Sean (Diddy) Combs faces 5 criminal counts in new indictment

Diddy Faces Expanded Federal Indictment Including Racketeering and Sex Trafficking Charges

Sean (Diddy) Combs has been hit with an expanded federal indictment, adding five criminal counts to his previous charges, which include racketeering and sex trafficking. The hip-hop mogul, aged 55, had previously pleaded not guilty to a three-count indictment.

The new indictment now includes additional charges of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs’ trial is still set for May 5 in Manhattan federal court.

Prosecutors have requested U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian to arraign Combs on the new indictment on April 25.

Combs’ legal team has not yet responded to requests for comment. Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office, has declined to comment on the matter.

According to prosecutors, Combs allegedly used his business empire to sexually abuse women between 2004 and 2024. The alleged abuse involved women participating in recorded sexual performances known as “freak-offs” with male sex workers, some of whom were transported across state lines.

Combs’ lawyers have strongly denied the allegations, stating that he never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will and that the freak-offs were consensual sexual activities.

Combs has been in jail in Brooklyn since September and is facing numerous civil lawsuits from individuals accusing him of sexual abuse.

Additional Counts

The original indictment charged Combs with one count of transportation to engage in prostitution involving three alleged victims. The new indictment now includes separate counts of transportation to engage in prostitution with two women identified as Victim-1 and Victim-2. Victim-3 has also been added as a victim of Combs’ alleged racketeering conspiracy.

Combs, also known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is the founder of Bad Boy Records and is credited with launching the careers of artists such as Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G., and Usher in the 1990s and 2000s.

Despite his success, prosecutors claim that Combs has a darker side, citing incidents such as a surveillance video from March 2016 showing him kicking, dragging, and throwing a vase at a woman in a Los Angeles hotel.

Last year, CNN aired surveillance footage of Combs striking and dragging his former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie. Following the broadcast, Combs issued an apology. His lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, stated that the video did not demonstrate evidence of sex trafficking and that Combs and Ventura had a “toxic, loving 11-year relationship.”