Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged this morning with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, vowed to fight the charges in a statement to reporters.
“He came to New York to basically engage the court system and start the case, and it will start today and he’s going to plead not guilty,” Agnifilo said. “He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers,” Agnifilo said while entering the courthouse in lower Manhattan. “He’s not guilty. He’s innocent of these charges,”
Combs was arrested late Monday by Department of Homeland Security officers at the Park Hyatt hotel on West 57th Street. He had been staying there for several weeks.
Prosecutors are alleging that Combs “threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires” and that he created “a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in” various crimes, such as “sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice,” court documents said.
“To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled — creating 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,” the indictment continues.
Combs has been hit with 10 lawsuits since Nov. 17, 2023. Nine of the lawsuits directly accuse the music mogul of sexual assault stemming from back in the 90s.
“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person but is not criminal,” Agnifilo said immediately following Combs’ arrest.
