Diddy arrested in NYC on sexual misconduct allegations

Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested late Monday in New York City and prosecutors confirmed that an indictment against the music mogul will be released today. The charges against the hip-hop boss are not yet known, but the arrest follows a series of abuse allegations made by several women.

Officials confirmed that police arrested Diddy without incident at the Park Hyatt hotel in Manhattan. The arrest was made “under a sealed indictment” and the artist will be arraigned this morning.

Marc Agnifilo, Diddy's attorney, criticized the decision to pursue the charges. “We are disappointed in the U.S. Attorney's decision to continue what we believe is an unjustified prosecution of Mr. Combs,” Agnifilo told the New York Times. “These are the actions of an innocent man who has nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.” Agnifilo also noted, “He is an imperfect human being, but he is not a criminal.”

Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said further details, including charges, would be announced shortly.

This arrest is the latest in a series of legal troubles for Diddy. Over the past year, he has faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, including a high-profile lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend Cassie, who accused him of rape, physical abuse and sex trafficking. Diddy and Cassie reached a settlement a day after she filed the lawsuit.

Since November 2023, Diddy has been sued eight times for alleged sexual misconduct, with additional allegations surfacing shortly after the settlement with Cassie.

Federal investigations into Diddy's activities came to light in March when agents raided his homes in Miami and Los Angeles, reportedly as part of investigations into sex trafficking, money laundering and illegal drug trafficking. Despite the mounting allegations, Diddy has vehemently denied many of them, calling them extortion attempts.

Recent lawsuits include allegations from former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard, who claims Diddy sexually harassed and terrorized her for years. Additionally, Diddy's former security chief Roger Bonds admitted in a television interview that he witnessed the mogul's violent behavior toward women “four or five times,” including Cassie and Kim Porter, the mother of Diddy's children.

A 2016 video shows Diddy violently attacking Cassie. He later apologized for the incident, calling it “inexcusable.” Despite this public apology, Cassie's lawyer criticized Diddy's statement as self-serving and only after his denials were proven false.

Other lawsuits include allegations from former fashion student April Lampros and former model Crystal McKinney, who claim Diddy drugged them before sexually assaulting them. Another lawsuit from Joi Dickerson-Neal claims Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1991 and recorded the incident without her consent.

Just a week ago, Diddy filed an emergency motion to overturn the $100 million default judgment against him for failing to respond to a Michigan inmate's sexual assault lawsuit.

According to court documents, Diddy claimed he was never served with the lawsuit and had no idea who 51-year-old Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith was.

Diddy's lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss parts of these lawsuits, calling them “false, offensive and objectionable.”

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