Once a leading figure in the hip-hop genre, the disgraced Sean "Diddy" Combs, has been hit with countless lawsuits alleging sex trafficking and sexual assault, in addition to a federal investigation that resulted in a raid of his estates on Monday.
The billionaire hip-hop mogul, who started Bad Boy Records in 1993, transformed the label into a hip-hop global enterprise, investing and working with Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige. Ultimately, Combs was able to turn hip-hop into his own lucrative gold mine. However, his decorated career has always been shadowed by allegations of violence that now have caught up to him.
Combs' troubles began last year when Combs' ex-partner of a decade, singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura sued Combs for what she claimed was a relationship filled with pervasive physical and sexual abuse. Similar lawsuits followed from other unnamed women and a male producer who once worked with the music mogul. Combs' attorney has maintained Diddy's innocence and has denied all the allegations of wrongdoing.
Monday's raids, however, by both Homeland Security and the Southern District of New York is reportedly in connection to investigating Combs for sex trafficking crimes, a CNN source said. This could lead to federal prosecutors considering potential criminal charges for the hip-hop mogul.
Here's everything we know so far about claims, lawsuits and the investigation into Combs:
Nov. 16, 2023: Cassie sues ex-partner Diddy
Years after the couple's quiet breakup, Ventura filed a shocking lawsuit that claimed Combs sexually abused her throughout their decade-long relationship. Ventura said she filed the lawsuit because of the expiration of the New York law called the Adult Survivors Act. The law allowed survivors of sexual abuse to file lawsuits after the statute of limitations had expired.
Ventura also detailed troubling allegations that Combs plied her with drugs and alcohol, “causing her to fall into dangerous addictions that controlled her life." Ventura said that Combs “was a serial domestic abuser, who would regularly beat and kick Ms. Ventura, leaving black eyes, bruises, and blood."
Also, the suit claimed that Combs forced Ventura to engage in sexual acts with male prostitutes while he filmed them. In 2018, Ventura attempted to end the relationship but Combs raped her in her Los Angeles home, the suit alleged.
In a statement, Ventura said, “After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships.
“With the expiration of New York’s Adult Survivors Act fast approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life,” she concluded.
However, Combs' attorney said the claims are “baseless and outrageous lies." While vehemently denying the allegations in the lawsuit, the statement said that Ventura had demanded $30 million from Combs to halt her from writing a book about their relationship.
Nov. 17, 2023: Cassie and Diddy settle the lawsuit
Only a day after the watershed lawsuit was filed, Ventura and Combs came to a settlement.
They did not disclose the terms of the settlement but in a statement, Ventura said, “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
In a statement, Combs said, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
However, Combs' attorney said the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
Nov. 23, 2023: Two more women sue Diddy for assault
Following the fallout of Ventura's lawsuit against Combs, a second accuser filed her suit one day before the New York Adult Survivors Act expires.
The woman said she was a college student when she met Combs at Syracuse University in 1991. In the lawsuit, she claimed that Combs drugged her, sexually assaulted her, and recorded and showed the video to people without her knowledge.
The accuser said she chose to file the lawsuit after Cassie filed the lawsuit alleging he raped, sex-trafficked and abused her.
A spokesperson for Combs denied the allegation, calling the claim "not credible" and "purely a money grab.”
The third lawsuit filed the same day as the second lawsuit, accused Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall of sexually assaulting a minor at Hall's apartment in the early '90s. Again, the lawsuit was reportedly filed because of the expiration of the New York Adult Survivors Act.
Nov. 28, 2023: Diddy steps down from his business Revolt
After the third lawsuit, the music mogul stepped down as chairman from Revolt, the music-oriented television network he co-founded in 2013.
“While Mr. Combs has previously had no operational or day-to-day role in the business, this decision helps ensure that REVOLT remains steadfastly focused on our mission to create meaningful content for the culture and amplify the voices of all Black people throughout this country and the African diaspora,” the company said in a statement on Instagram.
Dec. 6, 2023: A fourth woman sues Diddy
The fourth lawsuit alleged that the woman was a teen when she was gang raped and sex trafficked by Combs alongside Harve Pierre, a former president of Bad Boy Records and another unnamed person. The woman claimed that the assault took place in 2003 when she was 17 and Combs was 34.
The lawsuit was filed under the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law. NBC News reported that the law allows survivors of alleged gender-motivated violence, including sexual abuse that occurred in the state, until March 2025, to file civil claims.
Additionally, the woman is also using the same representation as Ventura in the now-settled lawsuit against Diddy. Her attorney said that Combs and Pierre, "preyed on a vulnerable high school teenager as part of a sex trafficking scheme that involved plying her with drugs and alcohol and transporting her by private jet to New York City where she was gang raped by the three individual defendants at Mr. Combs’ studio."
12:51 p.m. that same day: Diddy responds to the lawsuits on social media
Despite everything, Combs refuted any culpability and said in a statement on X, “Enough is enough. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday.
“Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” he continued. “I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
— LOVE (@Diddy) December 6, 2023
Feb. 26, 2024: Male music producer and Diddy collaborator, Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones sues Diddy for assault
After four women sued the music mogul, one of his collaborators, Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a producer and videographer for Combs, filed another lawsuit.
The producer who worked with Combs on his Grammy-nominated album “The Love Album: Off the Grid,” claimed that Combs sexually and physically harassed him, and drugged and threatened him for over a year, while also engaging in sex trafficking and running his inner circle as a “RICO enterprise” that functioned like a criminal organization, according to the Los Angeles Times.
He also alleged that the cousin of Combs’ girlfriend and rapper, Yung Miami, sexually assaulted him in front of Combs and his employees. Also, Jones said in the lawsuit that he has footage of Combs "providing laced alcoholic beverages to minors and sex workers at his homes."
The lawsuit also names celebrities like Cuba Gooding Jr., whom Jones claims made sexual advances on him at the behest of Combs, allegedly groomed Jones "to pass him off to his friends." Music industry moguls like former Motown Records CEO, Ethiopia Habtemariam and Universal Music group CEO Lucian Grainge, are also named in the suit as some of the other high-profile figures who allegedly witnessed misconduct by Combs, the LA Times reported.
Entertainment industry people weren't the only ones named in the lawsuit, British royals like Prince Harry were too. However, it does not allege any criminal activity from the Duke of Sussex. The suit said, "affiliation with, and or sponsorship of Mr. Combs sex-trafficking parties garnered legitimacy and access to celebrities such as famous athletes, political figures, artists, musicians, and international dignitaries like British Royal, Prince Harry."
In a statement, Combs' attorney said: “Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday. His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines."
The statement continued: "We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies. Our attempts to share this proof with Mr. Jones’ attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, have been ignored, as Mr. Blackburn refuses to return our calls. We will address these outlandish allegations in court and take all appropriate action against those who make them."
Roughly 1 p.m. Pacific Time March 25, 2023: Homeland Security raids Diddy's homes in Miami and Los Angeles
On Monday afternoon, Combs' multi-million dollar estates in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by the Department of Homeland Security in collaboration with the Southern District of New York. With search warrants in hand, federal law enforcement authorities searched Combs' estates and detained both of his sons, Justin Combs and King Combs.
According to a CNN high-level law enforcement source, Combs is at the center of a federal sex trafficking investigation by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York working in tandem with Homeland Security, which is responsible for investigating human trafficking cases.
The Associated Press reported that Homeland Security Investigations said it “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners.”
A spokesperson for the Southern District declined to comment to the New York Times on the criminal inquiry. Combs was not at either of his estates during the federal raids. However, TMZ reported that the hip-hop mogul was seen at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. A source said that before Combs could fly out of the country, federal agents stopped and questioned Combs.
4:30 p.m. that same day: A man accused of being Diddy's drug "mule" is arrested at Miami airport
Miami-Dade police arrested a man, Brendan Paul, who is accused of being Combs' supplier of drugs and guns by Jones in his lawsuit. Jones claimed that Paul allegedly “acquired and distributed Mr. Combs drugs and guns.”
An unnamed source confirmed to Rolling Stone that Paul's mugshot was the same person named in the lawsuit. it is unclear whether the arrest had anything to do with the raids on Combs' estates and the pending investigation.
March 26, 2023: Reports of guns found on Combs' estate
Three unidentified sources told NBC News on Tuesday that federal agents found firearms during the search of Combs' properties in LA and Miami.
It is unclear what kind of guns were found or whom they belonged to.
One of the sources also shared the federal government in Manhattan had interviewed three women and a man in connection to allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault and possession of illegal firearms.
Comments from Jones, Ventura and Combs about the raid
In a statement, Jones' attorney told NBC News that while they “appreciate” the raids on Combs' estates, “Today’s events are not going to prevent nor delay my client's pending and forthcoming actions for justice and resolution from the Combs RICO Enterprise.”
Ventura's attorney also issued a statement. "We will always support law enforcement when it seeks to prosecute those that have violated the law. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a process that will hold Mr. Combs responsible for his depraved conduct."
While Combs' plane landed in the Caribbean, it is unconfirmed whether he is currently in the country Antigua. In a statement on Tuesday, Combs' attorney said that the raids on his homes were a "witch hunt."
"Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs' residences. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated," they said.
They elaborated that Combs "spoke to and cooperated with authorities," and clarified that no members of his family have been arrested.
"This unprecedented ambush — paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits," the attorney claimed. "There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name."
