Sean Combs, known as Diddy, was arrested on Sept. 16 for a litany of federal charges including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. While Combs has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty, the powerful hip-hop mogul can face very serious prison time if convicted. The crimes he’s been accused of have taken over the media by storm.
While Combs has been a popular music star for years, his downfall didn’t just start this month. It was initiated with a civil suit alleging sexual and physical violence from ex-partner Casandra Ventura, known professionally as Cassie. This was the first of many similar civil cases leveled against Combs, the most recent filed on Sept. 25. In less than a year, Combs has gone from a rap mogul, business entrepreneur and actor to being under intense observation in one of New York City’s most notorious prisons.
Combs started his career in music after dropping out of Howard University in 1990 to pursue an internship at Uptown Records. Before long, he was promoted to an A&R executive and later, Vice President. Combs is said to have discovered the Notorious BIG, but was later fired from Uptown Records. After that, he turned his attention to starting his own record label, Bad Boy Entertainment, taking Biggie with him. Bad Boy Entertainment jump started his career and won him multiple grammys.
Now, back to his legal situation. Ventura’s lawsuit was settled a day after she filed it. Ventura stated that she was 19 years old when she met Combs, who was 37, in 2005.
“[She was lured] into an ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle, and into a romantic relationship with him — her boss, one of the most powerful men in the entertainment industry,” CBS News said regarding Ventura and Combs’ relationship.
Ventura reported that Combs sexually assaulted her, as well as punched, beat, kicked and stomped on her. She also alleged he forced her into sex trafficking and demanded she carry his firearm in her purse. Combs denied all of these allegations, but when CNN broadcasted footage depicting Combs assaulting Ventura in a hotel corridor, he apologized for his behavior in the footage.
With more uncovering evidence, Ventura also stated that Combs would refer to his desired arrangements as ‘Freak Offs’ where he would hire sex workers and watch them with his choice of people.
“He treated the forced encounter as a personal art project, adjusting the candles he used for lighting to frame the videos he took,” the lawsuit said.
In March, US authorities raided Combs’ properties in Los Angeles and Miami as a part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation. It would be another six months before Combs was arrested by federal authorities in New York, on Sept. 16. According to his indictment, Combs has been charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage with prostitution.
“The indictment alleges that Combs abused, threatened and coerced victims to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” Damian Williams, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said.
The federal charges against Combs also include details about the alleged ‘Freak Offs’ that Ventura mentioned in her lawsuit. Victims were allegedly given illegal narcotics to keep them compliant. Sessions were frequently recorded without the victims’ knowledge and those recordings were used to silence victims when they refused to comply. The indictment also alleges that IV fluids were often administered to victims after “freak offs” to help recover from exertion and drug use.
“Combs did not do this all on his own,” Williams said when explaining how racketeering applies to Combs’ case. “He used his business and employees of that business and other close associates to get his way.”
During the home raid in March, evidence of Combs’ alleged crimes were found. This included three defaced AR-15 machine guns, evidence of the freak offs like electronic devices that contain images and videos of the alleged ‘Freak Offs’ with multiple victims and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.
As of Oct. 2, Combs is facing allegations of sexual misconduct from 120 new accusers from the period 1991 to now – including one who claims he was abused at age nine. Out of them, there were 60 male and 60 female accusers, and that 25 of them were children at the time of the alleged offenses.
Combs has been denied bail twice because he allegedly has a history of intimidating victims and witnesses, including brandishing firearms to “intimidate or threaten others.” Combs is currently incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, and knowledge about his court date is unknown.
If Combs is convicted of the sex trafficking charges, he could face a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, and the racketeering conspiracy charge could result in a life sentence. While many details are still to be uncovered, it’s clear that Combs will continue to face immense legal trouble and possibly lose everything he has made for himself.
Photo Credit: “Sean Combs Speaking at The Cable Show 2014” by The Cable Show is licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
