Sean “Diddy” Combs arrested in assault charges

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, said in a statement that the arrest was based on a sealed indictment filed by his office.

“We expect to be able to release the indictment tomorrow morning and will be able to say more then,” he said, without giving further details about the charges.

Diddy's lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in a statement to AFP that Combs had voluntarily moved to New York in anticipation of the charges.

Combs' attorney said his team was “disappointed by the U.S. Attorney's decision to pursue what we believe is an unjustified prosecution of Mr. Combs.”

The rapper is the target of several civil lawsuits in which he is portrayed as a violent sex offender who controlled his victims with alcohol and drugs.

In March, his homes were raided by federal agents. The highly publicized operation spanned both coasts and suggested that a federal investigation and potential criminal proceedings against Combs were underway.

Armed agents raided his sprawling luxury properties in Miami and Los Angeles, marking the rapid decline of the powerful musician who has spent the past few years vying to rename himself “Brother Love.”

His legal team said Monday that Combs would “cooperate with this investigation” and “looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

– Bombshell Suit –

The artist, who performed under various pseudonyms such as Puff Daddy and P Diddy, was widely considered a key figure in hip-hop's journey from the streets to bottle-service clubs.

Over the decades, he has amassed an enormous fortune, not least due to his ventures in the spirits industry.

But despite his efforts to cultivate the image of a slick party king and business magnate, Combs has been described in a barrage of lawsuits as a violent man who abused his fame to exploit women.

The artist has denied all allegations made against him.

He has no previous convictions, but has long been accused of assault, dating back to the 1990s.

The floodgates opened late last year after singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, alleged that Combs subjected her to physical violence and drugs for over a decade, as well as rape in 2018.

The two met when Ventura was 19 and he was 37. He then signed her to his label and the two began a romantic relationship.

The high-profile case was quickly settled out of court, but a series of similarly lurid allegations of sexual assault followed, including one in December from a woman who claimed Combs and others gang-raped her when she was 17 years old.

Then in May, a disturbing surveillance video emerged showing Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Ventura, confirming her allegations in the now-settled case.

– World fame with a dark shadow –

Born Sean John Combs in Harlem on November 4, 1969, the artist entered the industry in 1990 as an intern at Uptown Records, where he eventually became talent director.

He made a name for himself as a party planner, which became central to his brand as his reputation grew.

In 1991, he promoted a celebrity basketball game and concert at the City College of New York, where a stampede resulted in nine deaths.

The event was overcrowded by thousands of people, leading to a series of lawsuits blaming Combs for not hiring enough security personnel.

He was fired from Uptown and started his own label, Bad Boy Records.

Thus began a rapid rise to the top of East Coast Hip Hop, together with his student, the late The Notorious BIG

Combs has had a number of contract signings and production collaborations with the likes of Mary J Blige, Usher, Lil' Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.

He was also a Grammy-winning rapper in his own right, debuting with the chart-topping single “Can't Nobody Hold Me Down” and his album “No Way Out.”

He built himself an image as a brash, brazen rogue, a major producer who also dabbled in Hollywood, reality TV, and the fashion industry, and had high-profile romantic relationships with the likes of Jennifer Lopez.

But a dark past of violence and serious misdeeds has long clouded his fame – and now even seems to overshadow it.