Two homes belonging to Sean “Diddy” Combs have been raided by federal agents, according to NBC News. This development comes on the heels of a wave of sexual-assault lawsuits filed against the music mogul since November, including one by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Combs has denied all the accusations against him.
According to four law-enforcement sources who spoke with NBC News, Homeland Security Investigations agents executed search warrants at Combs’s Los Angeles and Miami properties. A spokesperson for HSI New York confirmed in a statement that the agency “executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners.”
In footage of the scene in L.A. obtained by TMZ, at least two helicopters can be seen circling above Combs’s Beverly Hills property as police officers swarm the area. FOX11 also reported that several individuals had been handcuffed near the home, which is registered to Combs’s Bad Boy Films production company and one of his daughters. It’s unclear whether Combs was present at the time of the raids; a spokesperson for the rapper didn’t immediately respond to the Cut’s request for comment.
A source familiar with the matter told NBC News the searches are connected to a federal investigation regarding allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms. According to NBC News and Rolling Stone, federal agents in New York have interviewed at least four people regarding the allegations.
Previously, Combs had reached a settlement in the rape lawsuit brought by Ventura in November, only to get slammed with new sexual-assault allegations from three more women and one man. The lawsuits accuse Combs of violent attacks and of creating and distributing “revenge porn.” Combs has denied the allegations, calling them “sickening.”
Douglas Wigdor, the lawyer representing Ventura and a Jane Doe who also sued Combs, said in a statement in response to the raids, “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.”
By Emily Leibert , 2024-03-25 23:10:50
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