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Rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, whose reputation has suffered due to a series of sex trafficking accusations and assault lawsuits, was taken into custody by federal agents in Manhattan on Monday night, according to a US federal court.
The attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, said in a statement that the arrest stemmed from a sealed indictment filed by his office.
“We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time,” he said, without providing further details of the charges.
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Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in a statement provided to AFP that Combs had voluntarily relocated to New York anticipating the charges.
Combs’s lawyer said their team is “disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office.”
Several civil lawsuits have targeted the rapper, alleging that he is a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to subdue his victims.
In a highly publicized bicoastal operation, federal agents raided his homes in March, indicating that a federal investigation and potential criminal case was building against Combs.
Armed agents entered his sprawling luxury properties in Miami and Los Angeles, marking a rapid downfall for the powerful music industry figure who in recent years has vied to rebrand himself as “Brother Love.”
His legal team said Monday that Combs was being “cooperative with this investigation” and “looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
The artist, who’s gone by various monikers including Puff Daddy and P Diddy, was widely credited as being key to hip hop’s journey from the streets to the bottle-service club.
Over the decades he’s amassed vast wealth not least due to his ventures in the liquor industry.
But despite his efforts to cultivate an image of a smooth party kingpin and business magnate, a spate of lawsuits describe Combs as a violent man who used his celebrity to prey on women.
The artist has denied all accusations against him.
He has no major convictions but has long been trailed by allegations of physical assault, dating back well into the 1990s.
