosecution and a public trial,” the letter said. Although the government has seized his passport, prosecutors argued that would not be an impediment to Combs, with his significant financial resources.
“In short, if the defendant wanted to flee, he has the money, manpower and tools to do so quickly and without detection. The defendant’s lack of access to his passport or private jet would not negate the fact that the defendant could easily buy his way out of facing justice.” Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.
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“There is a presumption of detention in a case like this,” Williams said at the news conference, adding, “We think that’s warranted.” There could be more charges to come. So far, Williams’ office has charged only Combs.
But the indictment points the finger at Combs’ business endeavors and unnamed people involved with them, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global. Asked whether he foresaw more charges related to the case, either for Combs or his associates, Williams responded, “I’m not taking anything off the table.” Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality journalism that puts people first.
Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor? Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
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