The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that agents conducted raids on properties in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York reportedly associated with rapper and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Initial reports from NBC News and local outlets in Los Angeles and Miami detailed the activity at Combs’s properties on Monday.
Federal Homeland Security Investigations agents, alongside other law enforcement agencies, were conducting searches as part of a sex trafficking investigation initiated by federal authorities in New York, according to two law enforcement officials speaking anonymously to the Associated Press.
It remains uncertain if Combs was the specific target of the investigation, as the officials were not authorized to disclose details publicly.
The exact rationale behind the raids remained unclear. In response to inquiries about the reported incidents, Homeland Security Investigations stated, “Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners,” without specifying the investigation’s focal point.
Combs has been entangled in multiple civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault and sex trafficking. Last year, he settled a lawsuit with his former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, who accused him of physical and sexual abuse over several years. Another accuser claims Combs, alongside two others, raped her two decades ago when she was 17.
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Moreover, producer Rodney Jones accused Combs of sexual assault and coercing him into hiring sex workers and engaging in sexual acts with them.
In response to these allegations, Combs has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
His attorneys have filed documents seeking the dismissal of the lawsuit alleging rape of a 17-year-old, stating that he “never participated in, witnessed, or was or is presently aware of any misconduct, sexual or otherwise, relating to plaintiff in any circumstance whatsoever.”
According to NBC reports, federal officials in Manhattan have been interviewing individuals and are scheduled to interview further sources regarding allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and involvement in the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms, based on anonymous sources.
The US attorney’s office in Manhattan declined to provide any comment on the matter.
Footage from KABC, a local television news station, depicted armed officers entering a property in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, reportedly linked to Combs’s company Bad Boy Entertainment.
Combs stands as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop production and business over the past three decades.
Formerly known as Puff Daddy, he forged a significant path within the hip-hop industry, establishing numerous entities under his renowned moniker.
As the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner, he has collaborated with esteemed artists such as Notorious BIG, Mary J Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans, and 112.
