American musician P. Diddy, whose legal name is Sean John Combs, was arrested in September 2024 for allegations of sex trafficking. He is also facing other shocking charges like racketeering, transportation for engagement in prostitution, and physical abuse, according to the US Department of Justice. The case has traced a decade-long pattern of coercion, manipulation, and violence. The legal battle has uncovered a web of conspiracies in Hollywood, including the involvement of numerous A-listers and potential accomplices.
Here are some of the major developments in the case
Accused Of Drugging Trainer
In a fresh round of allegations and lawsuit, Diddy was accused of drugging a trainer and passing him “around like a party favour” to celebrities. The trainer accused Diddy of repeatedly drugging him, and sexually assaulting him in 2022. He also accused the rapper of using him as a party favour to A-listers at his parties.
Rape, Physical Abuse On Singer Cassie
The case starts in November 2023, when Cassie, a fellow musician and Combs' ex-girlfriend, accused him of rape. Cassandra Ventura (legal name) filed a lawsuit on November 18 alleging that in 2018, towards the end of their relationship, Combs forcefully entered her home and raped her.
Ventura added that he also physically abused her and asserted “complete control” over her. Her lawsuit added that Combs began a pattern of plying her with drugs, sexually assaulting her and forcing her to have sex with male prostitutes while he recorded video footage. She was about 19 years old then.
Ventura's $30 million lawsuit was settled within a day after it was filed. The survivor told CNN that she chose to "resolve the matter amicably," while Combs’ defendant said that the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing” and didn’t change his denial of the allegations.
In May 2024, a video resurfaced showing Combs attacking Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016. The survivor reacted to the matter on her social media, stating that the domestic violence “broke” her and she will “always be recovering” from her past. Combs apologised after the video went viral.
Allegations Include Assault Of Minors At 'White Parties'
In a fresh round of allegations and lawsuit, Combs was accused of sexually assaulting a minor. According to a report by Fox News, the minor has alleged that Diddy assaulted him at one of his parties that were witness to several celebrity sightings as well.
According to a new report by Daily Mail, a 30-year-old OnlyFans model revealed that rappers had a unique of picking up women in a group. She shared how once a rapper put a swear over her claiming that she was the woman for his night and that no one should approach her thereafter. This revelation came in lieu of the allegations and revelations surrounding Diddy following his lawsuit.
Lil Rod Uncovers Combs' "Sex-Trafficking Parties"
Music producer Rodney Jones better known as Lil Rod sued Sean Combs in February 2024, alleging he was “subjected to unwanted advances by associates of Diddy at his direction”. Jones said that Combs hosted "sex-trafficking parties" with underage women and illegal drugs. He also implied that Combs' record label executives looked the other way as they financially benefited from access to celebrities.
Jones alleged that these sex-trafficking parties expected A-listers including the likes of British royal Prince Harry, who is not accused of any wrongdoing or of attending parties himself. Meanwhile, Combs’ attorney told the Los Angeles Times that Jones' lawsuit includes “reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction”. Photos of parties hosted by Combs have been doing the rounds since these allegations.
🚨DIDDY WANTED TO PARTY WITH PRINCES WILLIAM & HARRY IN THEIR YOUTH
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 24, 2024
Diddy revealed in a resurfaced 2011 interview that he once hoped to party with Prince William and Prince Harry during their wild younger days.
He mentioned wanting to invite them to his parties when they were… pic.twitter.com/hpvdaUlUpr
Some conspiracy theories have emerged about renowned celebrities like Jay Z and Beyonce being allegedly involved in Combs' "freak off" parties and criminal activities. Many have also alleged that singer-songwriter Justin Bieber, who considered Combs a mentor early in his career, was groomed or sexually assaulted by the indicted rapper.
More Rape Allegations
Days after Cassie's case, on November 23, 2024, a woman identified as Joie Dickerson-Neal filed a lawsuit alleging Combs drugged her, sexually assaulted her, and secretly recorded the assault while she was a college student in 1991.
On the same day, an anonymous plaintiff accused Combs and fellow musician Aaron Hall of raping her friend in 1990 or 1991 in New York. Soon, in December 2023, another anonymous survivor accused Combs of drugging and gang-raping her in 2003 when she was 17 years old.
On May 22, 2024, former model Crystal McKinney sued Combs for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting her at his New York studio in 2003. Two days later, a woman identified as April Lampros sued Combs for sexual assault over four “terrifying sexual encounters” between 1995 and 2001, including three incidents of rape and one instance of the rapper forcing her to take ecstasy.
In September 2024, after Combs' arrest, a model called Thalia Graves came forward alleging that in 2001, when she was 25 years old, the rapper and his ex-bodyguard Joseph Sherman offered her a drink that made her "lightheaded, dizzy and physically weak" before she lost consciousness and was raped by them her while her hands were tied behind her back.
On September 27, the Associated Press reported that Combs was accused of drugging and raping a woman, identified as 'Jane Doe' in the lawsuit, on multiple occasions. The suit further alleges the survivor became pregnant after one of the encounters; she is seeking undisclosed damages.
Texas-based lawyer Tony Buzbee is representing 120 accusers who plan to file civil lawsuits against Combs across multiple states, alleging crimes like sexual assault, rape and sexual abuse of minors in claims that will include "many powerful people" and "many dirty secrets."
Combs Accused Of Violence, Damage To Property, Kidnapping
Days after his arrest, a 16-page memo filed with New York judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky accused Combs and co-conspirators of setting fire to an unnamed person's car using a Molotov cocktail in December 2011. This accusation matches one made by Cassie Ventura, who alleged in a lawsuit that in 2023, Combs blew up a car owned by rapper Kid Cudi.
The memo also adds that Combs and a coconspirator kidnapped an individual at gunpoint to facilitate breaking into and entering the residence of another individual. "Multiple witnesses would testify at trial to the events
surrounding the kidnapping and break-in, the latter of which is corroborated by police reports and other records," the document adds.
The memo also reveals that Combs possesses a large number of 'illegal firearms' including three AR-15s, each with defaced serial numbers, as well as a large capacity drum magazine found during searches of his residences in Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California. In addition, six legally purchased guns with serial numbers, some of which were stored in gun safes, were recovered.